Vietnamese people are indignant at the wrong and unjust decision of the US Supreme Court
On March 2, 2009, the US Supreme Court rejected the appeal by Vietnamese Agent Orange/Dioxin victims against American chemical companies over the use of the Agent Orange/Dioxin during the Vietnam war. In response, Mr. Le Dung, the Spokesman of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated on March 3, 2009:
The Vietnamese people are extremely indignant at the wrong and unjust decision of the US Supreme Court to dismiss the Appeal by the Vietnamese Agent Orange/Dioxin victims. With that decision, the US Supreme Court has denied the serious consequences on the environment and people’s health caused by the Agent Orange that the US army used during the Vietnam war despite the scientific evidence provided by world scientists, including American scientists. It is unfortunate that the US Supreme Court has put forth this groundless decision at a time when the Vietnam-US relationship is developing positively and the US government has effectively cooperated with Vietnam to overcome the consequences of Agent Orange/Dioxin use in Vietnam.
As we have repeatedly stated, the settlement of the Agent Orange/Dioxin legacy is a pressing humanitarian and moral issue. Although the war ended decades ago, millions of Vietnamese Agent Orange victims are still day after day suffering from both physical and spiritual pains. The US chemical companies should be aware of this issue and promptly take their legal, spiritual and moral responsibilities for cooperation to resolve the consequences that they themselves inflicted on the Vietnamese victims.
We believe that the struggle for justice of the Vietnamese Agent Orange/Dioxin victims will continue to receive attention and strong support from the international community, including US organisations and individuals.
