Justice for Agent Orange victims: The voice of conscience, the truth.

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam called for cooperation and sharing from the international community, scientists, each country, organization, and individual, "through the voice of science, conscience, and truth," to restore justice for the victims of Agent Orange (dioxin).

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam speaks at the workshop. Photo: VGP/Dinh Nam

On the morning of August 8th, an international scientific conference on Agent Orange/dioxin was held in Hanoi to commemorate the 55th anniversary of the Agent Orange/dioxin disaster. The conference was attended by Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam, former Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, and dozens of international and Vietnamese scientists; ambassadors and heads of international organizations in Vietnam...

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam shared stories of Vietnamese families with 3-4 generations affected by Agent Orange, about people infected with Agent Orange who cannot work or even live a normal life, and about areas where farming and livestock raising are impossible due to excessively high levels of Agent Orange residue.

"The people I visited were just a small fraction of the millions of Vietnamese exposed to Agent Orange, and the family I visited had three generations affected by this toxic substance, but there are families with up to four generations affected," the Deputy Prime Minister said.

The US military's spraying of approximately 80 million liters of chemical toxins (61% of which was Agent Orange) over nearly 26,000 villages and an area of ​​more than 3 million hectares in Vietnam over 10 years (1961-1971) resulted in an unprecedented Agent Orange chemical disaster in human history.

A massive amount of toxic chemicals sprayed repeatedly over a long period of time has caused severe and long-lasting consequences for Vietnam and its people.

It is estimated that each Vietnamese person carries an average of nearly 3 liters of Agent Orange on their body, "bearing" an amount of bombs and ammunition almost 10 times their body weight.

The workshop was attended by former Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama and dozens of international and Vietnamese scientists researching Agent Orange/dioxin. Photo: VGP/Dinh Nam

The Vietnam Association of Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin (VAVA) reports that approximately 3 million Vietnamese people are currently exposed to and are victims of Agent Orange. Hundreds of thousands have died, and hundreds of thousands more suffer from illnesses, leaving their families and loved ones living in despair and poverty. In particular, Agent Orange is passed down through generations in Vietnam, with over 150,000 victims in the second generation; 35,000 in the third generation; and 2,000 in the fourth generation.

Agent Orange destroyed vast areas of vegetation, causing the disappearance of primeval forests along the Truong Son mountain range and mangrove forests along the southern coast of Vietnam.

The US military's chemical storage sites in Vietnam had residual concentrations of Agent Orange thousands of times higher than the permitted levels.

At the conference, international and Vietnamese scientists announced and exchanged scientific research results, further clarifying the severe consequences of Agent Orange, used by the US military during the war in Vietnam, on the environment and human health; assessing and proposing remedial measures; agreeing on the use of data and calling on the community to continue to care for and help victims both materially and spiritually, supporting the struggle for justice of Vietnamese Agent Orange victims, and continuing to condemn and prevent the use of chemical weapons, as well as other weapons of mass destruction.

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam affirmed that the efforts of anyone, whether in spirit, knowledge, or material resources, to overcome the consequences of the Agent Orange/dioxin disaster and support affected victims are invaluable.

Vietnam has always been consistent in its concern for war victims in general and Agent Orange victims in particular.

Despite facing numerous difficulties, Vietnam has made strenuous efforts, implemented various policies, and mobilized social resources to help Agent Orange victims. Each year, approximately 10 trillion VND is allocated for monthly allowances, healthcare, and rehabilitation for Agent Orange victims, as well as support for disadvantaged areas severely affected by this toxic substance.

However, the Deputy Prime Minister argued that such support is still extremely limited and that what is most important is to regain justice for the victims of Agent Orange, especially the Vietnamese people.

"Vietnamese people do not produce, buy, import, or spray Agent Orange in Vietnam, yet Vietnamese people are and continue to be victims of this deadly poison," the Deputy Prime Minister questioned at the workshop, adding that "it's not just Agent Orange; in Vietnam, even decades after the war ended, there are still children and adults injured, or even killed, by unexploded ordnance, bombs, and mines."

The Deputy Prime Minister called for cooperation and sharing from the international community, scientists, each country, organization, and individual, "through the voice of science, conscience, and truth," to close the past and move towards a future free from war, including wars involving the use of chemical weapons. And to ensure that all war victims, especially victims of Agent Orange, receive support and justice.

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam receives former Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama. Photo: VGP/Dinh Nam

* On the sidelines of the conference, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam met with former Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama.

The Deputy Prime Minister expressed gratitude for the support and assistance of the Japanese Government and people, and Mr. Yukio Hatoyama personally, for Vietnam's economic and social development, and discussed in detail some activities related to addressing the consequences and assisting victims of Agent Orange/dioxin in Vietnam.

The Deputy Prime Minister expressed his hope that Mr. Yukio Hatoyama would continue to further promote cooperation between Vietnam and Japan in all fields, including assisting war victims in general and Agent Orange victims in particular in Vietnam, such as donating wheelchairs, providing surgery for children with birth defects caused by Agent Orange, and transferring technology for environmental treatment at "hot spots" with Agent Orange residue in Vietnam...

According to Chinhphu.vn