Justice for Agent Orange Victims: Voice of Conscience, Truth

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

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

On the morning of August 8, in Hanoi, an international scientific conference on Agent Orange/dioxin took place to commemorate the 55th anniversary of the Agent Orange/dioxin disaster with the participation of Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam, former Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama and dozens of international and Vietnamese scientists; ambassadors, heads of international agencies in Vietnam...

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam shared stories of Vietnamese families with 3-4 generations affected by Agent Orange, of people infected with Agent Orange who cannot work or even be normal people, of lands that cannot be cultivated or raised due to high levels of Agent Orange residue.

“The people I visited were just a few of the millions of Vietnamese exposed to Agent Orange, and the family I visited had three generations affected by this poison, but there were families with up to four generations affected,” said the Deputy Prime Minister.

The US military sprayed about 80 million liters of toxic chemicals (61% of which was Agent Orange) over nearly 26,000 villages with an area of ​​more than 3 million hectares in Vietnam in 10 years (1961-1971), leading to an unprecedented Agent Orange chemical disaster in human history.

A huge amount of toxic chemicals sprayed repeatedly over a long period of time has caused serious, long-term consequences for the country and people of Vietnam.

It is estimated that each Vietnamese person carries on average nearly 3 liters of Agent Orange on their body, "carrying" bombs and ammunition nearly 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) said that there are currently about 3 million Vietnamese people exposed to and victims of Agent Orange. Hundreds of thousands of people have died, hundreds of thousands of people are sick, and their families and relatives live in hopelessness and poverty. Notably, Agent Orange is passed down through many generations in Vietnam with more than 150,000 victims belonging to the second generation; 35,000 victims belonging to the third generation; 2,000 victims belonging to the fourth generation.

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

US military chemical bases in Vietnam have concentrations of Agent Orange residue thousands of times higher than permitted.

At the workshop, international and Vietnamese scientists announced and exchanged scientific research results, continued to clarify the serious consequences of Agent Orange used by the US military during the war in Vietnam on the environment and human health; assessed and proposed remedial measures; agreed on the use of data and called on the community to continue to care for and help victims both materially and spiritually, support the struggle for justice of Vietnamese Agent Orange victims, continue 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 any effort, whether spiritual, intellectual or material, to overcome the consequences of the Agent Orange/dioxin disaster and support affected victims is invaluable.

Vietnam has always been consistent and paid attention to war victims in general and Agent Orange victims in particular.

Despite the difficult conditions, Vietnam has made efforts, tried, had many policies as well as mobilized social resources to help Agent Orange victims. Every year, about 10,000 billion VND is spent on monthly allowances, health care, rehabilitation for Agent Orange victims, and support for disadvantaged areas severely affected by this toxic substance.

However, the Deputy Prime Minister said that such support is still extremely small and the most important thing is to regain justice for Agent Orange victims, especially Vietnamese people.

“Vietnamese people do not produce, do not buy, do not import, do not spray Agent Orange in Vietnam, but Vietnamese people are and continue to be victims of this deadly poison,” the Deputy Prime Minister asked at the conference, along with the reality that “not only Agent Orange, but in Vietnam, even though the war has been over for decades, there are still children and adults who are injured, or even killed, by remaining bullets, bombs, and mines.”

The Deputy Prime Minister called for cooperation and sharing from the international community, scientists, each country, each organization and individual “with the voice of science, conscience and truth” to close the past and move towards a future without war, including wars using toxic chemicals. And so that all victims of war, especially victims of Agent Orange, can be supported and given fair compensation.

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 received former Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama.

The Deputy Prime Minister thanked the Japanese Government and people, and Mr. Yukio Hatoyama personally, for their support and assistance to Vietnam's socio-economic development and discussed in detail a number of activities related to overcoming the consequences and assisting Vietnamese victims of Agent Orange/dioxin.

The Deputy Prime Minister hopes that Mr. Yukio Hatoyama will continue to promote cooperation activities between Vietnam and Japan in all fields, including activities to support war victims in general and Agent Orange victims in particular, in Vietnam, such as donating wheelchairs, performing surgeries for children with disabilities caused by Agent Orange, and transferring environmental treatment technology at "hot spots" of Agent Orange residue in Vietnam...

According to Chinhphu.vn