Vietnam launches group for Agent Orange victims, calls for U.S. to help
HANOI, Vietnam - Vietnam launched an Agent Orange group for victims on Saturday and called on the United States to help people still suffering the defoliant's effects nearly 30 years after the Vietnam War.
Former Vice President Nguyen Thi Binh said there were an estimated 3 million people affected by the Agent Orange used by U.S. forces during the war. Hundreds of thousands of them have died, while countless others remain sick and living in poverty, she said.
"We are expecting the U.S. government and the companies which produced Agent Orange to realize their spiritual, moral and also legal responsibility," the former vice president added.
About 40 Agent Orange victims attended the event, including veterans and children. Some of them had deformed legs, others had dark patches covering their faces and some were mentally disabled.
The Vietnam Association for Victims of Agent Orange hopes to attract humanitarian support and donations from within Vietnam and overseas.
"We have been waiting for this association for a long time," said Bui Dinh Hy, a veteran who was exposed to Agent Orange and has quarter-sized tumors covering his face and body and whose children were all born with deformities. "I hope the association will do more help to the victims."
In 2000, Prime Minister Phan Van Khai approved a plan to provide monthly stipends ranging from $3) to $6.40 to government workers, soldiers and civilian volunteers who fought for the Communists in heavily sprayed areas during the war. Their disabled children were also included in the plan.
Those affected by Agent Orange who fought for the U.S.-backed South Vietnam were excluded.
But Binh said assistance from the government, Vietnamese people, foreign governments and non-governmental organizations is still small compared with victims' needs, especially since Agent Orange has now affected three generations in some provinces.
"Overcoming the consequences of Agent Orange is more complicated and longer than we anticipated," Binh said "We therefore need to have more active and efficient measures."
An estimated 19 million gallons of defoliant, primarily Agent Orange, were sprayed by U.S. planes in Vietnam between 1962 and 1971 to destroy forest cover that might hide Communist troops. The defoliant contained dioxin, a highly toxic substance, and has been linked to a variety of illnesses, including cancer, diabetes and spina bifida.
Last March, Vietnam and the United States held their first joint scientific conference on Agent Orange and its effects since the war ended in 1975.
By Tran van Minh - The Associated Press - January 10, 2004.
|