10,000 Agent Orange Victims to Be Given Free Medicine

Mr. Nguyen Sy Thuy, President of the Hanoi Association of Victims of Agent Orange said that the association will provide free medical check-ups and medicine to 10,000 Agent Orange victims during the commemoration of 50 years of the AO disaster (10 August 1961 – 10 August 2011). The association also said other diverse activities, including its coordination with the Vietnam Association of Victims of Agent Orange to hold a requiem for AO victims and organize a visit to Truong Son Cemetery, will also be carried out. The association will also suggest Hanoi City be allowed to issue one or two lotteries for AO victims, and give presents to 500 AO victims during August 10. According to Mr. Thuy, tens of millions liters of AO sprayed by the US troops are still causing negative consequences, although the war ended more than one third of a century ago. “The number of victims does not stand at 4.8 million but it could reach tens of millions,” he said. In Hanoi alone, some 35,000 people were exposed or infected by dioxin. In particular, some 300 Hanoi families have three or more family members living with the effects of AO. A majority of AO victims are living in difficult conditions. Through the commemoration, the association aims to help everyone to understand more about the consequences caused by AO and the difficult lives of the victims, and seek support for the lawsuit of AO victims against US chemical companies. (cpv.org.vn Apr 25)