Int’l Lawyers Call For Protection of Vietnamese AO Victims

The International Association of Democratic Lawyers (IADL), an NGO with consultative status at UNESCO, called for the protection of Vietnamese Agent Orange victims at the ongoing 20th regular session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland. According to Vietnam News Agency, IADL president Jeanne Mirer told hundreds of delegates from UN member countries on Thursday that during the Vietnam War, the United States launched the largest and longest use of chemical warfare in the history of mankind on Vietnam. It sprayed some 80 million liters of toxic herbicides, commonly referred to as Agent Orange, over Vietnam. She said that while recognizing and compensating US veterans with Agent Orange connected diseases, the US government has mostly ignored the plight of the Vietnamese victims, many of whom are nearing the end of their lives. She asked the UN Human Rights Council to act immediately for the victims. IADL is working to promote August 10 - the day the US began the spraying Agent Orange in southern Vietnam 51 years ago - as the day of action for Vietnamese Agent Orange victims. Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Van Rinh, President of the Vietnamese Association for Victims of Agent Orange (VAVA), which represents more than 3 million Vietnamese AO victims, was present at the 20th session.  (Thanh Nien – Young People July 2)