Vietnam Honors U.S. Citizens for Contribution to AO Victim Support

Two U.S. citizens have been honored in Hanoi on Jan 23 by an Agent Orange (AO) association in Vietnam for their active contributions in the struggle for justice for Vietnamese AO victims.The two recipients of the insignia “For the Vietnamese AO victims” are Merle Evelyn Ratner, co-president of the Vietnam Agent Orange Relief and Responsibility Campaign (VAORRC) in the U.S., and Bishop Thomas John Gumbleton, also a member of VAORRC.Addressing the event, President of the Vietnam Association for Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin (VAVA) Nguyen Van Rinh said that Ms. Ratner and Bishop Gumbleton have worked diligently to help heal the wounds from the war and conduct campaigns in supporting Vietnamese AO victims in the lawsuit against American chemical firms. Among their most notable activities, they have organized trips to the U.S. for six delegations of AO victims and VAVA leaders and journeys to Vietnam for U.S. war veterans to raise funds for AO victims.They also applied to the U.S. government to pay compensation to AO victims, introduced a bill on support and compensation to AO victims and encouraged Catholic followers and the American people to actively assist them.Ms Ratner pledged to continue her greater efforts in the struggle for justice for Vietnamese AO victims, adding that VAORRC will continue to campaign the U.S. Congress on approving the bill. AO victims are regarded as the most vulnerable among disadvantaged groups in Vietnam as they are direct, second or third-generation victims of the extremely toxic chemical spreading.Vietnam reports an estimated 4.8 million people suffering from the impact of 80 million liters of defoliants including the highly toxic AO, which was sprayed on over 10% of total areas in the southern region by the U.S. troops from 1961 to 1971. (vov.vn Jan 23,vietnamplus.vn Jan 23)