A meeting between US friends and Overseas Vietnamese was held in New York on July 27 in support of Vietnamese Agent Orange (AO)/Dioxin victims. The event, which raised funds and fought for justice for victims, was jointly held by the Vietnam Agent Orange Relief and Responsibility Campaign (VAORRC) and the Permanent Mission of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to the United Nations.
Merle Ratner, VAORRC co-coordinator, said the campaign aims to mobilize US politicians and people to support the lawsuit of Vietnamese AO victims and to donate money to help them. VAORRC also organized an exhibition displaying paintings by Y Van, which were presented to the Vietnam Association for Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin (VAVA). US war veterans in the resistance war in Vietnam introduced photos documenting the lives of Vietnamese AO victims that they had taken during their visit to the country one year ago. Ambassador Le Hoai Trung, Vietnam’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, expressed his gratitude to the U.S. friends who have actively supported Vietnamese AO/Dioxin victims and hailed Vietnam’s great efforts in overcoming the negative impact of the toxic chemicals. On August 10, 1961, the U.S. Army sprayed the lethal defoliant AO/Dioxin over 3 million hectares of forest and rice fields, affecting 26,000 villages across Vietnam. Of the 5 million people exposed to the toxic chemical weapon, over 3 million are suffering from illnesses and serious birth defects. (vovnews.vn July 27)
