The Vietnam Association for Victims of Agent Orange (VAVA) has called for domestic and international supports to victims of the chemical defoliant Agent Orange left by the U.S. army during the Vietnam War, 50 years after the herbicide spraying in the country. The association expected to receive more donations to ease as much as possible the pain which is scientifically-proved lasting for generations among an estimated three million Vietnamese victims. Vietnamese AO victims are regarded as the most vulnerable people of the disadvantaged groups in the Southeast Asian country as they are direct, second or third-generation victims of the spreading of more than 80 million liters of toxic chemical containing 366 kilos of dioxin over 10% of southern Vietnam’s total areas from 1961 to 1971 in the Vietnam War. Contamination from dioxin, a chemical used in Agent Orange that has been linked to cancers and birth defects, has remained a thorny topic between the former foes as relations thrive on other areas. Washington has been slow to respond to the issue, arguing for years that more research was needed to show that the wartime spraying caused health problems and disabilities among Vietnamese. Earlier on June 17, the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense began a $32 million defoliant AO cleanup project funded by the U.S. government, marking the two sides’ joint work on this field. The AO clearance is considered “an excellent example of the strong collaborative relationship of two governments” by U.S. Charge d’affaires a.i., Virginia Palmer. The beginning of the remediation project is believed to show signs of Vietnam-U.S. boosted ties amid the rising tensions between the Southeast Asian country and China about waters dispute on the East Sea. (Nhan Dan – The People June 23 p7, Cong an Nhan dan – People’s Police June 23 p4)
