The Association of Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin in southern Soc Trang province has conducted a range of activities in support of local AO victims since it was established five years ago. It was reported at the association’s second congress for the 2014 – 2019 term on December 12th that with nearly VND8 billion contributed by donors from both inside and outside the province, the association has presented gifts and houses to victims as well as organized free medical checks and built a day care centre for them. In the coming years, the association will continue to work to ensure proper implementation of the government’s relevant preferential policies for AO victims. It will also joining hands in the fight for justice for the victims led by the Vietnam Association of Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin (VAVA). Soc Trang has 14,000 AO victims, of whom 9,000 are direct victims of the toxic chemical. All cities and districts in Soc Trang have established their own organizations of Agent Orange/Dioxin victims with a total of more than 3,800 members. Between 1961 and 1971, US troops sprayed nearly 80 million liters of herbicides, including Agent Orange, which had a dioxin content of up to 61%, on 3 million hectares of forest in southern Vietnam. The largest chemical war in the history of humankind conducted by the US army exposed about 6.8 million Vietnamese people to Agent Orange/dioxin. Hundreds of thousands of them have died, while millions of other victims and their descendants are day and night struggling against diseases, the after-effects of the toxic chemical. Since it was founded in 2004, VAVA has been responsible for assisting AO victims and protecting their interests. (Dangcongsan.vn Dec 14)
