International tribunal to be held for AO Victims

Hanoi (VNA) - A Vietnamese delegation will take part in the International People's Tribunal of Conscience's trial on the lawsuit of Vietnamese Agent Orange /dioxin victims, which is scheduled to be held in Paris , France , from May 15-16.

At a press conference in Hanoi on May 11, the President of the Vietnam
Association of Victims of Agent Orange/dioxin (VAVA), Senior Lieutenant
General Nguyen Van Rinh said that the 14-strong delegation, including
three AO victims, three environmental, medical and chemical experts and two
lawyers, will attend the trial as witness and victims at the invitation of
the International Association of Democratic Lawyers (IADL).

After the US courts released unjust verdicts concerning Vietnamese AO
victims, the IADL decided to convene a trial to clearly define the
consequences of the US chemical war on human beings and the environment in
Vietnam as well as the US 's responsibility for compensating the
victims.

Several lawyers of international repute from the US , Japan , India
and Chile will act as judges and supervisors. Besides Vietnamese, many
AO victims from countries that sent soldiers to Vietnam 's battlefields
such as the Republic of Korea , New Zealand and Australia have been
invited to the event.

The US chemical companies concerned were invited to send
representatives to participate in the trial. However if they do not appear,
the tribunal will try them in their absence.

At the trial, the tribunal is expected to hear medical and environmental
experts from Russia , France , the UK , the US and Vietnam present
the results of their scientific studies on the reality of the US
chemical war and its legacy.

The Vietnamese delegation will provide specific evidence on the effects of
Agent Orange on the environment and to human health so that the tribunal can
clarity legal issues regarding the US companies' responsibility for the
victims.

The three Vietnamese AO victims attending the tribunal will be Ho Ngoc Chu
from central Quang Ngai province, Mai Giang Vu from Ho Chi Minh City and
Pham The Minh from the northern city of Hai Phong .

Ho Ngoc Chu was directly affected by the toxic chemical while in action on
the Quang Nam and Quang Ngai battlefields. His son, born in 1977, has been
also affected by the toxic chemical.

Born in 1975, Pham The Minh is a second-generation victim, who has lost 81
percent of his health due to his father being contaminated by the chemical
during the war. His sister also suffers from heart and lung diseases.

Meanwhile, Mai Giang Vu, a former soldier who had fought for the former
Saigon regime and had come into direct contact with the chemical, has been
seriously affected, suffering from numerous diseases and the death of three
children.

Rinh, who will lead the VAVA delegation to the tribunal, also said that on
May 18, the tribunal will consider its verdict and hold a press conference
to announce the decision.

According to the VAVA, between 1961 and 1971, US troops sprayed about 80
million litres of toxic chemicals, which contained nearly 400 kg of dioxin,
over Vietnam . Consequently, around 4.8 million Vietnamese people were
exposed to the deadly toxic chemical and more than 3 million of them are AO
victims.-Enditem