CHICAGO
— Vietnamese survivors of Agent Orange, one of many poisonous
chemical defoliants used by the United States during the Vietnam
War, are still seeking justice, 30 years later.
While U.S. veterans
have won partial compensation for their exposure to the deadly
toxin, Vietnamese victims have not received a single cent of compensation
or humanitarian aid from the U.S. government or the chemical companies
that produced the defoliant, despite their numerous requests for
aid.
Taking a new tack,
Vietnamese citizens decided to sue the chemical companies directly.
Although they received a setback this year when a federal judge
in New York dismissed their civil lawsuit against a group of companies,
they now intend to sue them individually.
“The Vietnamese have
received nothing, zero, nada,” said Merle
Ratner, national coordinator of the
Vietnam Agent Orange Relief and Responsibility Campaign.
“Enough is enough, it’s time for justice and people need to be
held accountable.”
Ratner was joined by
three Vietnamese survivors of Agent Orange at a meeting at Roosevelt
University here Nov. 30. The event was part of
a 30-day national speaking tour sponsored by Ratner’s group and
supported by peace and justice groups. Chicago sponsors included
Vietnam Veterans Against the War
and the university’s Mansfield
Institute for Social Justice.
“I come here to speak
about my story, and many others who are living miserably,” said
Dang Thi Hong Nhut,
69, from Ho Chi Minh City. Dang suffered multiple miscarriages
from exposure to Agent Orange during the war. “As a woman and
mother I share the pain to end wars that cause suffering. It is
an honor to be here speaking to you about our experiences and
stories, to help us for fairness and justice.”
Ho
Sy Hai,
61, from Thai Binh, suffers from chronic hepatitis, ulcers, enteritis
and prostrate cancer from exposure to the toxin. An army truck
driver during the war, Ho remembers how he was sent to the South
as a soldier along the Ho Chi Minh trail, an area that was heavily
sprayed with Agent Orange by U.S. military aircraft. He noticed
that the trees had no leaves and thought it was the dry season.
“While we were having
our meals, planes came over us dropping the chemical spray,” Ho
said. “We used the water to drink and ate the fish in the pond.”
As a result, he said, today many of his countrymen are dying and
many have serious health problems. Yet “compared to other victims,”
he said, “I’m healthy enough to be here to express an inspiration
of hope.”
Today, an estimated
3 million Vietnamese suffer the effects of Agent Orange. The use
of the chemical, which contains dioxin, a human carcinogen, has
caused birth defects in hundreds of thousands of children in Vietnam
and the U.S. who are second and third generation descendants of
those who were exposed to it decades ago.
Agent Orange has also
had deadly consequences for Vietnam’s natural environment, with
the long-term poisoning of soil and crops.
Dow,
Monsanto, Diamond Shamrock, Hercules, Uniroyal, Thomson Chemicals
and other companies produced the chemicals during
the war. They disavow responsibility for the ensuing problems,
arguing that the U.S. and Vietnamese governments should resolve
the matter.
According to the Peace
Accords signed in Paris in 1973, the administration of Richard
Nixon promised to contribute $3 billion toward healing the wounds
of war, and to post-war reconstruction of Vietnam. However, the
U.S. government has done nothing to make good on this commitment.
The current tour is
intended to educate people about the suffering caused by Agent
Orange, build solidarity between the U.S. and Vietnam, as well
as achieve justice for the Vietnamese victims of the chemical
by promoting and supporting their lawsuit. Ratner’s group can
be reached at www.vn-agentorange.org, and a petition supporting
justice for the Vietnamese survivors can be found at
www.petitiononline.com/AOVN.
Dr.
Nguyen Throng Nhan, 72, former president of the
Vietnam Red Cross and
a leader of the Vietnam Association
for Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin, said, “Vietnam
is poor, the companies are rich, and the victims have no choice
but to file a lawsuit against the manufacturers. Tens of thousands
have already died.”
Although it’s been
30 years, he said, “The war continues in the bodies of Vietnamese
victimized by Agent Orange.”
|