US Congressmen and Lawyers ask US Government to compensate AO victims

The hearing was organized by the Subcommittee o­n Foreign Affairs of the US House of Representatives.

At the hearing entitled “Our forgotten responsibility: What can we do to help victims of Agent Orange,” congressmen, lawyers and American war veterans affirmed that AO/dioxin sprayed by the US army during the Vietnam war has had serious effects o­n US servicemen and women, and the Vietnamese people and the US government ahs to compensate and support AO victims.

Congress Eni F.H. Faleomavaega, Chairman of the subcommittee, criticised the Bush Administration for denying the US’s liability for Vietnamese victims, who were exposed to AO during the war. He said that the US has a ‘high moral duty’ to help fix the damage caused by ten-years of United States use of the toxic chemical defoliant o­n the jungles of Vietnam.

In his speech about liability for AO/dioxin victims, lawyer Jeanne Mirer, GeneralSecretary of the International Associationof Democratic Lawyers, affirmed that the US government violated the international law, when using toxic chemicals in Vietnam. The 1907 Hague Convention banned the use of toxic weapons during war. Therefore, the lawyer said the US has liability to support Vietnamese AO victims.

Lawyer praised the organization of the first hearing o­n AO/dioxin of the first hearing o­n AO/dioxin, considering it a first step to urge the US government to implement its forgotten responsibility for Vietnamese AO victims.

Dr Vaughan Turekian, Chief International Officer for the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), spoke of scientific work o­n AO effects o­n human beings and the environment, and called for efforts to settle consequences of AO in Vietnam.

Representatives from the Vietnam Veterans of America all called o­n the US Government and companies which supplied AO to US troops during the Vietnam war to take responsibility for AO victims.

In her testimony Dr Nguyen Thi Ngoc Phuong, former director of the Tu Du Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, highlighted the consequences of AO/dioxin used by the US army during the war, and stated that I am testifying in my capacity as a medical doctor who has been working for nearly forty years at the Tu Du hospital where more than 45,000 babies are born each year – among them, about 2% who are deformed.

Forty years ago, when an intern, I delivered for the first time in my life, a severely deformed baby – it had no brain or limbs. It was horrible for me, I was nausea, vomiting and shaking. And the mother? She was in shock when she saw her baby, she cried for many hours, maydays. She thought she had committed some unforgivable mistake and was being punished by God.

Dr. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Phuong stressed the efforts made by the Vietnamese Government to settle the consequences, improving the environment of places with high concentration of AO/dioxin, and the support from the international community for Vietnamese victims.

Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Scot Marciel after giving a background of co-operations between the US and Vietnam, said:

“Turning to the topic of this hearing, Agent Orange has long been a sensitive issue for both countries, and we have differed over the lasting impact of the defoliant o­n Vietnam. However, in recent years, we have moved beyond finger pointing and engaged in practical, constructive cooperation.

With the support of additional funds from Congress, we are moving ahead in a multilateral effort with other donors to help Vietnam address environmental contamination and related health concerns at former dioxin storage sites.

We understand and acknowledge that the Government of Vietnam and the Vietnamese people are concerned with the perceived negative health effects of exposure to Agent Orange and its contaminant, dioxin. At the same time, the United States does not recognize any legal liability for damages alleged to be related to Agent Orange. We continue to stress that discussion of the effects of Agent Orange needs to be based o­n credible scientific research that meets international standards.

The US Government will continue pursuing constructive measures to coordinate with the Government of Vietnam and other partners in dealing with AO related issues”

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Other who testifiedbefore the committee were:

Walter Isaacson, President and CEO the Aspen Institute.

Prof, Arnold Schecter, MD, MPH University of Texas School of Public Health.

Catharin E. Dalino, visiting Assoc Prof South East Studies

Rick Weiman, Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA)