The International Association of Democratic Lawyers (IADL) has called on
the Human Rights Council to protect the right to life of Vietnamese
Agent Orange victims, at the current 20th session of this UN
organisation.
Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Van Rinh,
President of the Vietnamese Association for Victims of Agent Orange
(VAVA) which represents more than 3 million Vietnamese AO victims, was
present at the event.
IADL President Jeanne Mirer told
hundreds of delegates from UN member countries that during the war in
Vietnam in the latter half of the 20 th century, the US launched a
chemical warfare, the largest and longest in the history of mankind, by
spraying about 80 million litres of toxic herbicides, referred to as
Agent Orange. These chemicals contained between 366 and 600kg of dioxin
that is considered one the most dangerous toxin ever known.
Agent Orange has left about 3 million Vietnamese afflicted with one or
several kinds of dangerous diseases including children of the second or
third generations born with severe deformities.
She told
the session that while recognising and compensating the US veterans
with Agent Orange connected diseases, the US government almost
ignores the demand of the Vietnamese victims to admit its
responsibility, while many of the victims are nearing the end of their
lives. She asked the Human Rights Council to act immediately.
In an interview given to a Geneva-based VNA correspondent, Jeanne Mirer
said IADL is working closely with VAVA to highlight the problems facing
the victims. IADL is also going to promote August 10 as the day of
action for Vietnamese AO victims because that was the day 51 years ago
the spraying began in southern Vietnam .
Earlier on
June 26, VAVA and IADL co-organised a side-event entitled “Legacy of
Agent Orange in Vietnam ” at the UN Office in Geneva .
Sen. Lt. Gen. Nguyen Van Rinh said the event aims to draw international
organisations and UN human right agencies’ attention to the right to
life of Vietnamese AO victims, while demanding that the US
government and chemical companies admit their responsibility to the
victims.
Rinh also appealed for the world to say No to chemical warfare.-VNA