(VOV) - US Congressman Robert Earl Filner voiced support to the H.R 2634: Victims of Agent Orange Relief Act as it is a humanitarian issue and could be of great significance to helping AO victims.
Robert Earl Filner, a member of the US House of Representatives Veterans Affairs' Committee, held a working session with the Vietnam Association of Victims of Agent Orange/dioxin (VAVA) in Hanoi on January 9.
At the session, VAVA president Nguyen Van Rinh expressed thanks for the valuable support AO/dioxin victims and VAVA have received over the years from international friends, including American citizens and US Congressman Filner.
In July 2011, Filner submitted the H.R 2634: Victims of Agent Orange Relief Act to the US Congress, which VAVA hopes will be approved soon so that AO victims in both Vietnam and the US will be properly compensated for their suffering.
The association also wants Congressman Filner to ask the US government to transfer a budget for AO/dioxin victims directly to the Vietnamese Government for it to allocate and disburse. The US Government should also continue supporting AO victims by cleaning up the environment in areas that are seriously contaminated with dioxin.
Congressman Filner was very moved when he visited some AO victims recently and witnessed their difficulties and sufferings. He said the Vietnamese victims need further support, especially from the US.
Earlier, Filner worked with local authorities in Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang and Quang Ngai province and visited healthcare centres and families of AO victims.