Secretary of the Britain-Vietnam Friendship Society Len Aldis holds photos of Vietnamese AO/dioxin victims. (Source: londonbangla.com)
London (VNA) – Secretary of the Britain-Vietnam Friendship Society (BVFS) Len Aldis has passed away at his home at Tomlins Grove Street, London, the United Kingdom. He was 85.
As a peace campaigner known throughout the world, Aldis has been unstinting in his effort to help Agent Orange (AO)/Dioxin victims in Vietnam.
In a statement on November 28, local police said they were called by Aldis’s friends who were worried that he had not answered or responded to phone calls recently. The campaigner was then found inside his house and pronounced dead at the scene.
Aldis first came to Vietnam in 1989 and since then he has annually returned to the country to assist people who had suffered in wars, particularly those continued to live with the lasting effects of Agent Orange, a toxic chemical the US troops sprayed on Vietnam during the war.
The British man worked hard to raise funds for the victims, even braved the cold on winter days to sell souvenirs to collect money for them.
In 2009, Aldis launched a website to gather and send signatures to US President Barack Obama and Congressmen to demand justice for the AO/dioxin victims.
Aldis has often been invited to UK universities to talk with students about the AO-related issues. He also raised the matter during his meetings with the local people in Sweden, Denmark, Germany, and France.
He said there is much work to be done to support the AO victims, adding that he will continue performing activities to help the British people as well as international organisations better understand the serious consequences the AO has caused to Vietnamese people.
In a letter to Aldis on his 80th birthday in 2010, former Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Gia Khiem said that the people and the Government of Vietnam would always hodl Aldis' personal as well as the BVFS's friendship and support for Vietnam in high regards.
The campaigner has been honoured with a Friendship Order by the Vietnamese President in recognition for his works.-VNA
