John Trinh, Vietnamese-American director of a documentary film on AgentOrange (AO), has called on the US Government to recognise its mistakeand act in accordance with justice.
According to Trinh, who haswon prizes at international film festivals, it is necessary tocompensate all victims in Vietnam and all others around the world.
During the ten years from 1961-1971, the US troops sprayedmore than 80 million litres of toxins, 44 million litres of which wereAO containing nearly 370kg of dioxin, over almost a quarter of southernVietnam. As a result, 4.8 million Vietnamese people were exposed to thechemical defoliants, of whom three million have been suffered fromserious health problems.
Trinh said he shuddered when seeing photos of deformed foetus and deformities on AO victims.
“Asan American citizen, I respect the decision of the New York Court, butfrom the heart of a citizen and as a good sense person in general, Ifeel that the justice has not yet been implemented in a satisfactorymanner,” the director said.
Trinh said he decided to produce thefilm “Agent Orange: 30 Years Later” after coming across an article on alawsuit filed by the Vietnamese AO victims against the US Government.
Accordingto the director, generally, audiences around the world were moved andangry after watching the film – a story on the differing fates ofVietnamese AO victims from the north to the south. Audiences in the US, particularly those having their relatives who participated in thewar, expressed their support to the victims. Many of them asked Trinh toexplain how to donate to and help the victims.
Trinh said thecruelty caused by the toxic substance and miseries created by the USGovernment to the land and people of Vietnam are unprecedented andcannot be measured. Although the war ended in 1975, Agent Orange stillcontaminates land and kills millions of Vietnamese people, who were notinvolved in the war.
“They are waiting to die of deformities, cancers and strange diseases,” he emphasised.
Trinhsaid he wants to take the film as evidence on the ravages anddestruction by the AO/dioxin or other weapons capable of massdestruction through using toxic chemicals on the environment and people.The film also affects human compassion and good sense as well as raiseseach person’s awareness and responsibility to take action withoutracial or political discrimination.
“I always look closely foractivities and information relating to Agent Orange in Vietnam andaround the world with a hope of finding out a useful way of assistingvictims,” Trinh said.
He also affirmed he will continue raising the AO issue through charitable and cultural organisations.-VNA
According to Trinh, who haswon prizes at international film festivals, it is necessary tocompensate all victims in Vietnam and all others around the world.
During the ten years from 1961-1971, the US troops sprayedmore than 80 million litres of toxins, 44 million litres of which wereAO containing nearly 370kg of dioxin, over almost a quarter of southernVietnam. As a result, 4.8 million Vietnamese people were exposed to thechemical defoliants, of whom three million have been suffered fromserious health problems.
Trinh said he shuddered when seeing photos of deformed foetus and deformities on AO victims.
“Asan American citizen, I respect the decision of the New York Court, butfrom the heart of a citizen and as a good sense person in general, Ifeel that the justice has not yet been implemented in a satisfactorymanner,” the director said.
Trinh said he decided to produce thefilm “Agent Orange: 30 Years Later” after coming across an article on alawsuit filed by the Vietnamese AO victims against the US Government.
Accordingto the director, generally, audiences around the world were moved andangry after watching the film – a story on the differing fates ofVietnamese AO victims from the north to the south. Audiences in the US, particularly those having their relatives who participated in thewar, expressed their support to the victims. Many of them asked Trinh toexplain how to donate to and help the victims.
Trinh said thecruelty caused by the toxic substance and miseries created by the USGovernment to the land and people of Vietnam are unprecedented andcannot be measured. Although the war ended in 1975, Agent Orange stillcontaminates land and kills millions of Vietnamese people, who were notinvolved in the war.
“They are waiting to die of deformities, cancers and strange diseases,” he emphasised.
Trinhsaid he wants to take the film as evidence on the ravages anddestruction by the AO/dioxin or other weapons capable of massdestruction through using toxic chemicals on the environment and people.The film also affects human compassion and good sense as well as raiseseach person’s awareness and responsibility to take action withoutracial or political discrimination.
“I always look closely foractivities and information relating to Agent Orange in Vietnam andaround the world with a hope of finding out a useful way of assistingvictims,” Trinh said.
He also affirmed he will continue raising the AO issue through charitable and cultural organisations.-VNA
