French association calls for support for Vietnam’s AO/dioxin victims

Paris (VNA) - The Le Monde newspaper of France has recently posted an article of the Collectif Vietnam-Dioxine association, calling on French politicians and the international community to support victims of Agent Orange (AO)/dioxin in Vietnam and designate a day in commemoration of the victims.

With the title “We want to break the silence on the consequences of Agent Orange in Vietnam”, the article affirmed that sixty years after the start of the spraying of the herbicide by the US army in Vietnam, the consequences are still present.

According to the article, sixty years ago, on August 10, 1961, the US military first sprayed the Agent Orange, a powerful herbicide containing dioxin - the substance responsible for many cases of cancer and birth defects, in the southern part of Vietnam.

In French history and geography books, at the secondary and high school levels, the Vietnam War is also mentioned. However, the content of the teaching is limited at the main features of the past war, but does not mention to the catastrophic consequences that still linger until today, according to the article.

The country and people of Vietnam are used to seeing disfigured faces and bodies, and the unfortunate lives are also used to living in silence, and enduring pain, the article said, stressing that it is necessary to break this silence.

The Collectif Vietnam-Dioxine association argued that all AO victims do not deserve to suffer the pain and disadvantages, live in difficult conditions and have almost no access to services.

The association emphasised the need to fight for justice for them in Vietnam as well as in other countries.

The association proposed the French parliamentarians participate in compensating for the injustices suffered by all AO victims by acknowledging the crimes committed in Vietnam and in its neighboring countries such as Cambodia and Laos.

It also called for an official day to commemorate the victims, as well as the consideration of introducing about the impact of the Vietnam War on people and ecosystems at schools.

The association affirmed that it will continue to join efforts to support Vietnam./.