Lawyers back AO victims

GENEVA — At the twentieth session of the United Nations' Human Rights Council yesterday, the International Association of Democratic Lawyers (IADL) called for the protection of Vietnamese Agent Orange victims.

Lieutenant General Nguyen Van Rinh, president of the Vietnamese Association for Victims of Agent Orange (VAVA), which represents more than three million agent orange victims, was present at the event.

IADL president Jeanne Mirer told hundreds of delegates from UN member countries that during the American War, the United States launched chemical warfare - the biggest in the history of mankind - by spraying about 80 million litres of toxic herbicides referred to as Agent Orange over the country.

She said that while recognising and compensating US veterans with Agent Orange connected diseases, the US government mostly ignored the plight of the Vietnamese victims.

She asked the US to admit its responsibility, saying that many of the victims were nearing the end of their lives. She asked the Human Rights Council to act immediately. — VNS