German party delegation learn about plight of Vietnamese AO victims
German left-wing party delegation learn about plight of Vietnamese AO/dioxin victims
A delegation from Germany’s Die Linke (The Left) party met with the Central Committee of Vietnam Association of Victims of Agent Orange/dioxin (VAVA) in Hanoi on November 20.
Hanoi (VNA) – A delegation from Germany’s Die Linke (The Left) party metwith the Central Committee of Vietnam Association of Victims of AgentOrange/dioxin (VAVA) in Hanoi on November 20.
Atthe meeting, VAVA Chairman Sen. Lt. Gen. Nguyen Van Rinh briefed the delegationon affairs related to Agent Orange/dioxin in Vietnam.
Accordingto Rinh, the US army sprayed some 80 million litres of toxic chemicals inVietnam during the war, 61 percent of which was Agent Orange, containing 366kgof dioxin. As a result, more than 3 million ha of forested land was destroyed, whilebasic water and food sources for millions of people were contaminated.
Preliminarystatistics showed that 4.8 million Vietnamese people were exposed to AgentOrange/dioxin. Tens of thousands of people died from exposure, while millionsof others went on to suffer from cancer and other incurable diseases. Childrenand grand children of many victims have been affected with widespread birthdeformities.
Rinhsaid the toxic chemical still remains across 28 sites in Vietnam to date.
Mostrecently, Da Nang airport, one of these spots, saw all of its dioxin-pollutedarea detoxified, thanks to a six-year project funded by non-refundable aid fromthe US Government worth 110 million USD. Meanwhile, another dioxin treatmentproject is underway at the Bien Hoa airport, based in the southern province ofDong Nai. With an estimated cost of 500 million USD, it is expected to last for10 years.
Since2007, the US Government has run a specific budget for tackling AgentOrange/dioxin consequences in Vietnam, with total approved funds amounting to218 million USD. The aid has mostly been injected into addressing environmentalissues.
Onthe part of Vietnam, the Government spends about 50 million USD each year onsupporting some 320,000 Agent Orange/dioxin victims, who are offered freehealth insurance and functional rehabilitation programmes.
Rinhalso introduced his association, which was established in 2004. Currently, theVAVA has 400,000 members working across 63 provinces and cities. Theassociation has raised 1.8 trillion VND (77.05 million USD) worth of donationsfor victims to date.
SimoneOldenburg, Vice Chair of the Die Linke party, expressed her appreciation of VAVA’sactivities and sympathies for the losses borne by Vietnamese people,particularly Agent Orange/dioxin victims, after the war.–VNA
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Scene at the meeting (Photo: VNA) 
