The Association for Victims of Agent Orange in Ho Chi Minh City held a rally on August 5 to commemorate the 51st anniversary of the day US troops began to spray large parts of Vietnam with Agent Orange or Dioxin chemical, on August 10, 1961.
The rally meeting that was attended by more than 500 Agent Orange victims, representatives of departments and organizations of the city, and many international organizations, aimed to encourage people of all strata, and domestic and foreign social organizations to continue sharing the pain suffered by Agent Orange victims.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Ha, member of the Party Central Committee and deputy secretary of the City Party Committee, said that according to preliminary statistics, there are 20,000 people presently in HCMC who still suffer from effects of Agent Orange or Dioxin, and appealed to all people across the country to help these victims.
“The City plans to kick off construction of a centre in Xuan Thoi Thuong Commune in Hoc Mon District by the end of the year that will provide care, treatment, vocational training and rehabilitation for Agent Orange victims,” added Ms. Ha.
Dang Hong Nhut, vice chairman of the association said, “On August 10, 1961, the U.S. military began a campaign to spray the deadly poisonous chemical over Ngoc Hoi District in Kon Tum Province.
Subsequently for the next 10 years, from 1961 to 1971, they sprayed 80 million liters of toxic chemicals over Vietnam which affected 4.8 million people, and resulted in tens of thousands of children being born with deformities, cerebral palsy, mental weakness, etc.
The war ended 37 years ago but the physical pain, severe damage to the brain to all those affected still continues. Let's all sign a petition holding the U.S. chemical company responsible for this tragedy.”
On this occasion, the HCMC Association of Victims of Agent Orange presented scholarships to 112 students who are victims of the deadly poison.
