More than 200 Vietnamese people living abroad and supporters from France gathered in Paris to express their support for Tran To Nga’s legal action against chemical firms that provided herbicides to the US during the Vietnam War.
Key points:
- On May 4, supporter gathered at the Place de la Republique before the May 7 hearing at the Paris Court of Appeals for Nga’s lawsuit.
- The lawsuit was filed against Bayer-Monsanto and 13 other companies that produced or sold the Agent Orange (AO)/dioxin used by the US military during the Vietnam War Vietnam from 1961 to 1971.
The details:
- The gathering had the support of environmental organizations, political parties, and media as they hoped for a judgment recognizing the difficulties faced by Nga and the millions of other victims impacted by the toxic substance.
- During the war, the US military sprayed over 80 million liters of herbicides in Vietnam, affecting around 4.8 million Vietnamese, leading to numerous deaths and leaving millions of descendants with deformities and diseases.
- As stated by Sandrine Rousseau, a member of Europe Ecology – The Greens, the lawsuit remains relevant today, highlighting the ongoing consequences of Monsanto’s actions and the wider pesticide industry on public health across generations.
- Nguyen Hong Son, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Association for Victims of Agent Orange, is currently in Paris for the trial. He noted Belgium’s parliament has passed a resolution supporting AO victims’ rights. He expressed hope for ongoing support from the French parliament for Vietnamese victims in their pursuit of justice.
About Nga:
- Nga, 82, who became a war correspondent of the Vietnam News Agency, worked in heavily AO/Dioxin-affected areas in southern Vietnam, where she experienced contamination herself.
- She suffered from five of the 17 diseases, disorders, deformities and malformations recognized by the US as associated with dioxin exposure. Sadly, her first child died from heart defects, and her second child suffers from a blood disease.
- In 2009, Nga provided testimony against US chemical companies in Paris. The first hearing for her case took place in 2015, but legal maneuvers prolonged the proceedings.
- In 2021, her lawsuit was dismissed due to lack of jurisdiction. Despite setbacks, Nga and her legal team filed an appeal, continuing the fight for justice for AO/dioxin victims.
