© 2007 All Rights Reserved
The Lawsuit.
In December 2003 a broad based organisation “Vietnam Association for Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin” (VAVA), was founded headed by prominent people:
Honorary President: Madame Nguyen Thi Binh.
Former State Vice-President.
President: Lt. Gen (retired) Dang Vu Hiep.
Former Deputy Director, General Political Dept, Vietnam People’s Army.
First Vice-President: Do Xuan Dien.
Former General Director, Truong Son Construction Company.
Vice-President: Prof. Nguyen Trong Nhan.
Former Minister of Health and President of Vietnam Red Cross Society.
Vice-President and General Secretary: Prof. Tran Xuan Thu.
Former Director of Viet-Nga Tropical Research Centre.
Other members are:
Prof. Luu Van Dat.
Prof. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Phuong.
Prof. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Toan.
Mr Le Duc Tiet
On 10th March 2005 in Paris the opening day of an international conference on Agent Orange, news came that Judge Jack Weinstein had rejected the claim of the Vietnamese Victims.
It is interesting to recall that in 1984 when U.S. Vietnam Veterans affected by Agent Orange, took the same companies to Court the chemical companies settled out of court. The presiding Judge was Jack Weinstein.
An appeal against the ruling was made. The Appeal Court is expected to hear the arguments sometime in December 2006.
After wide consultation it was decided that a lawsuit be undertaken against the American Chemical Companies that had manufactured and supplied the chemicals that included Agent Orange to the American forces for use in the Vietnam War. In January 2004 it was filed in the U.S. Eastern District Court of New York
American lawyers supporting the lawsuit visited Vietnam and interviewed many of the Agent Orange victims.
Support for the lawsuit has come from all over the world.
Update at January 2007.
After delaying the hearing twice – April and December 2006 - without stating any reasons, it is now expected that the Appeals Court will sit in April 2007.
Dr Tran Xuan Thu, Deputy Chairman and Secretary General of VAVA, and four Agent Orange victims including: Nguyen Van Quy from Hai Phong City: Nguyen Muoi and Vo Thanh Hai from Thua Thien, Hue and Nguyen Thi Hong from Dong Nai will appear before the court.
At the International Conference of the Agent Orange/Dioxin Victims March 2006
Len Aldis & Dr Phan Thi Phi Phi
she is a victim of Agent Orange and is a plaintiff in the lawsuit against the chemical companies.
