The US Time magazine on Dec. 16 ran afeature reflecting the fact that the levels of cancer-causing dioxinsin Danang airport area are still 300-400 times higher than what isdeemed to be safe, yet the US is using aid on meetings rather thanpractical deeds like cleanup of the toxic.
The Time quoted Thomas Boivin, president of the Vancouver-basedHatfield Consultants, an environmental firm that has been identifyingand measuring Agent Orange contamination in Vietnam since 1994 assaying that “there is still risk to people living in those areas”though three decades had passed by since the war ended.
According to the feature, the US Congress has since 2007 allocated atotal of 6 million USD to help address Agent Orange issues in Vietnam .However, it has been noted that “the money is primarily going to studythe issue and hire consultants rather than implementing measures toprevent new generations from being exposed.”
Of the amount, up to 1.7 million USD has recently allocated to conductan environmental assessment of the Danang air base – the former USmilitary foundation, said US Ambassador to Vietnam Michael Michalak,adding that this is a necessary step toward cleanup.
Charities in Danang have voiced concerns about how US money is beingspent when it comes to providing care to the disabled in the region. Aportion of the 6 million USD allocated by Congress was awarded tohumanitarian groups working with disabled residents around Danang, yet“it is difficult to find evidence of the money at work.”
Save the Children was given 400,000 USD to help people withdisabilities find employment. But the sole case the organization citedfor a reporter was their work finding a job for a college graduate witha hair lip, the feature said.
Another organisation - the American Rehabilitation Centre has virtuallyno medical equipment. Meanwhile, the US Embassy in Hanoi is spendinghalf a million USD for a health and remediation adviser.
“The one million USD [being spent by the Americans] is not for care butmainly for conferences and training,” said Nguyen Thi Hien, director ofthe Danang Association of Victims of Agent Orange. "This money shouldgo to caring for the victims," she added.
Some point out that the US spends only a fraction on Agent Orangecleanup compared to the 50 million USD it spends every year onsearching for the remains of American soldiers missing in action.
Hatfield's studies indicate that even though 10 percent of southernVietnam was sprayed with dioxins during the war, only a handful of hotspots - all former US military installations where the herbicide wasmixed and stored - pose a danger to humans.
“If those were in Canada or in the U.S. , they would require immediatecleanup,” Hatfield President Boivin was quoted as saying.
The magazine said critics believe that the US is playing “a grimwaiting game”: waiting for people to die in order to avoid potentiallycostly lawsuits.
“They know what the problem is and where it is,” says Chuck Searcy,Country Representative of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund. “Why dothey now need an environmental impact assessment? They are studyingthis to death.”
For a country currently engaged in two wars, accepting comprehensiveresponsibility for wartime damages could set an expensive precedent,the feature explained./.
The Time quoted Thomas Boivin, president of the Vancouver-basedHatfield Consultants, an environmental firm that has been identifyingand measuring Agent Orange contamination in Vietnam since 1994 assaying that “there is still risk to people living in those areas”though three decades had passed by since the war ended.
According to the feature, the US Congress has since 2007 allocated atotal of 6 million USD to help address Agent Orange issues in Vietnam .However, it has been noted that “the money is primarily going to studythe issue and hire consultants rather than implementing measures toprevent new generations from being exposed.”
Of the amount, up to 1.7 million USD has recently allocated to conductan environmental assessment of the Danang air base – the former USmilitary foundation, said US Ambassador to Vietnam Michael Michalak,adding that this is a necessary step toward cleanup.
Charities in Danang have voiced concerns about how US money is beingspent when it comes to providing care to the disabled in the region. Aportion of the 6 million USD allocated by Congress was awarded tohumanitarian groups working with disabled residents around Danang, yet“it is difficult to find evidence of the money at work.”
Save the Children was given 400,000 USD to help people withdisabilities find employment. But the sole case the organization citedfor a reporter was their work finding a job for a college graduate witha hair lip, the feature said.
Another organisation - the American Rehabilitation Centre has virtuallyno medical equipment. Meanwhile, the US Embassy in Hanoi is spendinghalf a million USD for a health and remediation adviser.
“The one million USD [being spent by the Americans] is not for care butmainly for conferences and training,” said Nguyen Thi Hien, director ofthe Danang Association of Victims of Agent Orange. "This money shouldgo to caring for the victims," she added.
Some point out that the US spends only a fraction on Agent Orangecleanup compared to the 50 million USD it spends every year onsearching for the remains of American soldiers missing in action.
Hatfield's studies indicate that even though 10 percent of southernVietnam was sprayed with dioxins during the war, only a handful of hotspots - all former US military installations where the herbicide wasmixed and stored - pose a danger to humans.
“If those were in Canada or in the U.S. , they would require immediatecleanup,” Hatfield President Boivin was quoted as saying.
The magazine said critics believe that the US is playing “a grimwaiting game”: waiting for people to die in order to avoid potentiallycostly lawsuits.
“They know what the problem is and where it is,” says Chuck Searcy,Country Representative of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund. “Why dothey now need an environmental impact assessment? They are studyingthis to death.”
For a country currently engaged in two wars, accepting comprehensiveresponsibility for wartime damages could set an expensive precedent,the feature explained./.
