Vietnamese-French Tran To Nga (right) (Photo: VNA)Paris (VNA) – Hundreds of people gathered in Paris on January30 to show their support for Vietnamese Agent Orange/dioxine victims after alitigation session of the CrownCourt of Evrycity for the case filled by Vietnamese-French woman Tran To Nga against14 multinational companies for producing and selling chemical toxins sprayed by US forces in the war in Vietnam.
Nga, born in 1942, filed the lawsuit in May 2014.Among the companies named in her suit, there are such names as Monsanto (nowunder the German group Bayer) and Dow Chemical.
With the support of several non-governmental organisations, Nga accused thecompanies of causing lasting harm to the health of her, her children andcountless others, as well as destroying the environment.
Nga graduated from a Hanoi university in 1966 and became a warcorrespondent of the Liberation News Agency, now the Vietnam News Agency.She worked in some of the most heavily AO/Dioxin affected areas in southernVietnam such as Cu Chi, Ben Cat and along the Ho Chi Minh Trail, ultimatelyexperiencing contamination effects herself.
Among her three children, the first child diedof heart defects and the second suffers from a blood disease.
On April 16, 2015, the Crown Court of Evry city held the first hearing on thecase, but since then, lawyers for the chemical companies have tried every wayto draw out procedures.
The trial was scheduled to open in October2020 but was postponed due to COVID-19.
From1961-1971, US troops sprayed more than 80 million litres of herbicides - 44million litres of which were AO, containing nearly 370 kilograms of dioxin -over southern Vietnam.
As a result, around 4.8 million Vietnamese were exposed to the toxic chemical.Many of the victims have died, while millions of their descendants are livingwith deformities and diseases as a direct result of the chemical’s effects.
Nga claims compensations forhealth problems.
From1961-1971, US troops sprayed more than 80 million litres of herbicides - 44million litres of which were AO, containing nearly 370 kilograms of dioxin -over southern Vietnam.
As a result, around 4.8 million Vietnamese were exposed to the toxic chemical.Many of the victims have died, while millions of their descendants are livingwith deformities and diseases as a direct result of the chemical’s effects.
Nga claims compensations forhealth problems.
The French court is expected to ruleon the lawsuit on May 10.
If the court decides in her favour, Nga would be the first Vietnamese AO/dioxinvictim to be compensated./.
If the court decides in her favour, Nga would be the first Vietnamese AO/dioxinvictim to be compensated./.
VNA
