France to Open Court Lodged by Vietnam Dioxin Citizen against U.S. Firms

A court in France’s Evry will hold on April 16 a trial in which a Vietnamese-French woman sues 26 U.S. chemical firms for their involvement in the Vietnam War that leaves serious consequences for ages. Vietnamese-French Tran To Nga, 73, on behalf of Vietnamese victims of Agent Orange/dioxin which the U.S. chemical companies supplied to the U.S. troops in the Vietnam War, lodged a lawsuit against them to call for justice for the victims worldwide, said Tran Ngoc Tho, deputy head of the Vietnam Association for Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin (VAVA). As a witness of the war, Mrs. Nga had her eldest daughter died at the age of 17 months and two other daughters suffering mental disorder, Tho said. France’s Bourdon & Forestier Legal Company will support her in the lawsuit, Mr. Tho said. He said that the VAVA has helped Mrs. Nga cover cost for tests of AO/dioxin at Germany laboratories and legal support from the French company. The financial support comes from the Vietnamese government, domestic and overseas Vietnamese, he said. So far, 12 out of 26 U.S. companies hired attorneys for the trial. Mr. Tho said that the VAVA will continue its support to Mrs. Nga to follow the lawsuit in order to call for justice for millions of Vietnamese AO victims. Vietnam is estimated to have 4.8 million of people vulnerable to dioxin contamination after the U.S. troops between 1961 and 1971 sprayed about 80 million liters of defoliants including the highly toxic AO over 10% of total areas in the southern region during the Vietnam War. (Baodautu.vn Mar 31)