Chairpersons of the tribunal. View of the tribunal. A correspondent interviews the tribunal’s chairpersons at an international press conference after the judgement was made. At the international press conference. On May 15-16, 2009, the Vietnamese delegation of Agent Orange/dioxin victims attended the International People’s Tribunal of Conscience which was held in Paris (France) by the International Association of Democratic Lawyers. On May 18, 2009 the tribunal indicted that the harm caused by the US military's use of Agent Orange on the environment and people in Vietnam during the Vietnam War (1961-1971) is very serious and severe. The US Government and chemical companies must compensate these victims and their families. The Vietnamese delegation participating in this special tribunal in Paris consisted of 14 members who are authorities, social activists, scientists and lawyers plus AO/dioxin victims Mai Giang Vu from Ho Chi Minh City, Pham The Minh from Hai Phong and senior lieutenant-general Nguyen Van Rinh, President of Vietnam Association for Victims of Agent Orange (VAVA), who headed the delegation. In the name of the witnesses and victims, the Vietnamese delegation provided detailed evidence on how Vietnam's natural environment and people’s health has been affected by Agent Orange, a chemical used by the US military during the Vietnam War from 1961 to 1971. This evidence helped the tribunal make its decision and clarify the legal issues, insisting that the US must take responsibility for compensating the Vietnamese victims. Vietnam’s statement affirmed: "The Vietnamese AO/dioxin victims’ struggle for justice is the voice of good sense and human rights, not only for the life of the victims in Vietnam but also for the legitimate rights of the war veterans in the US and other countries who participated in the Vietnam War." The tribunal committee met disabled people, viewed photographs of deceased victims and listened to evidence full of tears and sorrows from the victims and the wives of the American veterans who came from Japan, the US and Germany as well as from South Korean and American veterans who had joined the battle in Vietnam. It also provided an opportunity for people in France and other countries to know more about the 80 million litres of herbicides that the US military used in the Vietnam War. The studies and data provided by Vietnamese and international scientists, doctors, film-makers and sociologists showed the terrible consequences of AO/dioxin on subsequent generations of Vietnamese people and the environment, which is still happening today. The lawyers’ arguments attracted great attention from the judges and participants. American lawyer Jeanne Mirer presented many legal grounds to prove that the US chemical companies had to bear responsibility for the serious consequences caused by their products. Particularly, the participants were touched when French lawyer Roland Weyl, member of the International Association of Democratic Lawyers defended the AO/dioxin victims. With incisive and persuasive arguments he asserted that the consequences of AO/dioxin to the Vietnamese people are undeniable. That’s why the guilty, particularly the chemical companies who provided the herbicides to the US army must compensate the victims for their losses and pains. It’s time to return justice to over three million Vietnamese victims of AO/dioxin. According to lawyer Roland Weyl, while the American veterans were compensated, the Vietnamese victims must be compensated at a higher level because they are not only the victims of AO/dioxin but above all they are the victims of an unjust war. In addition to compensating for human losses, the US chemical companies must take responsibility in purging the harmful effects of AO/dioxin on the ecosystem in Vietnam, especially in hot spots with high concentration of dioxin, such as the Central region and Central Highlands, which continue to devastate the lives of people living in these regions. The tribunal has made a final judgement, concluding that the US Government and chemical companies were well aware of the fact that dioxin is one of the most dangerous chemicals known to man, capable of causing prolonged serious consequences not only to humans and the environment but also to the Vietnamese economy. Based on international laws the tribunal affirmed that the use of dioxin was a war crime against humanity. Therefore it concluded that the US Government was guilty of using dioxin and damaging the environment, defined as “ecocide”. The chemical companies were also found guilty of colluding with the US Government. The tribunal ruled that the US Government and the chemical companies who manufactured and supplied Agent Orange must fully compensate the victims and their families. They must also rehabilitate the environment and eradicate any dioxin from Vietnam and its waters, especially hot spots around former US military bases. To carry out the verdict, the tribunal recommended that a commission on Agent Orange be established to assess the amount of compensation to be allocated to each victim, family and community. The amount of 1.13 billion Euros now being paid annually by the US Government to US veterans who were also victims of Agent Orange/dioxin could be used as a guide for calculations. The tribunal’s final judgement will be sent to Vietnamese President Nguyen Minh Triet, US President Barak Obama, UN General Secretary Ban Ki-moon and the Human Rights Committee. By Bich Van (from VNA source) - Photos by VNA