Hundreds gather in Paris to support agent orange lawsuit against US companies
Over 200 overseas Vietnamese and French supporters reportedly gathered in Paris to show solidarity with French Tran To Nga’s lawsuit against chemical companies that supplied herbicides to the U.S. during the war in Vietnam.
Key points:
- On May 4, supporter gathered at the Place de la Republique ahead of the May 7 hearing at the Paris Court of Appeals for Nga’s lawsuit.
- The lawsuit was filed against Bayer-Monsanto and 13 other companies that made or sold the Agent Orange (AO)/dioxin used by the U.S. military during the war in Vietnam from 1961 to 1971.
The details:
- The gathering received backing from environmental groups, political parties and media outlets as supporters hoped for a ruling acknowledging the struggles of Nga and the other millions of victims affected by the toxic substance.
- During the war, U.S. military forces sprayed over 80 million liters of herbicides in Vietnam, affecting around 4.8 million Vietnamese, leading to numerous deaths and leaving millions of descendants with deformities and diseases.
- According to Sandrine Rousseau, a member of Europe Ecology – The Greens, the lawsuit continues to be relevant today, pointing to the ongoing impact of Monsanto’s actions and the broader pesticide industry on public health across generations.
- Nguyen Hong Son, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Association for Victims of Agent Orange, is currently in Paris for the trial. He noted Belgium’s parliament has passed a resolution supporting AO victims’ rights. He expressed hope for ongoing support from the French parliament for Vietnamese victims in their pursuit of justice.
About Nga:
- Nga, 82, who became a war correspondent of the Vietnam News Agency, worked in heavily AO/Dioxin-affected areas in southern Vietnam, where she experienced contamination herself.
- She suffered from five of the 17 diseases, disorders, deformities and malformations recognized by the U.S. as associated with dioxin exposure. Tragically, her first child died from heart defects, and her second child suffers from a blood disease.
- In 2009, Nga testified against U.S. chemical companies in Paris. The first hearing for her case was held in 2015, but legal tactics prolonged proceedings.
- In 2021, her lawsuit was rejected for lack of jurisdiction. Despite setbacks, Nga and her legal team filed an appeal, continuing the fight for justice for AO/dioxin victims.
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