The service of science and technology (the service), in coordination with the Organization committee, organized a congress of the Union of scientific and technological associations, term 2, of Dong Nai province, and orga...

During the war in Viet Nam, the USA used modern weapons, such as Napalm bombs, rockets, B52 planes, and super high electronic techniques and technologies. Such as the Mc Namarari fence, But the most dangerous things for our country was.

The use of toxic chemicals by the USA. The quantity of toxic chemicals used in Viet Nam war greater than the sum of such poisons by the USA in wars in other countries the USA sprayed in south Viet Nam over 70 million tons of toxic chemicals, of which about 44 million liters of dioxin (usually used to clear land of trees and grass), which caused harmful effects directly to the Vietnamese people.

After many years denying harmful effects of these toxic chemicals, on 28/05/1996 President Bill Clinton himself avowed: “Although being affected only indirectly, USA servicemen support heavy consequences, which are, however, insignificant compared to immense losses endured by the Viet Nam people because of this destructive poison.” (Extract from the Appeal from Dong Nai council for management of the support fund for victims of orange-coloured poisons).

* Dioxin and orange - coloured poisons:

Dioxin is a metal which melts at 295oC at present, dioxin is considered the most harmful poison. A content of only 0.0022 mg of dioxin can kill a rat while 0.1 mg of it can kill a person weighing 50 kg, and only 80g of dioxin could kill a city of 7 or 7 million people.

(Comrade Le Hoang Quan, member of the party central committee and secretary of Dong Nai party committee and comrade Tran Dinh Thanh standing vice-secretary of Dong Nai party committee, apposed their signatures on the network in support of the legal action against users of orange coloured poisons).

Toxic chemicals sprayed by the USA during the Viet Nam war contained about 170 kg of dioxin. So, we know to what frightful extent they caused damage to people, other living being and environment in Viet Nam.

“Orange – coloured poison” is the name of an herbicide used by the USA in tropical areas. This poison was used for the first time in Viet Nam on 13.06.1961 during ranch hand campaign, starting from Tan Son Nhat airport for the military purpose of clearing cajuput forests in South – Viet Nam to eradicate revolutionary bases in these regions.

The Orange coloured poison is a compound of two chemicals: dichlorophenoxy acetic and trichlorophenoxy acetic acid mixed in the radio 50/50. This compound, mixed in gasoline, was sprayed directly from the air to the ground in Viet Nam. It was called “orange – coloured poison” because its container was of orange colour.

Viet Nam and the world have agitated the matter about orange – coloured poison, but in reality the USA also used other herbicides which were aqually harmful.

* Dioxin used in Viet Nam and its harmful effects in Viet Nam:

Past crimes and present consequences

First, Ranch Hand campaign experimental the use of dioxin on ruler tree plantations in Viet Nam. Within one week, the affected trees were denuded of leaves, and then later, dioxin influence was spread to other ruler tree plantations within a radius of 1 km. According to a confidential report of the USA army disclosed later, USA troops were ordered not to operate within a radius of 2 km around a place sprayed with dioxin. When the war spread to midlands in central Viet Nam, in 1966, the USA used 52B planes in Hot tip campaign at Chu Phong (pleiku war zones D and S each B52 sortie could destroy 7 km2 of thick forests and used 255,000 gallons of this compound on 01.06.1968, because of an accident a plane discharged about 1,000 gallons of it into the Dong Nai river water, at only 15 km from Saigon.

According to incomplete statistics, at present, over two million persons in Viet Nam are affected by toxic chemicals used by the USA during the war, and over one million ha of affected forests show no sign of natural recovery, which causes land erosion and floods in the rainy season. Affected by this poison, million of Vietnamese are affected with dangerous diseases, such as liver cancer, peripheral neurosis, innate deformities, spinal marrow inflammation, and 76,000 children have innate infirmities.

Dong Nai province is one of the regions which were most affected by the long chemical warfare from 1961 to 1971. At present, there are in Dong Nai nearly 29,000 infirm people, and 8,000 of them have contemned by dioxin.

* Policies of the Viet Nam Government to overcome dioxin effects on 03.04.1998, the Prime minister directed the ministry of labour, war local agencies to make a survey and determine the number of dioxin victims nationwide. In implementation of this directive, after agreement on survey plans and procedures with relevant agencies, from the end of May to the and of July 1999, the above said ministry carried out surveys in about 10,000 villages, town of 55 province and cities to determine consequences caused by poisons used by the USA during the Viet Nam war, to number of persons affected by the poisons, diseases and deformities, employment, living, assistance to dioxin victims from te government, local authorities and society.

Results of nationwide surveys will be a basis to propose basic long – lasting policies and solutions to overcome ravages caused by dioxin to people and the environment.

According to the newest declaration of the party central committee, we shall name the 10th of August the “VN Day of dioxin victims”.

* World’s opinions about heavy clolorous losses caused to the Vietnamese people by the USA’s use of orange – coloured poisons.

- According to a reporter of VN press agency in Brussels, in a reportage titled “Children of Dioxin”, two journalists of “Lantern Newspaper” (Belgium) on 02 May wrote that even 25 years after the war end dioxin contained in over 70 million liters of herbicides used then by the USA has still continued to poison people’s living here.

Not counting 300,000 missing Vietnamese soldiers, million of ha of forests denuded by herbicides, not counting harvests destroyed and villages leveled out by napalm bombs and others, in 21 Vietnamese province and cities only there are 20,000 children in 14,000 families affected with informatics because of orange coloured poisons.

The above article is illustrated by two photographs, one of which showing a glass bottle containing monstrous being bore to dioxin – affected women at Tu Du maternity hospital, the other showing two sisters with amputated legs and deformed hands living at Cam Nghia, center Viet Nam.

* Parents and children affected by dioxin ravages:

According to the above 2 journalists, at Cam Nghia 92 out of 1,713 children are inform and 61 out of 438 families are affected, In the adjacent village the situation is not better: 67 out of 1,600 children and 55 out of 738 families are victims of dioxin.

The French International radio broadcasting station on 1 May affirmed that even 25 years after the war end hundreds of thousands of people still endure disastrous effects of poisons sprayed by USA planes on the Vietnamese land 30 years ago.

Areas in Viet Nam which were ravaged by the greatest quantities of dioxin are provinces located along Ho Chi Minh trail.

Disasters are not limited only to children of people living in dioxin – affected areas, they will also pursue many future generations

Disastrous effects of dioxin are very evident at present. The USA government has had plans to pay compensation to USA soldiers affected by this poison. However, the question of compensation has not been put for hundreds of thousands of persons, including innocent ones, victims of USA dioxin in Viet Nam.

* The movement “Let’s sign up in the name of justice” and appeal “Do not remain insensible to our people’s colours”

“We must not remain insensible to our people’s colours”. This is not only an appeal the innermost hearts of Vietnamese who are humane by nature. it is also an appeal from the conscience and empathy of our friends in the whole world subpart of hundreds of thousands of victims of the chemical warfare waged by the USA.

Being Vietnamese, more than anybody also, we cannot be insensible to our people’s sufferings and must reclaim justice for us and justice will prevail certainly.

Not only three hundred thousand signatures have been obtained as desired by Mr. Len Aldis, President of English – Vietnamese friendship association, author of a petition in support of dioxin victims, this number will exceed millions of signatures, showing the support from all peoples worldwide. The movement “Let’s sign up in support of the legal action against dioxin users” is being enthusiastically acclaimed old everybody nationwide. All social strata, including old people, children and inform persons, have signed up.

The number will not be limited to 300,000 as intended; it is increasing every second, every hour in many forms and ways, such as direct signatures, online signatures on internet.

Together with other agencies nationwide, the service of science and technology of Dong Nai province, through a mobile electronic office, has disseminated these contents to all state officials and employees for them to sign up on –line on internet. In addition, on the occasion of the end congress of the Union of scientific and technical associations in Dong Nai province term 2004 – 2009, the service on its own imitative, in coordination with the organizing committee of the congress, organized the collection of on – line signature from all congress participants in the morning of 26.08.2004 at the provincial conference house of Dong Nai party committee, signatures were colleted in this way from leaders of the provincial party committee, People’s council, , People’s committee and heads of services, branches and masses organizations.