Len Aldis, Secretary of the Britain-Vietnam Friendship Society, has expressed strong support for a fight for justice of Vietnamese Agent Orange/Dioxin victims and called for international support for the victims.

The British man made the appeal in a letter, entitled "Justice cannot wait," on the occasion that the US Court of Appeals on June 18 held oral arguments on the appeal filed by Vietnamese AO/Dioxin victims in their lawsuit against 37 US producers and suppliers of toxic chemicals which cause durable harms on environment and people’s health in Vietnam.

He wrote that "During the ten-year period of the spraying of the chemicals - in the main Agent Orange that contained Dioxin – from 1961 till 1971 the horrors of abnormal births began and has continued to this day 36 years after the spraying stopped.

"Photographs and films have shown the many victims and their tragic circumstances, but neither a photograph nor a film can show you the pain felt by the victims, their parents, brothers and sisters."

Mr Len Aldis said that during a recent visit to Hanoi, he met with four victims who were due to go to the US for public meetings and to attend the Court of Appeals hearing.

"One, young Nguyen Muoi is a second-generation victim. Muoi suffers from the painful Spina Bifida an illness that the former President Clinton in his statement in the White House on May 28th 1996, said was due to the use by US forces of AO. For the sons and daughters of the US Veterans who come down with Spinal Bifida they will be compensated. For young Muoi, he must wait for the ruling of the Appeal Court.

"His struggle is the struggle of millions of Vietnamese victims," he stressed.

Mr Len Aldis concluded his letter by saying that "I appeal to all readers and friends of the victims of Agent Orange, we cannot allow justice for the victims to be delayed too long; they have waited for 36 years. Each of us must continue the struggle and increase our work in the campaign for justice. Millions around the world have pledged their support by signing petitions in many countries. We cannot, and must not, fail the victims." (VNA)