The Vietnam Association for Victims of Agent Orange (AO)/dioxin (VAVA) and the Japan Council against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs (Gensuikyo) inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on cooperation in Hanoi on November 20. The signing is to mark the 75th anniversary of atomic bombing in Japan (1945-2020) and the 60th year of dioxin disaster in Vietnam (1961-2021). Under the MoU, the two sides will support each other in activities to raise global awareness of the losses and consequences of atomic bombs and AO/dioxin. They will also call on all countries to participate in and comply with the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) as well as the Biological and Chemical Weapons Conventions; and work towards the abolition of those weapons and the assistance for victims. In addition, the sides will work towards the 2020 Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) Review Conference and mark the 75th year of the atomic bombing in Japan. They will join hands to gather signatures in response to the call of A-bomb victims (hibakusha) on nuclear disarmament. Speaking at the signing ceremony, VAVA Central Committee President Nguyen Van Rinh said peoples of Vietnam and Japan suffer huge damage caused by the war and weapons of mass destruction (WMD). The countries have helped each other to overcome consequences, he added, voicing his gratitude to the support from the Japanese government, the country’s embassy in Vietnam and organizations and individuals for Vietnam over the years. For his part, Gensuikyo Representative Director Hiroshi Taka expressed his hope that Japan and Vietnam could work together to build a world of peace without atomic bombs and WMD. On the occasion, Gensuikyo provided assistance to Vietnam’s AO/dioxin victims through the VAVA. The US army sprayed some 80 million liters of toxic chemicals, 61% of which was Agent Orange containing 366 kilograms of dioxin, over nearly one quarter of the total area of southern Vietnam from 1961 to 1971. Preliminary statistics show that 4.8 million Vietnamese people were exposed to AO/dioxin, and about 3 million people became victims. Tens of thousands of people have died while millions of others have suffered from cancer and other incurable diseases as consequences of exposure. Many of their offspring have also suffered from birth deformities. (VOV)
