US and Vietnam begin talks to decontaminate areas affected by Agent Orange

Friday, September 11, 2009

United States and Vietnamese officials began meetings in Hanoi on Tuesday to discuss further funding to help victims still suffering from exposure to the chemical Agent Orange.

Officials in Vietnam are requesting more funding from the US in order to clean up the Da Nang International Airport, a major "hot spot" for Agent Orange. Vietnamese Vice Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Nguyen Cong claimed that "the committed funds from the US government have not been disbursed." The Vietnamese government claims it will cost US$58 million to clean up the Da Nang airport and two other contaminated locations. The US has so far pledged $8 million.

Agent Orange was used during the Vietnam war in order to defoliate the dense Vietnam jungle. Vietnamese officials say that up to three million Vietnamese suffer from exposure to it today. The chemical has been linked to dangerous diseases such as diabetes, cancer and birth defects.

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Sources

"US slow on Agent Orange cleanup funds: Vietnam" — Agence France Presse, September 8th, 2009
"Agent Orange talks begin in Hanoi" — Al Jazeera, September 8th, 2009
"Vietnam: US Withholding Agent Orange Cleanup Aid" — Democracy Now, September 9th, 2009

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Articles presented on Wikinews reflect the specific time at which they were written and published, and do not attempt to encompass events or knowledge which occur or become known after their publication.

Got a correction? Add the template {{editprotected}} to the talk page along with your corrections, and it will be brought to the attention of the administrators.

Please note that due to our archival policy, we will not alter or update the content of articles that are archived, but will only accept requests to make grammatical and formatting corrections.

Note that some listed sources or external links may no longer be available online due to age.