(VOVworld) – Vietnamese Agent Orange/Dioxin victims’ struggle for justice continues to receive support from the international community including the US.

A bill recently introduced in the US House of Representatives calls for the US government to assist AO victims with accommodations, healthcare, and other services and clean up dioxin-contaminated areas in Vietnam.

Mirer tells a VOV’s correspondent that she and other Americans will keep fighting until the struggle succeeds (Photo: Nhat Quynh)

Lawyer Jeanne Mirer, one of the initiators of the bill, told VOV’s correspondent in Washington that although this is a long struggle she and other Americans will keep fighting until the struggle succeeds. Mirer highlighted the bill: “the law combines all three constituencies of the US veterans, US Vietnamese, and the Vietnamese people together, a coalition. If you will try to push this legislation, that kind of unity will give support for the legislation in the congress although right now the US congress is not doing very much to do anything. So as I said we see this as a long struggle, we may not win this year but we expect to win at some point, hopefully it will be sooner rather than later.”

Lawyer Jeanne Mirer is one of the initiators of the bill (Photo: Nhat Quynh)

 Mirer said she is working closely with the office of congressperson Barbara Lee and other organizations across the country who will introduce the bill to organizations around the country to find co-sponsors. After getting enough sponsors, the bill is likely to be brought to a hearing and a vote. Mirer said the US has made recent progress in caring for AO victims and cleaning up dioxin-contaminated hot-spots. These activities have been motivated by humanitarian impulses and are not based on any legal compulsion.

Nhat Quynh – VOV correspondent in Washington