(VNA): The US Federal Court in Brooklyn is set to hold a hearing on February 28 in New York, where the lawyers, who are in charge of defending Vietnamese victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin in their lawsuit against US chemical firms, and the counsels for the defendants to present their arguments.

Prior to the hearing, Len Aldis, Secretary of the Britain-Vietnam Friendship Society, who launched a special website in support for the Vietnamese victims of Dioxin in the lawsuit, granted an interview to the Vietnamese press.

A: When I heard and read that three Vietnamese victims of Agent Orange had begun a court action in New York against 36 companies that were involved in the manufacture of Agent Orange, like many people in Vietnam and other countries I was very pleased.

I discussed the court action with friends in the US and Sweden and decided that with none of us being a lawyer, the best way to gather support for the court action was to place a petition on the Internet. And it should be addressed to the US President, Senate and Congress.

The petition should call for the US Government and companies in the court action should accept their responsibility and to make compensation to the victims and their families.

At first the petition was slow in gathering signatures as few people knew of the petition. In Vietnam, the media such as Nhan Dan [People], Vietnam News, Tuoi Tre [Youth], and others took up the petition and gave it wide publicity. I sent over 1,400 emails to organisations and individuals around the world asking for support and requesting links to the petition be put onto their websites.

This was successful and within a few weeks people were signing the petition and telling their friends to sign. On some days, 15,000 people were signing. People who signed sent me emails expressing their thanks and telling me how some of their families were affected by Agent Orange, some of the emails were very moving.

The Internet has played an important role in obtaining support for the victims through the petition. Debates are going on discussing the rights of the victims.

A: In my opinion and many others, the companies that manufactured the Agent Orange have a responsibility for the terrible and horrific damage Agent Orange did to the people and land of Vietnam. Equally, the US Government has to accept responsibility for ordering the use of Agent Orange.

President Clinton in 1996 admitted the damage done to the American servicemen and women who were affected by Agent Orange while serving in Vietnam, and announced that compensation would be paid to them. So, the US Government has in fact accepted responsibility. How can US President Bush reverse the decision?

Compensation must be paid to the victims (now nearly three million, and to their families. for they too have and are suffering).

A: The news that the New Zealand Government has, after many years, admitted that their forces who served in Vietnam were affected by Agent Orange, is to be welcomed. Their apology is also welcomed, but apologies are not enough, it will not help the terrible effect Agent Orange has had on the New Zealand servicemen and women.

The New Zealand veterans are continuing their battle for compensation, as are the South Koreans and Australian veterans. Many US veterans are also watching the New York court case for they too have many victims yet to receive compensation.

With the effects of Agent Orange now affecting the third generation of Vietnamese it is urgent that pressure is kept on the US Government and the companies to accept their responsibility. This is the objective of the letters I sent to President Bush, Senator Kerry, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, and the letters sent to the Chairmen of Monsanto and Dow Chemicals.

Both Monsanto and Dow Chemical have offices in Ho Chi Minh City. I am pleased that some supporters of the Britain-Vietnam Friendship Society have written letters to the offices in Ho Chi Minh City asking them accept responsibilities and to make compensation.

In my visits to Vietnam, I have had the opportunity to meet and speak to many of these tragic victims and their families. These visits have made me more determined to see that justice is done for these people.

With the legal arguments beginning soon in New York, I appeal to all readers of this article to add their support to the victims of Agent Orange by signing the petition at http://www.petitiononline.com/AOVN/

By the end of January 2005, the number of signatures has amounted to 679,301./.