Ms. Tran To Nga answered the press interview after the Paris appeals court on May 7. Photo: VNA
On the afternoon of August 22, at the regular press conference of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, answering reporters' questions about the trial related to the case of Ms. Tran To Nga suing US companies producing Agent Orange/dioxin, Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Pham Thu Hang said: "Vietnam regrets the verdict of the Paris Court of Appeal on the case and we have repeatedly expressed our views on this matter. Although the war is over, the severe consequences still have a profound impact on the country and people of Vietnam, including the long-term, serious consequences of Agent Orange/dioxin.
We strongly support the victims of Agent Orange/dioxin, and demand that the chemical companies that produced and supplied Agent Orange/dioxin to the US during the war in Vietnam, which caused millions of Vietnamese victims, be responsible for remedying the consequences they caused."
It is known that in 2014, Ms. Tran To Nga, a French citizen of Vietnamese origin, a victim of Agent Orange/dioxin, filed a lawsuit at the Court of Evry in the suburbs of Paris. The lawsuit against the American chemical corporations was brought to trial in 2021. However, the Court of Evry dismissed the lawsuit because it believed that these businesses had sufficient grounds to use "immunity," because they acted at the request of the US government. Therefore, the Court of Evry did not have sufficient jurisdiction to judge the actions of another sovereign state.
On the morning of May 7, 2024, the Paris Court of Appeal (France) opened a hearing for Ms. Tran To Nga's lawsuit against 14 American chemical companies, including Monsanto, for producing and trading herbicides containing dioxin (Agent Orange) supplied to the US military for use during the Vietnam War.
On August 22, 2024, the Paris Court of Appeal issued a similar ruling to the Ervy Court of First Instance. Accordingly, it dismissed Tran To Nga's civil lawsuit against US chemical corporations that provided the US military with Agent Orange/dioxin for use during the Vietnam War.
In a quick conversation with a Vietnam News Agency reporter in France, Ms. Tran To Nga said she was "not surprised" by this verdict and would "not give up" but continue to pursue the lawsuit.
On the side of Bourdon Law Office, representatives of Ms. Tran To Nga, Mr. William Bourdon and Bertrand Repolt also expressed their determination to continue accompanying Ms. Tran To Nga.
The lawyers asserted: "The fight waged by our clients does not end with this decision. We will therefore appeal to the Court of Cassation. In this case, the judges adopted a conservative attitude contrary to the modernity of the law and contrary to international and European law. The Court of Cassation will decide."
Born in 1942 in Soc Trang province, Ms. Tran To Nga was a reporter for the Liberation News Agency and was exposed to dioxin during the war.
According to the medical examination results, the dioxin concentration in her blood was higher than the prescribed standard, leading to serious health effects. She suffered from 5 out of 17 diseases recognized by the US and listed in the list of diseases caused by Agent Orange. Not only her but her children also suffered from heart and bone defects. Her first child died at the age of 17 months due to congenital heart defects.
In May 2009, Ms. Tran To Nga testified at the International Court of Conscience for Vietnamese Agent Orange/dioxin victims in Paris. Afterwards, with the support and companionship of a number of French lawyers and social activists supporting Vietnamese Agent Orange victims, she decided to sue American chemical companies.
Source: https://nld.com.vn/viet-nam-lay-lam-tiec-ve-phan-quyet-lien-quan-vu-kien-chat-doc-da-cam-cua-ba-tran-to-nga-196240822190024991.htm
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