US citizens honoured with “For the Vietnamese AO victims” insignia
(VOV) - Co-President of the Vietnam Agent Orange Relief and Responsibility Campaign (VAORRC) in the US, Merle Evelyn Ratner and Bishop Thomas John Gumbleton have been awarded “For the Vietnamese AO victims” insignia in Hanoi on January 23.
The honour recognises the two US citizens’ active contributions in the struggle for justice for AO victims.
Addressing the event, President of the Vietnam Association for Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin (VAVA), Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Van Rinh, said that VAORRC has operated effectively in supporting the AO victims’ lawsuit against American chemical companies. Ms Ratner and Bishop Gumbleton have worked diligently to help heal the wounds from the war and conduct campaigns in support of Vietnamese AO victims.
Among their most notable activities, they have organised trips to the US for six delegations of AO victims and VAVA leaders, journeys to Vietnam for US war veterans to raise funds for AO victims.
They also applied to the US Government to pay compensation to AO victims, introduced a bill on support and compensation to AO victims and encouraged Catholic followers and the American people to actively assist them however they can.
Ms Ratner expressed her great honour to receive the insignia and thanked the Vietnamese Government, State and people for their warm welcome to Americans who have returned to Vietnam.
She pledged to continue to make greater efforts in the struggle for justice for Vietnamese AO victims, adding that her colleagues at VAORRC and she will continue to promote the campaign to ask the US Congress’ approval of the bill.