To:  The U.S. President and others
AGENT ORANGE, THE CHEMICAL, has killed, is still killing, and causing great
suffering to over three million people in Vietnam.

PLEASE HELP THEM BY SIGNING THIS PETITION.
http://www.petitiononline.com/AOVN/petition.html

We welcome and support the Civil Action brought by the Vietnam Association
of Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin, and three Vietnamese victims. The
documents have been submitted to a court in New York, on behalf of all
affected by the chemicals used by the American Forces in their War on
Vietnam.

This will be the first ever such action by Vietnamese victims of Agent
Orange in any court of law.

We call upon the U.S. President, Government and the Chemical Companies named
as defendants in the documents, to accept their responsibilities for the
damage caused by their actions and products, and to pay full compensation to
the victims.

Sincerely,

Enc.

Fifteen years have passed, but Mr Aldis cannot forget the sight of the two
boys, twins Viet and Duc, whom he met at the Tu Du Hospital in HCM City in
his first trip to Vietnam in 1989.

The twin boys were just two of second-generation victims of Agent Orange Mr
Aldis met during this trip. He also went to see other victims during a
trans-Vietnam tour that year.

"The image of the two boys with abnormal big heads who can only rest on the
bed may be with me for the rest of my life", he said.

"I know that I must speak out about them, the victims of Agent Orange. I
have been raising funds to help children who are the victims of Agent Orange
since," he added. "Returning to London, I wrote articles to express what I
had seen in Vietnam. Since then, I have had a special interest in Vietnam."

In 1992, Mr Aldis established the Britain-Vietnam Friendship Association to
assist Vietnamese Agent Orange victims. The association now has 200 members.
"We sell Vietnamese handicrafts and the money is sent to Agent Orange/Dioxin
victims in Vietnam", he said.

Working for Vietnamese Agent Orange/Dioxin victims, Len Aldis is the founder
of the website which calls for people worldwide to sign in support of
Vietnamese Agent Orange victims in the lawsuit against US chemical firms,
whose products were used by American troops during the Vietnam War.

"Last year, I presented the film Battle's Poison Cloud by Cecile Trijssenaar
at the International Workshop on Agent Orange in Vietnam. However, the US
has still said further research is needed into the harm of Agent Orange," he
told.

Meanwhile, research on the harm of Agent Orange has been conducted by
Vietnam, Canada and the US. Former US President Bill Clinton in one speech
recognised the consequences of Agent Orange on US veterans. "However, he
said nothing about its harms on Vietnamese people," Mr Aldis said.

Four years ago he met an eight-year-old boy named Ly Van Chinh, who has a
deformed leg due to Agent Orange.

"I brought him to hospital for an operation. Three months after I returned
to London, I received a photo of Chinh, in which he has an artificial leg.
Last October, I met him again. He could stand up by that time. I'm really
happy because with a small amount of money, we can change someone's life,"
he said.

"That also shows the value of the funds that our association has raised for
Agent Orange victims. Of course, it is not enough for 3mil Agent Orange
victims, but it is useful for some specific people," Mr Aldis told.

Get together

In January 1, 2004, Mr Aldis read an article about the lawsuit against US
chemical companies lodged by a group of Vietnamese Agent Orange victims.

He discussed with some of his friends in the UK, Sweden and the US to find
ways to help Vietnamese plaintiffs. He decided to make a petition
for the victims of Agent Orange:
http://www.petitiononline.com/AOVN/petition.html
to rouse the public opinion and create a forum for people worldwide to show
their support to Vietnamese Agent Orange victims.

After that he sent emails to his friends and those who have sympathy for
Vietnam to tell them about the site and request them to introduce the site
to others. He has also talked with members of the British Parliament. To
date, 33 of them have signed in support of the lawsuit. In total, more than
20,500 people from many countries have given their signatures to the site to
show their support to Vietnamese Agent Orange victims.

The campaign to collect signatures to support Vietnamese Agent Orange
victims will end in late 2004 and Mr Aldis will send the list of signatures
to the US President and Senate, as well as to the executive boards of 35
chemical companies named in the lawsuit.

Mr Aldis said that he would send a letter to the British Labour
Confederation to ask for their support to this campaign, as well as talk
with students about Agent Orange.

"Vietnam cannot solve the burden of war alone. It needs outside assistance,"
he said.

"This time we will have a chance to see how the strong chemical group
Monsanto (the major firm providing Agent Orange for the US army to use in
the Vietnam War) will defend its production of Agent Orange. They have not
voiced a stance on this issue so far," he said.

"We should never take a pessimistic view of the future of the lawsuit. The
Americans have a famous sentence: In a war, when one side wins and another
loses, it doesn't mean that the war has ended. Even though pursuing this
lawsuit is hard, I think it is meaningful. This is the first time Vietnam
has taken such an action," Mr Aldis said.

If you want to show your support for Vietnamese Agent Orange victims, visit
Justice for Victims of Agent Orange.
http://www.petitiononline.com/AOVN/petition.html