Korean Agent Orange Judgement
From: Joe Hannah <jhannah@u.washington.edu>
Date: Apr 7, 2006 9:55 AM
Subject: [Vsg] Korean Agent Orange Judgement
This Reuters article about an Agent Orange meeting in Hanoi, found at:
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=2631&ncid=2631&e=21&u=
/nm/20060328/ts_nm/vietnam_usa_orange_dc_3
included the sentence below, which surprised me:
"In January, a South Korean appeals court ordered Dow Chemical Co and
Monsanto Co. to pay $65 million in damages to 20,000 of the country's
Vietnam War veterans for exposure to defoliants such as Agent Orange."
I am passing it on in case you, like me, didn't hear about this judgement.
Cheers,
From: Charles Waugh <cwaugh@cc.usu.edu>
Date: Apr 7, 2006 10:46 AM
Subject: Re: [Vsg] Korean Agent Orange Judgement
I heard about the ruling in January from the UNDP's Environmental Toxins
discussion list, but what I haven't heard is whether the chemical
companies have paid, or just what exactly $3,250 per person is going to
do to help the exposed in the event of long term disability. In many
ways, the ruling seems more like a symbolic act.
Charles
From: Diane Fox (dnfox) <dnfox@hamilton.edu>
Date: Apr 7, 2006 11:57 AM
Subject: Re: [Vsg] Korean Agent Orange Judgement/UNHC Human Rights
No, the companies haven't paid--but it is a remarkable first step, a
departure from things as they have been.
In addition, the president of the International Association of
Democratic Lawyers said in Hanoi that member nations of the
association had agreed to send the Vietnamese case against US chemical
companies (currently in appeals in NYC) to the UN High Commission on
Human Rights.
The appeal in NYC should be heard shortly...any time after April 10th,
but no date has yet been set. If there is interest, I'll send the date
as soon as I know it.
Diane
From: Susan Hammond <frdev@mindspring.com>
Date: Apr 7, 2006 12:05 PM
Subject: RE: [Vsg] Korean Agent Orange Judgement/UNHC Human Rights
The hearing will not be before May 15th at this point. All of the court
documents for the Vietnamese lawsuit are on our website
http://www.ffrd.org/Lawsuit/Court.htm