Stalwart peace campaigner Len Aldis visited Hanoi, Vietnam, in early May to speak at a Medical University on Agent Orange and the consequences for Vietnam. While he was there he was able to contact the Vietnam Women’s Union (VWU). Shortly after Len’s return to the UK, the VWU emailed him a letter addressed to the IOC (below) which Len was able to deliver by hand to the Office of Lord Coe, Chair of LOCOG, based at Canary Wharf.
With a membership of 17 million throughoutVietnamthe VWU is a powerful additional voice to those already opposed to Dow Chemical being a sponsor of the Olympic Games.
The women of Vietnam played a major part in the defending their country against theUS forces and their allies. The use of 80 million litres of Agent Orange over a period of ten-years from August 1961 has left 4.8 million still suffering from its effects. Tragically, Agent Orange is still affecting babies born in Vietnam– the fourth generation to suffer from US use of biological weapons against an innocent civilian population.