Strong Words in Vietnam's Letter Over Dow Chemical as Olympic Sponsor

Len Aldis calls letter "brilliant" and notes that the Vietnamese government calls Dow out for Agent Orange that caused many hundreds of thousands of people with deformities among the Vietnamese.

Photo courtesy: spectacle.co.uk

(LONDON / HANOI) - There is rarely 'good news' on the Agent Orange front, however today Len Aldis, who represents Britain-Vietnam Friendship Society and Agent Orange Action Council, announced that he is very pleased to send attached the letter he received yesterday from Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Mr Hoang Tuan Anh to the International Olympic Committee calling for their decision to make Dow Chemical a sponsor of the Games from 2012 until 2020. Len describes the letter as "brilliant" and notes that in the fourth paragraph, the Vietnamese government calls attention to how Dow's Agent Orange has caused many hundreds of thousands of people with deformities among the Vietnamese.

The letter is published below:

First of all, on behalf of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam, I would like to extend the best compliments to Mr. President and other members of the Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee. It is with regret that I have to express profound concerns of the Government and people of Viet Nam about the decision of IOC to accept the Dow Chemical Company as a global partner sponsoring the Olympic Movement from now to 2020. The Dow Chemical Company is one of the major producers of the Agent Orange, which have been used by the US Army with the amount of 80 millions litres to spray over villages in the South of Viet Nam over 10 years, from 1961 to 1971, destroying the environment, claiming the lives of millions of Vietnamese people and leaving terrible effects on millions of others, who are now suffering from incurable diseases and some hundreds of thousands of children of the fourth generation were born with severe congenital deformities. What is worth condemning is the fact that, despite of international opinions, Dow Chemical expressed their indifference and refused compensation for victims of the Agent Orange produced by the company, as well as their responsibility to clean up contaminated areas. Spending zero effort to recover their mistakes in the past, Dow continues to destroy the current living environment. In 2010, US Environmental Protection Agency listed Dow as the second worst polluter in the world.

Since the ultimate goals of the Olympic Movement are to promote good health, equality and progress of the mankind, we think that the acceptance of IOC for Dow sponsorship is a hasty decision. Therefore, we call upon IOC to reconsider your decision and stand up for millions of Agent Orange victims in Viet Nam and over the world, asking Dow Chemical to fulfill their responsibilities for victims of the Agent Orange and spend the adequate financial resources to solve these problems, only by then they could be eligible to sponsor the Olympic Games.

On this occasion, I would like to reaffirm our support and commitment of Viet Nam to activities of the Olympic Movement in general and the Olympics/ Paralympics in particular. The sports delegation of Viet Nam would try their best in the spirits of sportsmanship to contribute to the success of the Olympic Games.

Thank you very much for your attention.

Yours sincerely,
(Signed by)

Hoang Tuan Anh
Minister

Copies to: - The London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games - Vietnam National Olympic Committee