Dow Chemical and the Monsanto Corporation Blame the US Government for Chemical Use
A US federal court in New York has
dismissed a legal action brought by Vietnamese plaintiffs over the use
of Agent Orange during the Vietnam War. The plaintiffs had sought
compensation from the firms that manufactured the chemical, which
allegedly caused birth defects, miscarriages and cancer. They said use
of the defoliant - to strip away forest cover during the war - was a
war crime against millions. But Judge Jack Weinstein ruled there was no
legal basis for their claims. The civil action was the first attempt by
Vietnamese plaintiffs to claim compensation for the effects of Agent
Orange, which has been linked to a multitude of heath problems,
including diabetes. However, the chemical companies said no such link
had been proved. The defendants - including Dow Chemical and the
Monsanto Corporation - also argued that the US government was
responsible for how the chemical was used, not the manufacturers. They
maintained that US courts could not punish corporations for carrying
out the orders of a president exercising his powers as
commander-in-chief. In a 233-page ruling, Judge Weinstein threw out the
case, saying: "There is no basis for any of the claims of plaintiffs
under the domestic law of any nation or state or under any form of
international law." The US justice department had urged the federal
judge to dismiss the lawsuit. In a brief filed in January, it said
opening the courts to cases brought by former enemies would be a
dangerous threat to presidential powers to wage war. Between 1962 and
1971, large quantities of Agent Orange were sprayed across parts of
Vietnam to deprive communist North Vietnamese forces of forest cover. [more]
Pictured above: Vietnam's Red Cross says 150,000 children were severely affected
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