At the age of over 80, Mrs. Tran To Nga still exudes a resolute and strong appearance. From a girl from Soc Trang who went to the North to study, became a war correspondent for the Liberation News Agency, then worked in the education sector after the country was at peace, until her retirement, Mrs. Tran To Nga continued to participate in a special battle: Demanding justice for Vietnamese victims of Agent Orange.
The life of Mrs. Tran To Nga is a mirror of courage, perseverance and dignity of the Vietnamese people. She chose to turn her pain into strength to fight for justice. Her struggle resonated not only in Vietnam but also in France and around the world .
Steadfastly pursue the revolutionary cause
Ms. Tran To Nga was born in 1942 in Soc Trang, daughter of martyr Nguyen Thi Tu, President of the Southern Liberation Women's Union.
In 1955, the 13-year-old Russian girl dropped out of Marie Curie School (Saigon) to go to Hanoi to study at a Southern student school following the training policy of Uncle Ho and the Party Central Committee: Sowing a class of "red seeds" for the revolutionary struggle later.
She boarded the last flight from Saigon to Hai Phong. At the airport, Nga burst into tears because she did not want to leave her family and friends.
“My mother hugged me and said: 'Don't cry, you go there to study, please send my regards to Uncle Ho.' Just those few words because my mother had absolute faith in Uncle Ho and the Party Central Committee that her daughter would be able to study, be sheltered and protected when she went to the North,” Ms. Nga recalled.
Sharing with reporters of VietnamPlus Electronic Newspaper, Ms. Nga said that the establishment of Southern schools in the North was a very correct policy, demonstrating the wise vision of President Ho Chi Minh and the Party Central Committee. Knowing that the cause of national reunification was a long and arduous struggle, Uncle Ho attached great importance to preparing cadres to build the South when the country was completely victorious and unified. Moreover, sending the children of Southern revolutionary cadres and soldiers to the North was also a way to protect the future young generation of the country because the war at that time was extremely tense.
Later, Ms. Tran To Nga was chosen twice to study in the Soviet Union, but she refused that opportunity to return to the South to participate in revolutionary activities.
After graduating from the Faculty of Chemistry, Hanoi University, she went to B, becoming a war correspondent for the Liberation News Agency. During her revolutionary activities, she was imprisoned by the enemy even though she was pregnant. She gave birth in prison and was not released until April 30, 1975. In front of foreign reporters' cameras, she held up her 4-month-old daughter Viet Lien and said: "This is the youngest prisoner."
After the country was unified, Ms. Nga devoted herself to the education sector, becoming principal of Le Thi Hong Gam, Marie Curie, and Ho Chi Minh City Technical Pedagogical Schools.
When she retired, she did not rest but continued a new mission: Fighting for justice for Agent Orange victims in Vietnam.
Determined to demand justice for war victims
During her time as a reporter at the front, she was exposed to Agent Orange, which seriously damaged her health.
According to the medical examination results, the dioxin concentration in her blood was higher than the prescribed standard, leading to serious health effects. She suffered from 5 of the 17 diseases recognized by the US and listed in the list of diseases caused by Agent Orange. Not only her but her children also suffered from heart and bone defects. Her first child died at the age of 17 months due to congenital heart defects.
In 1993, Ms. Tran To Nga moved to France. In July 2004, she was awarded the Legion of Honor by the French Government and naturalized as a French citizen, but still held Vietnamese nationality. This was an important premise for her to pursue the lawsuit as a French citizen because France allows international lawsuits to protect its citizens.
“The will to fight for justice has been in my subconscious, from the tradition of a staunch revolutionary family, from my mother who was the first President of the Women's Liberation Association of South Vietnam. I was a Southern student in the North, during the resistance war against the US to save the country, I was imprisoned by the enemy, then gave birth in prison, and now living in peace and unity, I want to repay the gratitude to my homeland, the country that raised me to adulthood,” Ms. Nga confided.
In May 2009, Ms. Tran To Nga testified at the International Tribunal of Conscience for Vietnamese Agent Orange/Dioxin Victims in Paris. Afterwards, with the support and companionship of a number of French lawyers and social activists who support Vietnamese Agent Orange victims, she decided to sue American chemical companies.
She is one of the rare cases that can pursue lawsuits related to Agent Orange because she meets three conditions: being a French citizen of Vietnamese origin; living in France, which allows lawyers to open international lawsuits to protect French citizens against another country that harms them; and being a victim of Agent Orange/dioxin.
When she started the lawsuit, there were already more than 3 million victims of Agent Orange in Vietnam. It was this number that broke her heart and motivated her to take on this lawsuit.
“After 12 years of pursuing the journey of justice, I realized that the number did not stop there, but reached more than 4 million victims and passed down to the 4th generation. My struggle is not only against the use of Agent Orange, but also the basis for other struggles for the environment,” Ms. Nga said.
During her 20-year journey to seek justice, Ms. Tran To Nga has received support not only from her compatriots in the country but also from overseas Vietnamese in France and many countries around the world, as well as the sympathy of many French and international friends.
First of all, we must mention the efforts of two lawyers, William Bourdon and Bertrand Repolt, who have always stood by Mrs. Tran To Nga. Next is the support of many associations in Vietnam, France and many countries around the world, including the Vietnam Association of Agent Orange Victims, the International Association of Democratic Lawyers, the Association of Vietnamese in France, the France-Vietnam Friendship Association, the Committee to Support Mrs. Tran To Nga's Lawsuit, the Collectif Vietnam Dioxine Association...
Many demonstrations and meetings have been organized to express solidarity with Ms. Tran To Nga and the Vietnamese victims of Agent Orange. The letter calling for support for Ms. Tran To Nga's legal battle received thousands of signatures of support, including many important figures, politicians, diplomats, researchers, scholars, doctors, artists...
Although the court has repeatedly rejected Ms. Tran To Nga’s petitions, she has affirmed that she will continue to pursue the lawsuit because this is a just and noble struggle. She is fighting not only for herself but also for all Agent Orange victims in Vietnam and other countries.
“When you fight for justice, you will have determination and strength. The fight for justice for Agent Orange victims will never end. I am not sure how many more times I will have to go to court. But I am always ready, with an unshakable belief and determination,” she affirmed./.
On August 10, 1961, the first flight carrying herbicides was sprayed along Highway 14, north of Kon Tum town, opening the war using toxic chemicals by the US imperialists on the battlefields of South Vietnam. During the next 10 years, about 80 million liters of chemicals, including 20 different types of toxic substances, were used by the US across the battlefields, most of which was Agent Orange/dioxin.
This chemical warfare has caused extremely serious and long-term consequences: More than 3 million Vietnamese people are still suffering from the consequences of cancer and diseases caused by dioxin; about 150,000 children, over four generations since 1975, have been born with serious deformities or disabilities; 1 million hectares of tropical forests have been destroyed along with the disappearance of many wildlife species, and 400,000 hectares of agricultural land have been polluted.
In 2009, the World Peace Council passed a resolution to make August 10 every year the International Day of Solidarity with Vietnamese Victims of Agent Orange.
Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/nguoi-phu-nu-viet-kien-dinh-dau-tranh-vi-cong-ly-cho-nan-nhan-chat-doc-da-cam-post1054669.vnp
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