In the petition, Aldis reiterates that, after a case brought to the US Supreme Court by dioxin victims demanding restitution from the companies was rejected in March, “over three million Vietnamese and thousands of American servicemen and women, and their children, will continue to suffer from the serious illnesses and disabilities caused by Agent Orange.”

Aldis also quotes the statement that Nguyen Duc made in November 2006 to an American journalist. Duc and his late brother Viet, both victims of Agent Orange, were born conjoined in 1981.

“I find it ironic that on one hand you put Saddam Hussein on trial for using biological warfare, but in another country where you sprayed chemicals for warfare, you neglect your responsibility,” Duc wrote.

“The US must admit its responsibility and compensate the Agent Orange victims in Vietnam. It is your moral obligation. Sooner or later, it has to be done.”

Aldis, who expressed his frustration in a letter to President Obama immediately following the refusal on March 2, on Thursday urged the US president and Congress to heed the of Duc’s words despite the Supreme Court decision, as well as accept responsibility for and the moral obligations to the victims of Agent Orange.

Aldis is no stranger to Vietnamese Agent Orange victims.

In 2004, when the Vietnam Association for the Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin (VAVA) began the lawsuit against the 37 chemical companies that had manufactured Agent Orange, in particular Monsanto and Dow Chemicals, Aldis started an online petition that ended up with 712,000 signatures.

Aldis hopes the new petition will draw one million signatures.

Asked by Thanh Nien Daily via email what was the significance of launching another online petition at this time, Aldis said: “We felt that the legal journey had ended. It was now time again to appeal to the higher court, that of World Public Opinion.”

“We decided that a New Online Petition would add to the international campaign that needs to continue if justice was to be won.

“However long it takes, we must continue until justice is won.”

He also said that, during the course of the five-year lawsuits, many Vietnamese had died waiting for justice, including two who went to the US and attended the court hearings.

“Many have also been born in these five years. I fear that we are perhaps seeing the fourth generation of Vietnam Agent Orange victims,” he said.

By the end of the Vietnam War in 1975, nearly 4.8 million Vietnamese people had been exposed to Agent Orange, a defoliant containing the toxic chemical dioxin sprayed by US forces, causing 400,000 deaths.

Millions more have suffered devastating long-term health effects, including cancer and genetic defects.

Reported by An Dien