Vietnam still counting the cost of war

["Diem Quynh Nguyen" <diemquynhng@hotmail.com>]

 Cha`o ca'c ba'c:
 Co' ba'c na`o co' ba`i cu?a VNA nguye^n ba?n kho^ng ? Ne^'u post le^n 
cho ba` con ddo.c thi` hay bie^'t ma^'y !
 Regards
 DQ
______________________________________


>Vietnam still counting the cost of war
>
>Reuters
>Sunday, June 15, 1997 
> 
>
>HANOI, Vietnam -- Vietnam catalogued Sunday the appalling cost of its 
>war with the United States and said the conflict, which ended more than 
>
>22 years ago, was still exacting a toll in lives and suffering.
>
>The official Vietnam News Agency (VNA) said that when the Americans 
>left 
>at the end of the war in 1975 three million Vietnamese had been killed, 
>
>4.4 million wounded, and two million affected by toxic chemicals, 
>including the defoliant Agent Orange.
>
>It said some 50,000 children were born with deformities in the first 
>decade after the war.
>
>It added that a recent survey of areas around the central city of 
>Danang 
>had found nearly 41 percent of the population were either dead, 
>missing, 
>or wounded by the time the conflict ended.
>
>``The war with the Americans may have ended 22 years ago, but its 
>conseqences are still visible everywhere, leaving a heavy burden on 
>society and a lot of human suffering,'' it said.
>
>VNA gave no reasons for releasing the figures, but the report was made 
>public less than two weeks ahead of a planned visit by U.S. Secretary 
>of 
>State Madeleine Albright.
>
>The report went on to detail how people were still being killed by 
>ordnance, including a recent incident in which a cluster bomb exploded 
>in a schoolyard killing seven children and wounding 37 others and a 
>teacher.
>
>It said 50 percent of all war-victim families were poor and added that 
>despite domestic and international efforts to alleviate the suffering, 
>more help was needed.
>
>Albright is expected to arrive in Hanoi June 26 to discuss a range of 
>issues, including efforts to account for missing U.S. personnel from 
>the 
>war, as well as human rights. 
>
>---- End Forwarded Message
>



---------------------------------------------------------
Get Your *Web-Based* Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
---------------------------------------------------------