Keep Us Strong WikiLeaks logo

Currently released so far... 97115 / 251,287

Articles

Browse latest releases

Browse by creation date

Browse by origin

A B C D F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z

Browse by tag

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
ETRD EAGR ETTC EAID ECON EFIN ECIN EINV ELAB EAIR ENRG EPET EWWT ECPS EIND EMIN ELTN EC ETMIN EUC EZ ET ELECTIONS ENVR EU EUN EG EINT ER ECONOMICS ES EMS ENIV EEB EN ECE ECOSOC EK ENVIRONMENT EFIS EI EWT ENGRD ECPSN EXIM EIAD ERIN ECPC EDEV ENGY ECTRD EPA ESTH ECCT EINVECON ENGR ERTD EUR EAP EWWC ELTD EL EXIMOPIC EXTERNAL ETRDEC ESCAP ECO EGAD ELNT ECONOMIC ENV ETRN EIAR EUMEM ENRGPARMOTRASENVKGHGPGOVECONTSPLEAID EREL ECOM ECONETRDEAGRJA ETCC ETRG ECONOMY EMED ETR ENERG EITC EFINOECD EURM EENG ERA EXPORT ENRD ECONEINVETRDEFINELABETRDKTDBPGOVOPIC EGEN EBRD EVIN ETRAD ECOWAS EFTA ECONETRDBESPAR EGOVSY EPIN EID ECONENRG EDRC ESENV ETT EB ENER ELTNSNAR ECHEVARRIA ETRC EPIT EDUC ESA EFI ENRGY ESCI EE EAIDXMXAXBXFFR EETC ECIP EIAID EIVN EBEXP ESTN EING EGOV ETRA EPETEIND ELAN ETRDGK EAIDRW ETRDEINVECINPGOVCS EPEC ENVI ELN EAG EPCS EPRT EPTED ETRB EUM EAIDS EFIC EFINECONEAIDUNGAGM EAIDAR ESF EIDN ELAM EDU EV EAIDAF ECN EDA EXBS EINTECPS ENRGTRGYETRDBEXPBTIOSZ EPREL EAC EINVEFIN ETA EAGER EINDIR ECA ECLAC ELAP EITI EUCOM ECONEFINETRDPGOVEAGRPTERKTFNKCRMEAID EARG ELDIN EINVKSCA ENNP EFINECONCS EFINTS ECCP ETC EAIRASECCASCID EINN ETRP EAIDNI EFQ ECOQKPKO EGPHUM EBUD ECONEINVEFINPGOVIZ ENERGY ELB EINDETRD EMI ECONEFIN EIB EURN ETRDEINVTINTCS EIN EFIM ETIO ELAINE EMN EATO EWTR EIPR EINVETC ETTD ETDR EIQ ECONCS EPPD ENRGIZ EISL ESPINOSA ELEC EAIG ESLCO EUREM ENTG ERD EINVECONSENVCSJA EEPET EUNCH ECINECONCS ETRO ETRDECONWTOCS ECUN EFND EPECO EAIRECONRP ERGR ETRDPGOV ECPN ENRGMO EPWR EET EAIS EAGRE EDUARDO EAGRRP EAIDPHUMPRELUG EICN ECONQH EVN EGHG ELBR EINF EAIDHO EENV ETEX ERNG ED
KMDR KPAO KPKO KJUS KCRM KGHG KFRD KWMN KDEM KTFN KHIV KGIC KIDE KSCA KNNP KHUM KIPR KSUM KISL KIRF KCOR KRCM KPAL KWBG KN KS KOMC KSEP KFLU KPWR KTIA KSEO KMPI KHLS KICC KSTH KMCA KVPR KPRM KE KU KZ KFLO KSAF KTIP KTEX KBCT KOCI KOLY KOR KAWC KACT KUNR KTDB KSTC KLIG KSKN KNN KCFE KCIP KGHA KHDP KPOW KUNC KDRL KV KPREL KCRS KPOL KRVC KRIM KGIT KWIR KT KIRC KOMO KRFD KUWAIT KG KFIN KSCI KTFIN KFTN KGOV KPRV KSAC KGIV KCRIM KPIR KSOC KBIO KW KGLB KMWN KPO KFSC KSEAO KSTCPL KSI KPRP KREC KFPC KUNH KCSA KMRS KNDP KR KICCPUR KPPAO KCSY KTBT KCIS KNEP KFRDCVISCMGTCASCKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG KNNB KGCC KINR KPOP KMFO KENV KNAR KVIR KDRG KDMR KFCE KNAO KDEN KGCN KICA KIMMITT KMCC KLFU KMSG KSEC KUM KCUL KMNP KSMT KCOM KOMCSG KSPR KPMI KRAD KIND KCRP KAUST KWAWC KTER KCHG KRDP KPAS KITA KTSC KPAOPREL KWGB KIRP KJUST KMIG KLAB KTFR KSEI KSTT KAPO KSTS KLSO KWNN KPOA KHSA KNPP KPAONZ KBTS KWWW KY KJRE KPAOKMDRKE KCRCM KSCS KWMNCI KESO KWUN KPLS KIIP KEDEM KPAOY KRIF KGICKS KREF KTRD KFRDSOCIRO KTAO KJU KWMNPHUMPRELKPAOZW KEN KO KNEI KEMR KKIV KEAI KWAC KRCIM KWCI KFIU KWIC KCORR KOMS KNNO KPAI KBWG KTTB KTBD KTIALG KILS KFEM KTDM KESS KNUC KPA KOMCCO KCEM KRCS KWBGSY KNPPIS KNNPMNUC KWN KERG KLTN KALM KCCP KSUMPHUM KREL KGH KLIP KTLA KAWK KWMM KVRP KVRC KAID KSLG KDEMK KX KIF KNPR KCFC KFTFN KTFM KPDD KCERS KMOC KDEMAF KMEPI KEMS KDRM KEPREL KBTR KEDU KNP KIRL KNNR KMPT KISLPINR KTPN KA KJUSTH KPIN KDEV KTDD KAKA KFRP KWNM KTSD KINL KJUSKUNR KWWMN KECF KWBC KPRO KVBL KOM KFRDKIRFCVISCMGTKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG KEDM KFLD KLPM KRGY KNNF KICR KIFR KM KWMNCS KAWS KLAP KPAK KDDG KCGC KID KNSD KMPF KPFO KDP KCMR KRMS KNPT KNNNP KTIAPARM KDTB KNUP KPGOV KNAP KNNC KUK KSRE KREISLER KIVP KQ KTIAEUN KPALAOIS KRM KISLAO KWM KFLOA
PHUM PINR PTER PGOV PREL PREF PL PM PHSA PE PARM PINS PK PUNE PO PALESTINIAN PU PBTS PROP PTBS POL POLI PA PGOVZI POLMIL POLITICAL PARTIES POLM PD POLITICS POLICY PAS PMIL PINT PNAT PV PKO PPOL PERSONS PING PBIO PH PETR PARMS PRES PCON PETERS PRELBR PT PLAB PP PAK PDEM PKPA PSOCI PF PLO PTERM PJUS PSOE PELOSI PROPERTY PGOVPREL PARP PRL PNIR PHUMKPAL PG PREZ PGIC PBOV PAO PKK PROV PHSAK PHUMPREL PROTECTION PGOVBL PSI PRELPK PGOVENRG PUM PRELKPKO PATTY PSOC PRIVATIZATION PRELSP PGOVEAIDUKNOSWGMHUCANLLHFRSPITNZ PMIG PREC PAIGH PROG PSHA PARK PETER POG PHUS PPREL PS PTERPREL PRELPGOV POV PKPO PGOVECON POUS PGOVPRELPHUMPREFSMIGELABEAIDKCRMKWMN PWBG PMAR PREM PAR PNR PRELPGOVEAIDECONEINVBEXPSCULOIIPBTIO PARMIR PGOVGM PHUH PARTM PN PRE PTE PY POLUN PPEL PDOV PGOVSOCI PIRF PGOVPM PBST PRELEVU PGOR PBTSRU PRM PRELKPAOIZ PGVO PERL PGOC PAGR PMIN PHUMR PVIP PPD PGV PRAM PINL PKPAL PTERE PGOF PINO PHAS PODC PRHUM PHUMA PREO PPA PEPFAR PGO PRGOV PAC PRESL PORG PKFK PEPR PRELP PREFA PNG PGOVPHUMKPAO PRELECON PINOCHET PFOR PGOVLO PHUMBA PRELC PREK PHUME PHJM POLINT PGOVPZ PGOVKCRM PGOVE PHALANAGE PARTY PECON PEACE PROCESS PLN PRELSW PAHO PEDRO PRELA PASS PPAO PGPV PNUM PCUL PGGV PSA PGOVSMIGKCRMKWMNPHUMCVISKFRDCA PGIV PRFE POGOV PEL PBT PAMQ PINF PSEPC POSTS PHUMPGOV PVOV PHSAPREL PROLIFERATION PENA PRELTBIOBA PIN PRELL PGOVPTER PHAM PHYTRP PTEL PTERPGOV PHARM PROTESTS PRELAF PKBL PRELKPAO PKNP PARMP PHUML PFOV PERM PUOS PRELGOV PHUMPTER PARAGRAPH PERURENA PBTSEWWT PCI PETROL PINSO PINSCE PQL PEREZ PBS

Browse by classification

Community resources

courage is contagious

Viewing cable 08HANOI37, FORD FOUNDATION GRANTEES HOST AGENT ORANGE DISABILITY FORUM

If you are new to these pages, please read an introduction on the structure of a cable as well as how to discuss them with others. See also the FAQs

Understanding cables
Every cable message consists of three parts:
  • The top box shows each cables unique reference number, when and by whom it originally was sent, and what its initial classification was.
  • The middle box contains the header information that is associated with the cable. It includes information about the receiver(s) as well as a general subject.
  • The bottom box presents the body of the cable. The opening can contain a more specific subject, references to other cables (browse by origin to find them) or additional comment. This is followed by the main contents of the cable: a summary, a collection of specific topics and a comment section.
To understand the justification used for the classification of each cable, please use this WikiSource article as reference.

Discussing cables
If you find meaningful or important information in a cable, please link directly to its unique reference number. Linking to a specific paragraph in the body of a cable is also possible by copying the appropriate link (to be found at theparagraph symbol). Please mark messages for social networking services like Twitter with the hash tags #cablegate and a hash containing the reference ID e.g. #08HANOI37.
Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
08HANOI37 2008-01-10 10:08 2011-08-25 00:00 UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Embassy Hanoi
VZCZCXRO8570
RR RUEHHM
DE RUEHHI #0037/01 0101008
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 101008Z JAN 08
FM AMEMBASSY HANOI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6990
INFO RUEHBK/AMEMBASSY BANGKOK 6135
RUEHHM/AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH 4144
RUEHPH/CDC ATLANTA GA
RUEAUSA/DEPT OF HHS WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC//USDP/ISA/AP/ES//
RHMFIUU/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI//J00/J005/J006/J01LA/J06/J5//
RHEHNSC/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 HANOI 000037 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/MLS, EAP/EP, EAP/RSP, EAP/PD, OES/PCI 
STATE PASS TO USAID FOR ANE, G/ENV 
STATE PASS TO EPA/OIA (DENNIS CUNNINGHAM AND MARK KASMAN) 
STATE PASS TO EPA/ORD (KEVIN TEICHMAN) 
HHS/OSSI/DSI PASS TO OGHA (WSTIEGER/MLVALDEZ/CHICKEY), NIH: FIC 
(RGLASS) AND NIEHS 
CDC FOR OGHA (SBLOUT/KMCCALL), NCEH (TSINKS), NIOSH (MHSWEENEY) 
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE (TSHUBERT AND WVAN HOUTEN) 
BANGKOK PASS TO RDM/A (OCARDUNER AND JPASCH) 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL SENV TBIO KPAO VM
SUBJECT: FORD FOUNDATION GRANTEES HOST AGENT ORANGE DISABILITY FORUM 
 
 
Ref: A. 2007 Hanoi 2113 B. 2007 Hanoi 1862 
 
1. (U) Summary.  On December 18, the Ford Foundation funded a 
national disabilities workshop focusing on Agent Orange (AO) and its 
contaminant dioxin.  Various speakers highlighted the need for 
collective Government of Vietnam (GVN) and international support for 
the disabled suffering from war legacies, who the GVN claims are the 
most physically and mentally challenged among the disabled 
community.  The Ford Foundation sponsored U.S.-Vietnam Dialogue 
Group project and UNICEF are developing fund raising campaigns 
targeting Americans to support these efforts.  Ford Foundation 
efforts to mainstream disabled Vietnamese, provided regardless of 
the cause of those disabilities, supply needed care and services for 
the disabled community.  However, Vietnam requires greater public 
health and environmental health expertise to guide the limited 
resources currently mobilized to address this mainstreaming issue. 
End Summary. 
 
2. (U) On December 18, over 150 persons attended a "National 
Conference on Disability in Vietnam: An Agent Orange Perspective," 
funded by the Ford Foundation and organized by the Institute for 
Social Development Studies (ISDS), the Vietnam Union of Science and 
Technology Organizations (VUSTO) and the U.S.-Vietnam Dialogue Group 
on Agent Orange/Dioxin (DG).  Presenters, all of whom received Ford 
Foundation funds over the past year, included VUSTO, ISDS, DG, Ford 
Foundation, Ministry of Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA), 
UNICEF, Office 33, Vietnam Public Health Association (VPHA), VVAF, 
East Meets West, and provincial representatives of people living 
with disabilities in Dong Nai, Quang Nam, Danang and Thai Binh 
provinces. 
 
3. (U) The Ford Foundation and Aspen Institute's DG project supports 
ten prominent American and Vietnamese citizens committed to 
mobilizing (in both countries) public sentiment, political will and 
financial support for the AO/dioxin issue, the "last remaining war 
legacy."  The group, led by former National Assembly official Madam 
Ton Nu Thi Ninh and comprised of scientists, politicians, doctors 
and opinion-makers, has four proposed objectives for 2008-2009: 1) 
provide coordinated health, rehabilitation, education and vocational 
training to AO victims and their families; 2) enhance capacity of 
communities in response to the needs of AO victims and their 
families receiving these services; 3) strengthen the professional 
capacities of service providers; and 4) increase the national and 
international dialogue on policy development and activities to 
support AO victims and their families.  These efforts will start in 
Dong Nai/Ben Hoa in 2008 and later focus on Danang, Quang Nam, and 
Thai Binh Provinces. 
 
4. (U) In her opening remarks, Madame Ninh stated that U.S.-Vietnam 
relations will not be "normal" until the AO issue is "resolved," 
that AO victims cannot wait for scientific evidence and need 
immediate humanitarian support, and that environmental solutions to 
clean up the hotspots will be very costly and "too big for the two 
governments to solve alone."  In his remarks, Dr. Charles Bailey 
congratulated the GVN for recently signing the UN Convention on 
Disabilities.  He noted the association between AO/dioxin and 
certain disabilities and reported that the Ford Foundation has 
provided USD 4.2 million from 2002-2007 and would provide another 
USD 7.5 million during 2008-2009 to "alleviate the consequences of" 
AO.  He noted the "positive steps" taken by the USG and GVN on war 
legacies including the November 2006 Joint Statement by Presidents 
Bush and Triet, State Department and EPA provision of USD 400,000 
for technical assistance to support dioxin mitigation efforts in 
Danang, and the "unprecedented support" from the U.S. Congress of 
USD 3 million for dioxin-related environmental remediation and 
health activities in Vietnam.  However, Bailey said, "The Bush 
Administration needs to move more briskly.  This requires action. 
And it requires action now." 
 
5. (U) Director General Hoang of MOLISA noted that the United States 
sprayed 72 million liters of AO during the war and claimed that AO 
damages human health and causes genetic disorders and highlighted 
GVN efforts to address these health effects of AO.  Hoang stated 
that the GVN is drafting a Law on Disabilities, which will codify 
 
HANOI 00000037  002 OF 003 
 
 
the UN Convention on Disabilities into Vietnamese Law and provide a 
host of rights to Vietnamese disabled, including "Agent Orange 
victims."  The Law will be sent to the National Assembly in 2008. 
Vietnam now provides entitlements of approximately VND 140,000/month 
(less than USD 10/month) to those it identifies as AO victims, Hoang 
reported, though it lacks standard criteria identifying who should 
receive benefits. 
 
6. (U) Ms. Caroline den Hulk, Communications Director of UNICEF 
Vietnam, stated that 60 percent of "AO victims" are children.  In 
2007, the Ford Foundation provided USD 688,000 to the U.S. Fund for 
UNICEF to raise awareness and leverage additional resources for 
child disabilities in Vietnam.  UNICEF plans to take a more 
universal, rights-based approach to disabilities, instead of 
focusing on causation, and will build institutional capacity for 
social services at the national level as well as local levels, 
starting in Danang. 
 
7. (U) Dr. Le Ke Son, Director General of Office 33, which 
coordinates GVN AO policy, provided a somewhat more confrontational 
presentation than he normally gives to his U.S. Government 
interlocutors.  He referred to the U.S. defoliation campaign as "the 
longest chemical warfare in human history."  He presented a litany 
of data: 74 million liters of herbicide sprayed; 18 million liters 
removed during Pacer Ivy (NOTE: he did not explain that this was a 
repatriation operation, not a spraying operation); 3.1 million 
hectares of forest sprayed; 2.1 to 4.8 million people sprayed; and 
human blood samples in Danang containing 3-4 times the allowable 
limit for dioxin.  Son acknowledged various causes for disabilities, 
including physical, genetic and environmental causes (including 
pesticides), but noted that data indicate an increased level of 
disabilities for veterans in AO spray areas (26 percent) compared to 
those who did not serve in spray areas (16 percent), asserting that 
this is evidence that dioxin exposure led to these disabilities. 
Dr. Son highlighted four GVN objectives: continued study of genetic 
malformations; continued support for counseling people with high 
dioxin concentrations to not have babies; systematic 
characterization of the disabled; and mobilization of domestic and 
international financial resources to support GVN efforts.  He ended 
his presentation with a photo of malformed fetuses in jars, claiming 
that the deformities are the result of AO exposure. 
 
8. (U) Dr. Tuyet Hanh of VPHA/Hanoi School of Public Health stated 
that scientific data in the literature, combined with a knowledge, 
attitudes and practices (KAP) study of dioxin exposure through food 
in Bien Hoa and Dong Nai, show that most residents near the hotspots 
knew almost nothing about dioxin, possible exposure pathways, its 
possible impacts, and how to prevent human exposure.  This 
necessitates an intervention plan to raise awareness and reduce the 
risk of dioxin exposure through food.  Noting high percentages of 
villagers who routinely viewed television or listened to the radio, 
she suggested media campaigns to increase public awareness. 
 
9. (SBU) COMMENT:  The Ford Foundation's AO/Dioxin program has 
successfully mobilized field-based humanitarian assistance programs 
while encouraging other donors to ramp up disabilities rights-based 
programming at the provincial and national levels (ref A).  As this 
effort matures, there should be opportunities to coordinate with 
other groups and donors, including USAID implementing partners, 
interested in disabilities work, which were visibly absent from this 
so-called national conference.  At the same time, presentations at 
the seminar demonstrate that many persons involved in this issue do 
not hold views consistent with those of the U.S. Government and were 
unwilling or unable to focus on other sources of disabilities or 
means to limit exposure to dioxin.  We do not believe that providing 
a high-visibility forum for unchallenged and possibly unsupported 
assertions moves the issue forward, though it does accurately 
reflect the opinions of many of the advocacy groups that focus on 
Agent Orange/dioxin.  Additionally, presenters failed to call for 
the GVN to limit continued human exposure, including actions as 
basic as preventing consumption of animals caught at "hotspots." 
While we continue to make progress in normalizing this issue (Ref 
B), we still need to be vigilant of unsupported claims about 
AO/dioxin effects, while promoting cooperative efforts based on 
sound science. 
 
HANOI 00000037  003 OF 003 
 
 
 
MICHALAK