Czechs to help with Vietnam with war-era cleanup

The Czech Republic has announced that it will help Vietnam clean up poisonous dioxins in the country left over from the era of the Vietnam War. According to the Czech Development Agency, Czech specialists will begin by taking and analyzing samples in areas thought to be affected, and will later participate in a cleanup operation. The scientists are set to work in a region called Phu Cat, the site of a former US base where the notorious chemical Agent Orange – a leaf defoliating substance us by the US that caused serious side-effects in humans – was stored. Around 17,000 people in the area are thought to suffer health problems as a result of Agent Orange. Czech specialists have already been working in the country for three years on similar projects, and the latest announcement marks an affirmation of the positive relations that have been developed as a result of this work. The work will in part be carried out by private contractors – a tender has just been issued by the Czech Development Agency.