Vien Chien Koumann is the former vice-governor of Samuoi District, Salavan Province. He joined the Communist Pathet Lao at 16 and later commanded a 35-man unit in combat with U.S. Special Forces and Vietnamese mercenaries on a clandestine attack into Laos. He is from the heavily sprayed village of Phin B, and recounted vivid stories of birth defects that began to appear in 1967 – “babies with no arms, no legs, no eyes, no nose, three of them had tails.” Most of these children did not survive.

Mr Vien Chien Koummanphinbe of Pin Bi is former vice governor. He was a Pathet Lao unit commander in his twenties and actually fought pitched battles against Americans during the war.

Ho Chi Minh/ Agent Orange/ Dioxin/ Vietnam War