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Vietnam war protesters from the sixties and seventies have welcomed the Government's apology to veterans but say the Vietnamese population deserve an apology too.
Prime Minister Helen Clark apologised in Parliament today to New Zealand's Vietnam veterans for the way they were treated after they returned from the war.
Invercargill mayor Tim Shadbolt, who protested against the war, said today's apology would help "heal the wounds".
"What's been so painful for those soldiers is that they did their duty for the country and they've really been treated extremely badly by successive Governments in terms of the sickness that they picked up while serving there," Mr Shadbolt said.
"It will recognise the terrible ecological tragedy that so many went through that neither the protesters or the soldiers were aware of."
But the Vietnamese people also have deformed children and "were victims of this war", he said.
Earlier Helen Clark extended the Crown's apologies to all Vietnam veterans, acknowledging that the health impacts suffered by the veterans weren't recognised "by successive governments".
"The Crown extends to New Zealand veterans and their families an apology for the manner in which their loyal service was not recognised in the way it should have been and at the time it should have been.
"The failure of successive governments and their agencies to acknowledge the exposure of veterans to dioxin contaminated herbicides and other chemicals is itself acknowledged, as is the way in which that failure exacerbated the suffering of veterans and families."
Helen Clark described the situation surrounding participation in the Vietnam War as "troubled issues in New Zealand's relatively recent past".
"The Crown is placing on record its respect for the service of the nearly 3400 New Zealanders who served in Vietnam during the war between June 1964 and December 1972.
"We honour the 37 personnel who died on active duty, the 187 who were wounded, some very seriously, and all those who have suffered long-term effects."
She also apologised for the treatment they received after returning home and said they should be recognised in the same way as veterans of other conflicts have been.
"For too long, successive governments ignored concerns being raised by Vietnam veterans."
National leader John Key backed the apology and described it as a "difficult war". He said it was time to say thank you to those who served and that they were not responsible for decisions taken by politicians at the time.
Mr Key said the treatment the veterans received was "unfair and unacceptable" and welcomed the acceptance of exposure to agent orange on soldiers.
All the political parties gave their support to the apology. Green MP Keith Locke said previous governments had "covered up" Agent Orange exposure.
Mr Locke added: "It is also an opportunity to recognise what a disastrous war it was for all, particularly the Vietnamese people."
Maori Party co-leader Tariana Turia noted the contribution of tangata whenua to the war.
She said the Vietnamese people were subject to a "genocidal assault".
Veterans have for years fought for recognition of the suffering experienced by soldiers exposed to toxic chemicals used during the war, such as agent orange.
Many veterans found the people of New Zealand had little time for them after they returned from serving in the largely unpopular and controversial war.
The apology precedes three days of commemorations for the Vietnam veterans, beginning with a civic welcome in Wellington's Civic Square at 4pm on Friday.
The commemorative weekend "Tribute08" is the public face of a memorandum of understanding signed in December 2006 by the Government, the Ex-Vietnam Services Association and the Royal New Zealand Returned and Services Association.
In the memorandum, the Government acknowledged Vietnam veterans and their families had legitimate concerns about their treatment over the past 30 years.
A financial package aimed at compensating veterans and their families affected by chemical warfare used during the Vietnam War, including the use of agent orange, was announced last year.
- with NZPA
