Hanoi  - Vietnamese officials Wednesday harshly criticized the US Supreme Court's decision not to hear an appeal of a lawsuit against the American manufacturers of the toxic defoliant Agent Orange that was thrown out by lower courts.

Tran Xuan Thu, head of Vietnam's Association of Victims of Agent Orange, called the decision "nonsensical and incorrect."

Thu's words echoed Tuesday's statement by the official spokesman of Vietnam's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Le Dung, that "the Vietnamese people are completely disgusted" with the US court's decision.

The US Supreme Court on March 2 refused to reinstate a lawsuit lodged by Vietnamese victims of Agent Orange, a defoliant containing toxic dioxin that was widely used by US forces during the Vietnam War.

A group of over 100 Vietnamese plaintiffs launched the suit in 2004 against dozens of US companies involved in manufacturing Agent Orange, saying the chemical had caused them to suffer illnesses including cancer and genetic defects.

American courts have ruled repeatedly that the plaintiffs have not established that their illnesses were caused by Agent Orange, and that the manufacturers are immune from prosecution because they produced the defoliant on the orders of the US government.

Dung called the decision "incorrect and unjust," and said the court had "denied the serious effects of Agent Orange and dioxin ... on the environment and the health of the Vietnamese people."

The US government acknowledges that dioxin from Agent Orange severely contaminates several hotspots where the defoliant was used heavily, and has appropriated
3 million dollars in aid for cleanup and remediation projects.

Large numbers of Vietnamese were exposed to the defoliant when US forces sprayed it on jungles to deny sanctuary to communist troops during the war. Scientists say that while it is difficult to link any particular case to Agent Orange, dioxin is associated with a number of diseases, including some cancers and respiratory illnesses.

Vietnam claims that up to 4 million of its citizens suffer from Agent Orange-related diseases. (dpa)