Memorial service held for US peace activist Merle Evelyn Ratner
The Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO) on February 16 held a memorial service in Hanoi for US peace activist Merle Evelyn Ratner, a close friend of Vietnam, who passed away earlier this month.
At the memorial service for US peace activist Merle Evelyn Ratner. (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – The Vietnam Union ofFriendship Organisations (VUFO) on February 16 held a memorial service in Hanoi forUS peace activist Merle Evelyn Ratner, a close friend of Vietnam, who passedaway earlier this month.
The event was connected with many sites in the US,with the participation of representatives from Vietnamese ministries,agencies and organisations, and the activist’s friends.
Ratner was killed by a tow truck in the East Villagewhile crossing the street near her house in Brooklyn on February 5.
Born in 1956 in New York City, she had a speciallove for Vietnam. She took to the streets to protest against the Vietnam Warwhen she was 13 years old and became famous for hanging anti-war slogans on theStatue of Liberty. She was a co-founder and coordinator of the Vietnam AgentOrange Relief & Responsibility Campaign (VAORRC) in the New York area.
Ratner actively participated in protests against theUS war in Vietnam since the late 1960s, the anti-imperialism movement in the1970s and 1980s, and anti-racism campaigns in America today.
After 1975, with a deep love for Vietnam, Ratnercampaigned for the normalisation of the Vietnam-US relations, and supportedVietnam’s international activities. She visited Vietnam many times, and engagedin joint work with mass organisations, the Vietnam Fatherland Front, and the HoChi Minh National Academy of Politics.
Ratner was awarded the "For the Development ofVietnamese Women" insignia in 2010 and the “For Vietnam Agent OrangeVictims” insignia in 2013.
In his remarks, VUFO President Phan Anh Sonexpressed his sadness over the death of the activist, and recalled her activitiesin support of Vietnam, saying she will be remembered forever by generations ofVietnamese.
He called Ratner a symbol of internationalsolidarity and support for Vietnamese people during movements against the USwar in the Southeast Asian nation.
Son said after the war ended, Ratner furthersupported Vietnamese people in national reconstruction, highlighting her effortsto push for the normalisation of Vietnam-US relations and the removal of the US embargo on the country.
As the VAORRC co-founder, she made tireless efforts to garner support for Vietnamese AO victims to ease their difficulties and seek justice for them,he continued.
Son also stressed Ratner’s support for the VUFO andits member organisations in organising peace, solidarity and friendshipactivities with left-wing friends and the Communist Party of the US./.
Merle Ratner, a renowned left-wing and anti-war activist in the US and a close friend of Vietnam, passed away February 5 evening in New York in a traffic accident.
On behalf of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee, Le Hoai Trung, Secretary of the Party Central Committee and Chairman of the committee’s Commission for External Relations, has sent condolences to the family of Merle Ratner, a left-wing and anti-war activist in the US and a close friend of Vietnam, over her death.
The profound love that Merle Ratner, a left-wing and anti-war US activist who passed away on February 5, gave to Vietnam during her entire life will be always in the hearts of Vietnamese people.
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At the memorial service for US peace activist Merle Evelyn Ratner. (Photo: VNA) 
