REPORT ON llliHBICIDAL DAMAGE BY THB UNITED STATES I N SOUTH.­EASTERN CA. _BO DIA

By A . H . Westing , E . W. Pfeiffer , J . Lav orel , & L. :i'.iatar asso

Phnom Penh, 31 Decem.ber 1969

INTRODUCTION

This i s a preliminary r eport of a study of herbicida l damage by the Unite d Sta tes in scutheast ern Cambodia carried out by an ad hoc internatione.l sci :-ntific commission. It is based uponf our day s of intensive fi eld investigation during th~ period of 25 to 29 De c ember 1969 o..nd upon additional detailed interviews in Phnori1 Penh with r~ . Chuon SaoC.:i the Cambodic.n :1ini ster of Agriculture , lit . Min Sarim, the Director General of State Hubocr Plan-cations , ~ .. Suon Kaset , the Director of Ho.ten; , Forests , nnd G~..;ue , M. Hi ng Un , Dir0ctor of Agri­culture , 1,:. Sor Thay Senf; , Chief of the Di vision of Ag ronomy, and with othe r govcrnnt...nt off icinla .

Our s·tudy wn.s :-1c.dG po.:;..;i bl1.. by the Royal Governnent of Cambodi.J. , which sup1:1lic:d u a wit!: 8.11 l .J.nd and e..ir transpor ­t ati on and other hc.::lp neces..,;,.ry to visit -che o.reas in question and to othervlise p~rform our uis.Jion. Any 2.11d all areas we wi ohed to vi::;i t were freely open to us for purposes of in­spection , i ntcrviev1ing , :.nd photogr aphy .

In ·Ghe field we :el'c o.t all tiril.:!S a ccom.po.nied by one or mor0 scientists mid occa,3ion<".lly otl1er officials of the Cambodi -m govurn1.1cnt ( '"'.Ild by , 11 ur .. w d gur-.rd \lhile working along the Vi<::;tnamese bord,!r ) . -,,.J r c cc i v c:d full cooperntion ancl gr['.cious hospitality ~1l1erever we Hunt from the people at all l ev e l s of r espon:::iibi li ty ~cl in n.11 \1etlks of life: . There rL.:J virtua lly no l o.ngu o..6 e barrier since French ( o.nd often Snglish) was und~rstood nl illos t ev e rY'c1hcr 0 ::nd since a Crunbodinn (Khmer) interpreter wa..J nlwaya nvc..ilablc. to us as needed for communic2.tion with uneducated loc n.l inhabi t ants . M. Min Sa.rim , Director Genl'.; r a l of St,'.te Rubbe r Plantations (and a professionul forester) , o.ccomp~nied u s virtua lly at a ll tines . He v1r:.s mc- ::; t u .:,0ful to ua b ~c-.u .... c of his close frunili ­arity with moot of the ~reas we vi•ite d and because of his knowl0dge of rubber culture , of forestry , end of agronomy . M. Mi n h~d studied for five yec ru at the University of Quebec; he speaks C::i.r:1bodian , French , ,md English.

I t was our mis3i on to mc::.ke en independent scientific evalu2.tion of the h e rbicidal da.magc done by t:ie United State.J in April and Uay of 1969 . One of our a i ms wns to ve rify the e~rlic r Combodi2.n c..nd United Stat~s nssessraents of do.mage . .-re wished pn.;:-ticuh rly to as~eso r .:-. t e of r ec overy , extent of long- term effects , n.nd the i mp act on the locc.l inhnbitants nnd their economy . A . ,ore ,;:;enGr o.l ~im \7.J.cl to gain some prelimin::,.ry insights into the c colosico.J. c.nd economic dru:n3ges

., I

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caused by he rbi cida.l che,1icn.l r,arfar e i n the l ight of i ts mnsoivc u 0c by the United St ~t cs i n neighbor ing South Vietnam.

We hnd o.vE'.il o.ble to us th~ fol loHing r epor t s r el evan t to the herbici dal i ncursio21s i nto Camboclia :

PERSONlIBL

1 . "A Gr ave Attack on tlle Carubodian Ec onomy: Ravages Caused by -che Def ol i an ts Spr ead by Arterican Aircraft near the Fronti er . 11

[a popular a ccount ) I n : Kambuj a , Vol . 5 , lJo . 50 , pp . 112- 113 , May 1969

2 . "Rappor t du Comi t e' Char ge du Constat et de l'Evaluat i on des Degats Das aux .Bpandages des Produits Def oliants par les Avians Amer icano- Sudvie t namiens . " By Mi n Sarim et al . (an ad hoc Cambodian Ministry of Agricul ture cemmitt ee ) Phnom Penh , 1 6 May 1 969 , 15 pp .

Plus t hree brief subsequent repor ts by t hi s cor.amitt ee t f 10 J uly 1969 (5 pp . ) , 17 Novemb::)r 1969 (3 pp . ) , and 9 December 1969 (4 pp . ) .

3. rrA Report on Herbicide Darua_;e to Rubber and Fruit Trees i n Ca. :bodia . :, By C. E. tlinar ik et al . ( an ad hoc U. s . State Deyar b 1ent teanT - - -Sai~on , 12 J~ly 196J , 16 pp . + 5 appendixes . [li.1i ted clistri but ion in Nove:1ber 1969 J

'l1he present study was condncted by a foi.lr - • an ad hoc scientific commi ssion, t ,.:o me .. 1bers froJ,1 Fra'1.ce and two me~ilie rs fr0m the United States:

1 . J ean L2vorel (pl 2.n~ biophysicist) Directeur de Recherche et Directeur du Laboratoire de Photosynthese du Centre National de la :aecherche Scientifi que (CNRS) 91 , Gif- Sur - 7vett e , France

2 . Leon Matar asc:;o (lawyer) Avoca.ta l a Cour de'Paris Vice- Pr~sident du Centre I nter national pour la D~nonciation des Cri 1es de Guerre 29 , Rue de Tour non , Pari s , 6e, France

3 . Eg '.Jert ~ . Pf eiff er (Ph . D. ; a..'1.imal physiol o.3ist ) ProfesGor of Zor logy, University of Montana , tlissoula , Lantana 5~H01 , U. S. A.

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4 . Ar th· ,.r !!• 'Jesting (III . F . , Ph . D. ; plant physiologist) Associ.:!.te Professor of Boi;any ,:'.; Chairman 01· .Biolo~y , Windhe.i1 Co_le:,e Putney , Ver.:ont 05346 , U. S .A.

FIELD ITINERARY

Thu rsday , 25 December 1969 : Aerial examination by snall reconaissance plane of both damaged and undamaged rubber plantations and other lands . Thi • was priLlarily over the undamaged Chup ar0a and over the damaged areat:. of Krek , Chalang (Cha.long) , Mimot (Memot) , and vicinity - all in the southeastern border prov ince of Kornpong Cham (adjacent to the South Vietnamese province of Tay trinh) .

Friday, 26 DeceJiber 1969 : Visit to the Ca.wbodian Rubber Hesearch Institute (Institut des Hecherehes sur le Caoutchouc au Ca.mbodBe; IRCC) at Chup and to the adjacent Fr ench rub"!:le r plantation (Comp~nie du Cambodg e) . At IRCC we exaLlined Institute records ,md interviewed the following professional staff:

Dr . '! . L . Hesi:ng (chemist) (Director) I,I. Gilbert Deconinck ( plant :pathologist) U . Chai ,{im Chun (bioche@.i.st) !; • • Le.nglols ( agronooist) U. Tupy (pL:nt ::::,h;y• iologist)

We visited the c1.d j a.cent planta-c i.on ( the second largest in the world) in order to becol.lle acqu&inted with healthy rubber trees of the several major varieties at various a-_ses .

Satv.rday , 27 Dece1.lber 1969 : Visit to a moderately da,·.aged , medium- sized , private ( c ocYperati ve) plantation at Chipeang (just east of K~e1r) (employing ca. 500 workers) , and to the associated vill2~3e ( popvlation ca. 1 , 500) . This was a typical ( thougll somer1h8.t l.irger) exa.1ple of t he many small plantations in the region th2.t v✓e re da.raaged to a greater or lesser extent . ~fo inspected the da!lage c.nd interviewed r;: . Buoy San, the director , RS well as several tappers o.nd villagers at rmdom.

Next , v-1e visited the heavily danaged , l a rge, private plantation at Dar ( Societe .Ch.mere d I Ileveacul ture de Dar; SKHD) in the company of Dr . Re sing 0nd t1 . Deconinck of IRCC . Here we also inspected the damage and interviewed M. Som Khom, the director , as well as several field foremen and tappers •

.Monday , 29 Dece;,1bl!r 1969: Visit to the ratL.e r heavily damaged-,-large French pL--..n,tation at Mi .1o t ( Societe des Plc.11tat:.ons Eeunies de .1imot; SPfilS) wl1ich. ei.1ploys some 15,000 workers . Here \{e insl)ected the da,,tage P...YJ.d interviewed.

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M. E . Pellegrin (Director Gener2.l) M. C. Audureau (Asoistant Di.rector) Dr . Charles Bosq~et (M. D. ; Director of the hospital 2.t .. 1b1ot)

as well as tlle five en. 1.)oclia:n ovP-krs o~ five very small ne~rby r1:1b· ie~ plm1tatio11s (and each ltvi~1g in ::i. different nec.rby v1lla0 e) .

next , we v isited o. s.1all village in t ~1e vicinity ( Chal 2.11g III) to inspect in some detail the damag e done to local a;ricultural ~.nd horticultur a l crops and to interview the inha"bi tmtts .

OBS Z.NAl'IOJt., ~.Jill FINIHIJGS

General: The principal period of herbicidal application 0ccms to have occur::-ed dnrin_, April md t:.1e early part of M.:iy of 1969, .·nd thus at the end of the dry , dormant season . Our o~)Serv::ttions were therefore carried Ol'..t so ..... e eie,llt 11onths lc..ter ..... nd afti)r the passin.:; of one cor11plete grov1in,g season (the wet monsoon season of iio.r t hrou0 h Uovember) . The U. S . State Department exa.i'.lination hc..d been .-.1.~de rtbo•1.t two months after sprc:.ying , shortly c..fh~r the onset oi the g ro11ing season .

About 70 , 000 hectares (173,000 a cres) were damaged , of which about 10 , 000 hectares (24 , 700 ..., cres) were damaged rather he -wily. This affected nrea cont .:-.ins about 15 , 500 hectares ( 3 _· , 300 acres) of d ~.ia;:ged rubber plD.ntations , of which abo1i_t 6 , 000 beets.res (14, ,,t)0 acres) were drunaged r ather hec.vily . Of the 15 , 500 hect,_res of de .. m.:-..ged rubber, ,1bou t 11 , 400 hect~•.res ( 2J , 200 a cres) 2.re over 6- 7 years old c-.nd thus in production.

The harbicide s uJed s e~aed ~o h ~ve been restricted to a mi.:;:ture of :::., 4- dichlorophenoxyocetic .:-..cid (2 ,4- D) end 2 , 4,5-trichloropllenoxyncetic :.cid (2,4,5- T) in oil ooluble formu-1 .-...tions; this mixture goes under t:-ie U. S . Defense Depo.rti:ient code n':'.i·.e "Orc.nge " . ..e concll::..dcd thc.t it vr .. s agent Orang e becc-.use of the cllar2.cteri stic, dr2....1e.t.Lc, ·· .. nC:: selective effects of t:1i s hor .,anal clo..so of herbicides; ..,11d bec2.use the essentially nor! .:1.l Growt11 of t :1e flUbGe'TUently pL:mted garden crops :·1recluded thc: oth1:.;.i.' .Jore l)ersiste.at agents 8.lso used by thr: U. 3 . c.rned forces . '.I'he severity :111c1 selectivity of injur:r sug6 ested flJ)plic2.tions in t .. :.e a)r,roxi -:1e.te r ange of u . 5 to 3 1:ilograrns per he etc.re ( 0 . 4- 3 pounds/ncI"e) of o.cti ve herbicidal illdredien ts . The lesser ru:101.~--it rei'~rs -co the e ? .. stern :md western portions of the n.f i:ected area , the greater amount to tLe central po1·tion .

The h e rbicidal mi:xtti..re tr1c:-.. t w:-i.s 1n·esuin2.bly used is hiGhlY ( tho;.:gh somewhat v a.riably) toxic to a wide range of dicotyledonous annua.ls £'.nd perenni::i.ls , bot~1 herbaceous ::•nd

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woody ( including rubber, nuwerous fruit , ~.nd sor1c ti "iber trees c.nd mo.ny ve6 eto.bles) . It io 6 enurclly less toxic to monocotyledono·~s pl e..nts ( inc1v.dine ricl! mu other cereals , ba.nboo , b.:ll'l.ann , 2..11 p3.l. ti ) . Both 2 , 4-D .:-:.id 2 , 4 , 5- T n.rc toxic to leth::'.l by virtue of bein; abso1•bed ~d tr:msloc:.ited by the vegetation , thence to r..1i >iic certo.in n:.tur£'.l endogenous growth hormones . They c~use err~tic 'l.lld uncontroll ed over­growth , flower , fruit , '1.lld l cc.f c.bsci s,:.,ion , bro.nch die back , te,i1porury sterility , and other ill effects ; .nd in some instc..11ces death . Any 2 , 4- D t:t.1.t r eaches the g r ound decomposes within c. few weeks e..ft8r 2..pplica.tion , '"':rl.y 2 , 4, 5- r within a few months .

DR..abe to rubber trees : Highly accurate damage estim~tes c c..11 be r.1ade with res~Ject to rubber (Hcve".. br asiliensis) since vGry precise records ,.re kept by the IRCC u.nd the l ar[Se r pl '"'.nt"tions on. a v.J.riety by v2riety ".nd bloc ti: by blocv basis ~-,ith respect to tree g rowth, trc-e he2.l th , 111.tex yield , c";.nd l:i..tex: qul'.li ty . The 11r.n,ri.g0rial pl:-.:ntntion :personnel n.re well tr2ined md competent , nd the methods ewployed by them are s cie' Gific:i.lly ~d technologicu.lly up to d-::.te . L:~tex yield per hec tP .. rc in this re0 ion is the hi_;heot in th1..; world .

Al thonJh quite r .. nu"1bar of V";.Iieties ( clones sensu stricto) are in use in C,:.mbodia. , more than 907<> of o.11 commerci"l production is 11ore or lc3s cr1t!c..ll;y b:.sed upon three m.:i.jor v~rie"liies : 11 G·r . lil , "PH. 107° , ·nd ,;p:a . 06 11

• (The U. S . Seate Dcp~rtmont report describ~s the tLrue major va rieties to be AVR0S . 50 , which n._l:)p~rently h s b1 en confL1.ned with GT . l; PR . 107; 2.nd P:S . 36 , :1hich is ::lfJi)D.rcntly ::-. misprint of PB. 36 . )

GT , l , originally defoli~tcd 90- 1 00~, h~s since ex­perienced the. 6 r entest c.mount of brc.11ch clieb-1.ck, 3.nd has been the sloCTest to recover . Br~1ch diebuck of 2- 3 meters (7- 10 f eet) or more wc..s quite common . Young trees of this variety ·1.nd those growing under "dverse soil conditions have in m:.ny i 1.st'1nces died over the p-:-.s·~ eiJht r.1ontns . L'"l.tex production in the half Jc?..r follorling s 1Jrn.ying w-::,.s reduced by 1.s rmch o.s 70- 0~:, in this v ~riety . 'Ihe current compl ement of leaves is soillewhat ~bnor~Ql in appenr2.nce nnd the dry rublJer content (DRC) of the lc..tex now flowing is subnormal .

PR. . 107 h,:.s turned out to be so• ev1h2.t less sensitive th"l.n GT . l , '1.11 of the 2bove d scribed effects h--:.ving occurred too. somewhat lesser degree . PB. J6 was least affected by the herbicides .:md has now after one growing season recovered ton 1-r~e extcat .

0vl,r- 2.ll , the IRCJ h.:1s detc,r. incd conservP.ti vely th,,.t the .J.:-.y to Nov(Lber 1S'o9 l:1.tcx production of t-e spro.yed rub,.er tr(.;eS w'.:'..s reduced by ''...1.1 ~~v t.r'<.6 e of 35- 40;-& . This represents .::il econor:iic los ':.l so fc- r of ~-- )roxi:Jo.taly U. S . ,>11 . 0 :-Ji.LJ.ion . :ie jud_;0 U:es0 Iitiures tc be reliable since we were i.1p.,_•ess(;cl by the detail :.n.C.-: a ccura cy of the r<Jcords

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kept by th•J IRCC and the 1-:-.r _;er plmitc.tions nnd by the obvious competence ::-.nd integrity of the profes.Jionz.l personnel involved . It sho1' ld b.c added th''.:G t•_is opinion HO.s she.red by the U . s . St1J.te Dep~rtnent te-7J!l t:1.--:t 11--..a m :.de: the en.rlier i nspection. It is :lso im,.,ortr·.nt to '1.0 te t~1 t tlle d '1.Sngcd ruboer trees in production represent ov0r one- third of ~11 the rubber trees currently in production in c-.~ 1bodia. Rubber is the first or second most i mportant export com odi ty of the nation , cruci:--.1 to its b~lance of trade .

It is difficult to nc curntely estim~te the entire extent of present o.nd future damage since many direct ::md indirect factors are involved . i:fhereas PB . d6 may be back to essentially normal production within another year , GT . l may \7ell level off nt only 80% of .1ormal production within another t,iO or thr-..e yef'rs . Presumably , PR. 107 will be intermediate in its rate of r ecovery. The death of some GT . l nnd PR. 107 trees will p r eclude full recovery of' normal pro­duction per hect~re until their normcl time of r eplacement at :-.,bout age 40- 50 . (The l ~rge r pl211tations have trees in blocks of about 100 hectares (250 acres] i n ::i.11 ngc classe s , .:nd follow a regul.:::.r annual schedule of r cnewc.l . )

One of the serious ii.direct problems that h2.s already resulted from the hcrbicid~l d0foliation is the production of a luxuri:-..nt undcrstory of 1dc t.:d s throughout the affected ur ea , r esulting from gr~atly incre:J.scd illumin~tion of the forest floor . These WLeds not only CO!Jpctc for the limited soil nutrients .. md wntc.r , but "..lso enormously i ncrease the fire hazo.rd during tho ury se ~son. Indeed, we inspected the dis;,,strous rc:sults of orn:: 23- hectr.rc (57- ".crc) fire resultin...;, frorn just this 3ituG.tion, -:>.11 the ruc':>c.,r trees having been 1>:::illed . ·Thc:se weeds 8.rc bein6 cut in p"..rt , but financial limitntions precl ude adequntc control . Phu weed- ~ssoci~ted losses r11-::..y wel l approF'.ch t .c mr-.gni tudc of the losses resulting from the drop in l ~tux production.

Ano th.Jr problem ( which Q.pplies most seriousl y to the m'1l1J :::mf.'..11 pl'l.l'l t:itions c.nd to ti1c vntirely dnmc.ged lnrger ones) rcsul ts fro'11 the fact th:::t te.pring of the injured trees must often be contim:Ld alr.10st un::--.. b·~ted for pressing fin '7.ncicl "'.nd soci2.l r ec•sons . Eos t of the f'llI1ilies comprising the cc. . 30 , 000 inhc.bi tan ts of tlw a£f ccted a r e::i. depend u9on t-:, .. pping "..S their prLnc source of incomo . This unfortuno.te situation prevents the injured trees from recovering as r apidly ,:,.s thdy mi6ht i f they ,·.rc1'~ l e ft alone fo r a year or two , c.nd is likely to lead to :::.n incrensed r e.to of' mort:uity. Moreover , since the tc.ppers nre p8.id on the be.sis of a.mount of latex collected d[~ily , they 2..re currently e:::trning minimal wages •

Many of the blod:s establish ed during the past sever::1.l yeo.rs wero decim:1.ted r eg.;.r dless of v ~riety, so thc.t the L-tr gcr plantations in tllc o.ffvctcd area will 1 :·rgcly 1 8.ck these

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several nge classes . This ::md the possibl e n eed for e c rlier repl ,1.cement of mature bloc ;·~s ( owing to possible e2.r lier senility, 2:, · .£ · , e~rlic.r drop in l?..tex prodt!c·i;ion) will un­b.::-.lnnce i;:1e normal r oto.tion:--.. l cycles for decades to corne . An added at;0 r :v ::' .. tion is t:::J. t soue of t:1.{:! budwood g::irdens ( the source of t!10 ci on matc.J.~ic.l for t:1c rcest::-.blishment of th.J clonal V8.rictie s) were b::.dly d.:.maged .

The deed branch stubs ::md tht: wcc.kened condition of the trees may r e sult i n fu t ure i ::.1crcn.H0s in fung:-..1 or insect depre dationo , o.l though there c .. r o c .. s yet no indications of this .

Finall y , it is of physiologic~l int8 r est to note that a ve r y hi~h proportion of two rubtor varitiGs , TR. 1 600 and BD . 5 , hnve died during the i nterva l since the sprayi ng . It is most fortunctc that these two hi~rJ.ly sensitive varieti es 2re essenti clly not in cocmrci~l use i n the affected area .

D~age to other vcg et~tion : A l ~rge variety of g nr den crops (both agricultura l nnd horticultur:11) V/erc devastated in the seemingl y endl ess number of small vill _ges s cattered throughout the affec t ed area. Virtually all of the ca . 30 , 000 locnl inhQbito.nts nre subsistence f ~rncrs th~t depend for their wellbeing upon their ovm l ocal produce . Those people sav, their crops then gro\ring li t i:r ally wi ther before thei r eyes . Ind0ed , it w,s the rridespre~d death of the v eget"..bles that huralded the rest of the d-~~w~ to the nr1..n. . Their then current crops of vegetci.bles of numc.-·ous kinds, of pinea.pples (Ano..nas comosus ), of gu:i.v"'.S (Poidium guo..,j nvu) , of jc.c1;: fruit (Artocarnus integra) , of p'.:'..p::ty·"'..s ( Co.rico. papaya.) , and of :nany, mruiy more vwrc simi)ly destroyed .

Some of t h e other more import8.llt food crops t hat were lQrgely wip0d out nt the time includud duri~:.n (Durio zi bcthimus) , mo .. _-r1ioc (hn1ihot cscule:ntn. o.nd w. ul tissima) , tomato (Lyco_persicum _esculc..ntuill) , sevor::i.l. types of beans (Ph2..seolus vul aris , Glycine m2.:x , Vip1~ scsquipedn.les , etc . ) , C"luliflowe:r Br assica olerc.ce~.;,.1.nd c'..~Gt".rd c.pple (Annona. dive r sifoli~? reticul~t2..?) .

F l)Od pl -"..n ts th."..t see1ued to be only little or modero.tely dc.1: '.~ged by the herbicides i ncluded t "..ro ( Coloc D..sin esculentum) , ginger ( Zingi ber o.fficinoJ.c) , b "'-.nri.nt:. ( Musa sapietum, etc , ) , orru13e (Citrus sincnsis) , long·:m (NepheJium longana), ma.ng.J

(fo~ rr i fern indic ·-.:.. ) , supodill'2 (Achr'.:'.s z[>..potc..), sug-:r p2.lm Bor." s sus flnbcllife;r2..), ,.nd cocrnut ( Cocos mwif e r a) . Of

these, coc onut is novv shov-Ting n moder 'l.te ::ne:-.. sure of dcl c.yed injury no t origin2..lly expected . A number of annu a l crops were L .-...rgely sp'!red because:. for the most part they h:td not ;;,et bce:n plnn ted . Ri ce ( Or vz.~ s~ti vc.) , o.l though modera.tel y r csist.:t.nt to the herbicides , f~lls into this cntegory .

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At the time of our visit , the rumual pL1nts th.:J.t h o.d been planted subsequent to the spraying for the most part seemed to be norm~l in appear n._~ce . On the other h and , pinco.pplc pln.nts l ook hua.l thy but a.re to dtJ.tc refusing to bea r . The new po.pn.ya crop is sm,-11 :i.nd the fruits and leaves are somcwh:i.t distorted ou a nurnb0r o.r the plants. Some guava trees h~ve died in the i nterim, and none of those th~t have persisted are as yet benrine . The custard apples n.re for the most p2.rt not yet bee.ring either . Lychee trees (Li tchie chinensis) , np1,nrently not n.n important crop locally , suffered severe diebac!: and c.re not yet benring . The im­portant ja.ck fruit trees (miticipc.ted by the U. S . State Department te:liil to largely recover) nre unfortunately now for the most part dend . Indeed , the dead jack fruit trees st2.J1.d o,s gri~ reminders of the npoison from the s ky" beside virtuully every home in the are:t . (The Co.rnbodian Ministry of Agriculture. estirnr>.tes that soue 45 , 000 of these were killed or severely d3.IIIQ€;ed . ) The banana pl;1n·~s seem completely nor1.ncl ego.in and the ma.nioc trees seem to be rccoveri~ well · (~lthough some of the new fruits are ~bnorm~l in shcpe) .

Knpok trees (Ceib~ Ecnt~11dr~) , whose fibers provide a s:n~ll cash crop for the l oc2.l i:n.i1. ..... bi to.nts, were largely l:illed in vill~ge e..fter villc....,1.; . Th.3 few surviving trees are not yet beo.ring tllcir fiber- producing frl'its . We in­spected two sr1ri_ll pln.n.tat 1.ons i1. the area , one of coffee ( Coffe2. ~.r~bi c ;;.) end ~'no·i;h-.:.r of teal;: ( 'I'ecton:1. grundis) , neither of \ihich s eemed to h~ve been d:.:.w..ged by t:w he rbicides .

The forested portions bc:tv1cc:n tlic pl antations and villc.ges in the a.:'.fectcd c.rer.. pre:scntly support only o. sc2.-ctering of commercially usr.ble ti.::ib,Jr trees of a variety of spcciiJs . Al thouc'.;h IDt.1.i1Y of the fcv1 t8.ll timber trees had been ini tinlly defoliated , most 110\7 s-....::rn to be slowly rc­coverir..; (l:,.rgely throL1gh -c;hc production of ndventi tious shoots) . 7/e did observe some de-:-..d individu~.1s of trio com­mcrci2.l specie3 of di1)teroc2..rp: l umbar ( Shorea hypochrn) and phdiec (Anisoptern cochinchinensis) .

Dnm~:ees to crops 1t'1er th.J.11 rubber have been esti-mo..ted by the Cn:nbodinn tiinistry of A0 riculture to :1mount to approximately U. S . $1 . 2 million. The extent of privation c aused the local inh::-.bi tants c::i.nnot be estiL,~.ted .

Dr.-.ruc.ge to 1 md :-.nd soil : .ic observed no evidence of incre::::.D0d erosj on or of soil hn.1~dening vir.-. lc .. terization and no evidJnce of chc1.nge in the level of the ;1::1.tcr t abl e or of 2.ny other physiogra.phic f0ctor . Nor did TTe find ci.ny evidence of ~ea.ther modification.

Drunage to li vestoc};: 2nd othe:r nnim.~ s : All of our interviews with tho locQJ. inh~.bi t".nts consistently disclosed tbs.t vill2.ge li vestoc1, bcc .-uno ill for o. puriod of several dc.ys soon aft0r spra.ying . .=ni-. re.-:s t}1e l·-.rger :1nimcls ( Huter buffaloes , cattle , md rn ··.ture pigs 2.J1.d sheep) became only mildly ill 2.11d all recovered, so:.10 of tue smaller ones

C.J.mbodin. - 9

(chickens , ducks , ,--.rid young p i gs) suffered more s e verely o..nd in some c ~scs rrere r eported to h2.v e died . The d omestic mrunmn.ls were described as ho.vine hc..d digestive problems , whcrc~s the domestic birds bccn~c p~rti c.lly paralyzed f or a time . Appar ently m<-.1.ny wild birds bcc 2.rne s imila rly disabled ::i.nd could be c aptured cc1.sil;;.- . There wero nlso a. number of' small dead birds found a:~ tLJ time in t he woods o.nd fields .

It is i nteresting to note here that eastern Crunbodi a in gener al hns experienced q_ui te :-. s ubst:1.11tial increase in 8- v~.riety of ·.vildlife , 8._?p?:.rently dri v on out of Vietnam by the defolio..tion ·:.nd oth1.:r r a v .-,_ge s of the \/::tr . I nclude d a re muntj;,.cs r:.nd other species of de8r , \Jild cattle (gn.ur s , bantengs , nnd SOillC lrnupreys) , e l eph~.nts , 2. number of monkey species , and wild pigs .

Effect on hum~ns : M~ny of ~he local i r.ihabitants we inte rviewed spo1ce of widespread tempor ary diarrhe8. .:::nd vomiting, p:.rticula.rly cunong infants c:.nd to a. lesser extent nmong the gene r a l ndult populc ce . At one locution (Chipenng) water wns trucked in for a timo following spraying to provide unconto.minnted water for the childr en . In those ins t nnces where t he people depended l 1.r gcly upon de0p v,clls for t heir water supply we r eceived no r eport of hum2.n digestive problems .

We h.'.:'.d a lengthy intcrvier: wi t h tho physician who directs n hos:pi t o.l i n the affected r~rcn ( ~t i\hmot ) thqt servos some 15 , 000 people , .:md r1hich h::' .. ndles -'"'..bout 200 l ocal po.t i en ts a day . ( The doc tor spe_--• 1·:s not o ... 1ly :F'runch '"'.nd English , but Crunbodinn -:nd Victni:-.mese -.s .,ell . ) !c also i nspected his de t a iled hospital p "..ti~nt r 0cord s fo r 1960 :ind 1969 . This i nv cstigc.tion rev er.lcd no incre~.2u in -d1e incidence of nny mal :i.dy during or subsc-1.ucnt to sprc..ying . Or1ing to the known a bortive nd ter atogenic ef~cc ts of 2 ,4 , 5- T i n l c bor~tory nnim~'.ls .:~nd its sinil "".r suspected ef fo ots :i.mongst the South Victn2.!Ilcse popul8.t ion, \'IC gC'..v c p.---.r-ciculr:.r o:tt;_ntion to this poL-sibility. HOi10V(,r , there h:-.s been no incr-.::ase discern ible in r uccnt months . ( 'rhe:.n.. :1.r e c.bou-c f ifty loco.l births per month ~nd -~he birth of one Bclfor U1ed i ufo.nt "..bout e v e r y t wo r,ion ths . )

SOURCB OF THE HElillICIDAL SPRAY

There i s , of course , no question th::-.t the responsi­bility for the exte.dsi v e hvrbicido.l d:unnge \IC: h 2..v e 01:>se rved i n c--.n1bodiu r ests upon the United St2..tcs . Only the United Stn.tes h as the o.bili ty :md m2.tericl l occ..lly to carry out such oper­ations . By its own "..d,Jissi on, the United St:-..tes h -~s in South 'lictrn:·111 c a rried out 1..:xtonsive ~.eri :--..1 spr aying with c. v ::-.riety of herbicides . Indee d , over 10~ of the entire surfc ce of South Vie t n::1.in ha s bt: en he2.vily spr':'..yed ove r the p"1st eight ye~rs . The u.s. Sta te Department r eport enum~r a t cs the sprny missions i n som0 deto.il tb~Lt rrnre cc.rried out i n the neighboring

Crunbodi '1 - 10

Tn.y Ninh province of Sou th Vietne..m betwe(m r,hrch and June of 1969 .

Somt! of the cambodinn dt'2"'.l2,ge , pe rha.ps us much as one­third of i t , c c rt~inly ~ppenrs to be the result of drift from some of these operations . Indeed , such drift is unc!v oido.bl~ given the type of he rbicide u sed , the method of application , and the existing topogrc.phicnl -:md me teorologica.l conditions .

Although d ~·nied by the U. S . Defense Department , the U. S . State Department r eport conclude d t h:' t c.. signific ant portion of the danmge was v i rtually c e rtc.in to b 1;; the r e sult of direct overflight . We h ~ve conclude d 8Ven l ess ambiguously that the evidence for d ire ct overflight is incontrovertible . The total nmount of do.ma.go , the n.ren.l extent of drunc.ge , the dist2.nce of damage from the South Vietnnmese operations , the prevailing wind direction during the period in question , ~.nd the spctiC'.l pattern of severity ( in the c entr c.l portion of the a ffe:cted urea severity essenti o..lly the So..G:c nu:1.r the liordcr 'ls 18 kilometers (11 miles) in) h"'.vo forc iad us to the conclusi on th.:1t o.t l --:C'.s t t1,vo- thirds of the :ictuo.l dn.mnge i n Cc..mbodi o. w;>..s the r esult of dir e ct ove rflight . Mor~ov c r , a number of the local inho..bi t c.nts \7e intcrvi-Jwed r eporte d to h .:i.v e se,1 n spra.y pl :.nes i n o:)cration overhead . i•I . Buoy So.n , dire. ctor of the plo.nte..tio .• n.t Chipe'l.Ilg , described to us c. lm,- flyil'1t; plane spraying his plC'.nt c.tion o:t -'.:'..bout 9 c. . m. on threl- sep -~_rate occasions in April o.nd I1. "-Y .

Soille 70 , 000 hectnres (173 , 00J c.crcs) were nt l e~st slit;. :tly in j ured . If onL- t,~.kcs t he conscrvati ve '1.s:.:..umption th2.t this \.;ntire [UGO:: w~·.s d.'"l.m~ed by "- dose r nte ,-ivernging ns l ittle ~s 0 . 5 kg/hect~r c (0 . 4 pound/~cre) of active h1.; rbicidc , ,.,_ totn.l n.p:;lico.tion of some 35 , 000 l;:ilogrruns (77 , 000 pounds ) woul d hc".ve been n,:eded . How much of thi s c onl d h :i.v e resulted fro 11 drift over the border a.rising from t he U. S . milita ry operations i n ~dja.ccnt South Vi~tnrun?

Ench spro.y pl:m~ carries ; p~yl o~d of about 3 , 600 k ilog r '1.Iils (7 , 900 pounds) of ::-.cti vc harbicide: If one c 2.n nssume th:.t no more t h~n about 1 0~1 of tr..u herbicide i n e0.ch o.ircre,ft could h::v c drifted onto the affected n.r ee. , thi s would mc":.n that of th..: order of 100 pl2ncs h :->d to have bean flying mi ssions r ather nc: ,..'.r to t e C~".rubodirui borde r during April i:-.nd cc.rly r:r~y of 1969 . Actually ( '.lccor ding to the U. S . Stn te Dcp:-.rtrncnt r eport) only r.b ollt hcilf th.:,.t number of planes flew dc f eliGt ion missions in the 3.dj ~cent 'ro..y Ninh province during that ti,.1e . Moreov e r, m0teorologicP.l conditions ,"'.Ild othe r c onsiderations le:d the U. S . Stntu Dcpt·.rtment t ..:run to conclude th:.t drift c ould only h '"l.v e orig ino.t cd from five missi ons ri.pp:1.r ently totnlling 29 pl ':.nes .

Thus, even 0.8suming c. c onservl:'.tive ovor - '111 av er.:i.ge dose r ate of 0 . 5 kg/h octru-e (0 . 4 pound/acre) , drift could h ·-i.v e accounted for ns much ':'..S one- t hird of the total injury

Cnrnbodia - 11

th::>.t occurred . Our ex-' 1in;:i;io11 of tl1.J ._-,_fft.cted o.r0.:i. sug.:..,ested that its ec.stern nnd ,,,e3t~rn portions m.:~y h ').ve r~ceived a bout 0 . 5 kg/hcct,.r e . Howcv C;r , there L:i ·: l t...rge ccmtr~ bloc}r_: of perhc..ps 10 , 000 h c ctc..r ... s (24,700 o.crc- s) in •,rhich t he ext ent nnd selec tivity of dc.mr!.gc su;s,:.ests ~ f c.irly uniform c..p ;;,lico.tio!1 r a te of tho order of 2- 3 ·:g/hoct"'.r-.: (2- 3 pounds/c.cre) . This mor e h 0:1.vily d '"t:.-::tged zo11c; extends .:-.bout 20 l-:ilometers (12 miles) from north to so1.1tl1 '.lld :J..bo11.t 5 k i lome t e rs (3 miles) from ..::a.st to ,,,est . It includes the r ubjcr p l o.ntc.tions 2.. t Dar , Chll::mg , ,:.nd Pre}: Chhlong . The d"Jncge on this centro.l block c:.n only be cxpl:.ined on the b~sis of c'.. d irect over­flight . It could b e c.ccounted for by some seven plc..ncs flying ~t a hig11-:: r th..:.n usuc..l cl ti tude .

;{o conclude th _t it is highly l ikely th:.t th0 overflights nere o. deliberate vi ol ~tion of t h e frontier . The border is r e cognizabl e from the: c.ir c .. n.d both United St'.'..tes ~ir -.md g r ound forces s e0m to be i n tim2.tely f ,---._n1ili::i.r vTi th its location . Al though U. S . .:i.ircr::ft viol c.tc Cr:.!.'lbodi:'.11 territory d ;J.., ly for purpose s of reconaissc.nce , t!1e d .:i..i l y military cor.ibc. t c.cti vj_ ties in the rEg ion ( 2.. number of v1hich we observed r:-.t r c..th .... r close hand) c..r e: for the most po.rt c trictly limited t o the South Vietn::unese side . The f ::.ct th:i.t rubb~r pl "'.ntc..tions ( which arc re2..dily distinguish::i..ble from the o..ir) were so ht: -,vily hit (one- third of '1.11 of this m~jor C::u:nbodi~ crop) , s~gcsts o..n attempt at punitive action on the p8.r t of the United States. That U. S . pilots uro , we C'.r c told , under r outine standing orders in South Victn::un to 'lVoid th~ spr '.'..ying of rubbe r 2..dds further support to tho hypothesis th:--.t this p:.rticula r a ction wn.s deliber".to .

CONCLUSIOl~

Our mission was a snd one , a mi ssion whose r a i s on d ' &tr e we wish hnd never occurred . The los ~ i n rub:ur production wi ll be r elatively e : sy to nscort nin over t he ne:xt yea r or two , :::rid r estitution will ho:9efully be Iu'lde by the United Sta t es . ( .le concur \'Ii th t 1'"Lc U. S . St2.t\..! Dep;:rtmcn-i; r eport that a fairly r eliG.bl e e v '7.lu8.tion of d "m:-'.g~S should be possible following on8 mor e g rowing sv ·-..son, .:!: • .£. . , tov7o.rd -i;h c end of 1970 ; He c oncur wi th t::i._ c ~.rc.bodi "n L!inistr y of Agriculture r l-port th~t an economi s t shonld be i ncludud in the next visiting tcc.r:1 . ) ThG dru:i.8.,'.;t.S to rubber th:-1.t we h <'-ve obse rve d a.re c e:rtain t o r esult in ['. s i gnificc..nt setb::i.ck in Co.mbodio. ' s slow but promising stru6 -..)l0 to str0ngthen its economy. Thcr'"' ­forv , the soonur the United St;itt.:s r.c.kus r ...:sti tution the be t tor .

110 f 0ol p:-1.rticulc.rly g riev ed ::-.bout the innurn0 r :-.blc dire.ct :-'..Ilcl indirect losses suf.fer 0d by thl: i nnocent loc:-il populc-.c 8 . The extent of t ~0s0 loss...:s C".11 n ov er be dete r 11ined s o..tisf1.ctorily :.nd will neve r be compensated c~dequ['.tely . We h c ve seen o.t first h :.nd ho\v p~ rticul -:rly drC'..stic this type of militc.ry 'l.Ctio n i s f or people whos.a very existence is so closvly tied to the lruid .

Cambodia - 12

Cambodia is a small nation attempting to remain neutral toward all nations and at peace with its neigl!bors despite enormous external pressures. We cannot understand and ·::e cannot condone the violations of Cambodian territory by the United States, for which the present report furnishes but one example. Despite a week of free and unhampered travel by automooile • on foot ; and by lou-·flying aircraft along hundreds of kilometers of t he border, we could find no evidence of Viet Cong activity in Cambodia ; nor did our repeated conversations with Cambodians and Europeans living along the border suggest any such activity.

He therefore urge that the United States adopt an iron-clad policy of respect for the rights of the Khmer people and of the Poyal Cambodian Government . Only in this way will we be able to bolster the deteriorating amity between the peoples of the United States and Cambodia.

Finally , t·:e cannot help but mention the United States I herbicidal activities in neighboring South Vietnam. We have witnessed the devastation caused by this r elatively minor incursion into Cambodia. t~ot1 much worse it must be for the hapless peoples of South Vietnam whose lands are being sprayed so much more heavily and systematically . Theirs is a long- term legacy of economic and ecoloeical devastation whose full enormity is difficult to grasp.