Loading UTF-8 String into CLOB column

Question

Hello!
I am trying to load UTF-8 encoded strings into a CLOB column in an Oracle 9i database from VB.Net using ODP.Net (9.2.0.414).
The strings are XML snippets (Microsoft WordML to be precise). Each corresponds to a record which already exists in the database, therefore I do an update to add the UTF-8 string.
Some of the XML snippets contain characters which once inserted look like upside down question marks (characters represented by 0x92 and 0x96 for example end up as 0xBF once in the database).
Setting breakpoints in Visual Studio, I can watch the string values in the 'Locals' window and they appear correct (in fact I can copy from the 'Locals' window and using a tool such as TOAD can paste the strings into the database successfully). Pasting through TOAD, the characters are properly represented in the database (ie 0x92 is 0x92).
I've tried a number of approaches with no luck.
Any advice/suggestion are most welcome. Thanks!
Here is my code:
strConnectionString = ConfigurationSettings.AppSettings.Item("ConnectionString")
strComponentsTable = ConfigurationSettings.AppSettings.Item("ComponentsTable")
objConnection = New OracleConnection(strConnectionString)
objCommand = objConnection.CreateCommand()
objCommand.CommandType = CommandType.Text
objCommand.CommandText = "UPDATE " & strComponentsTable & " SET TEMPLATE_COMPONENT_CONTENT = :p_content WHERE TEMPLATE_COMPONENT_ID = :p_id"
objConnection.Open()
For Each strId In objComponents.Keys
strContent = objComponents.Item(strId)
objCommand.Parameters.Clear()
objParameter = objCommand.CreateParameter()
objParameter.ParameterName = "p_content"
objParameter.OracleDbType = OracleDbType.Clob
objParameter.Direction = ParameterDirection.Input
objParameter.Value = strContent
objCommand.Parameters.Add(objParameter)
objParameter = objCommand.CreateParameter()
objParameter.ParameterName = "p_id"
objParameter.OracleDbType = OracleDbType.Int32
objParameter.Direction = ParameterDirection.Input
objParameter.Value = CInt(strId)
objCommand.Parameters.Add(objParameter)
intResult = objCommand.ExecuteNonQuery()
Next

Answer 1

Some further research has revealed the following:
Two of the characters I provided as examples of not being stored properly in the database are (in Unicode) U+2013 and U=2019. These characters, encoded as UTF-8 should each be three bytes (0xE2 80 93 and 0xE2 80 99 respectively). Sent via VB.Net and ODP.Net they both end up in the database as one byte each (0xBF). Copy and Pasted via TOAD they end up as one byte each (0x92 and 0x96 respectively).
The NLS settings on the server side are:
NLS_CHARACTERSET = WE8ISO8859P1
NLS_NCHAR_CHARACTERSET = AL16UTF16
I have tried using both CLOB and NCLOB column with the results being identical.
Not sure what else to try...