April 22, 2008

60 international organisations write open letter to India PM

OPEN LETTER TO DR. MANMOHAN SINGH

Dear Prime Minister,

In Bhopal, hundreds of children with horrific deformities are being born to parents affected by Union Carbide's poisons. People are forced to drink contaminated water, and tons of toxic wastes lie in the open.

More than 23,000 people have died from the 1984 Bhopal Gas Leak. Over 100,000 still suffer from diseases of the lung, brain, eye and other systems.

Meanwhile the Government of India is reported to be negotiating deals to let Dow Chemical (Union Carbide's current owner), off the hook in return for its investment in more toxic plants. In April 2006, after a long march and 7 day fast, you promised you would do all within your power to help the victims of Bhopal and all within the law to punish the offending corporation. Now the survivors have walked the 800km to Delhi again, to remind you of these promises that have not been kept.

We fully support the Demands of the Bhopal survivors:

1. Set up a Special Commission on Bhopal for the next 30 years to address the following issues affecting people (and their children) exposed to Union Carbide's poisons. The Bhopal Commission must have survivors' representatives and the necessary funds and authority to carry out its tasks.

a) Medical Care Research and Monitoring
b) Social and Economic Rehabilitation
c) Environmental Remediation
d) Safe Drinking Water

2. Take legal action against Dow

a) Pursue Clean up by Dow in High Court
b) Move to extradite Carbide and its former CEO
c) Revoke approval given for purchase of Union Carbide technology, which must be confiscated as Carbide has been absconding from Indian court since 1992
d) Cancel registration for Dow pesticides obtained by bribes

Sincerely

1. Association for India's Development.
2. Friends of South Asia, California
3. People's Resolve to Account for Justice and Accountability, California
4. India Resource Center, California
5. Indians for Collective Action, California
6. AIMS India, Washington DC
7. Young India, Washington DC
8. Art of Living Portland, Oregon
9. Greater Portland Tamil Mandram, Oregon
10. Portland Hindi Sangam, Oregon
11. SAWERA, Oregon
12. Pragati, Texas
13. Asha for Education, Austin, Texas
14. Stop HIV and AIDS Initiative, Washington DC.
15. Alliance for a Secular and Democratic South Asia, Massachusetts
16. Women's Institute for Leadership and Development (WILD) for Human Rights, San Francisco, CA
17. SAMAR Magazine, Massachusetts
18. Harvard South Asian Law Student Association, Massachusetts
19. Sangati, Washington
20. Chaya, Washington
21. Allgorhytms, Washington
22. Child Relief and You, Washington.
23. Greenpeace, USA
24. Amnesty International, Austin, Texas.
25. Omega Phi Alpha, Austin, Texas.
26. Environmental Law Society, Austin, Texas.
27. Campaign for Alternative Industry Network (CAIN), Thailand
28. Women in Europe for Common Future, Germany.
29. Pesticide Action Network, Latin America, Uruguay
30. Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance, Maine
31. Clean New York, A Project of Women's Voices for the Earth
32. Communities Against Toxics, Cheshire, UK
33. Citizens' Environmental Coalition, NY
34. Mother Earth Foundation, Phillipines
35. TEST Foundation
36. Communities Against Toxics (CATs), Scotland
37. Programa Ambiental Fronteras Communes A.C., Mexico
38. AerztInnen fur eine gesunde Umwelt (ISDE), Austria
39. Central Asian Toxic Action network
40. Galveston Bay Keeper, Texas.
41. Dominican Sisters of Hope
42. Mercy Investment Program
43. Sisters of Mercy Regional Community of Detroit
44. Ursuline Sisters of Tildonk-U.S. Province
45. Stay-Green Foundation, Gambia
46. Arnika - Toxics and Waste Programme, Czech Republic
47. Santos-SP, Brazil
48. Citizens Environmental Coalition, New York
49. National Association of Professional Environmentalists (NAPE), Uganda
50. Pesticide Action Network Asia and the Pacific, Malaysia
51. Health Care Without Harm-Boston
52. North Carolina Fair Share, North Carolina
53. Alaska Community Action on Toxics
54. For a Better Bronx, New York
55. Kentucky Environmental Foundation
56. Chemical Weapons Working Group
57. Farmworker Association of Florida
58. Environmental Research Foundation, New Jersey
59. Healthy Child Healthy World, California
60. Green Action for Health and Environmental Justice, California

Posted by tim at 12:57 PM | Comments (0)

April 14, 2008

100 Bhopal protestors raise ruckus in New York

New York, April 12th, 2008

Amnesty International Group 133 threw a fantastic 'Get on the Bus for Human Rights Action' this year! Bhopal was a side action organized with help from the Boston Coalition for Justice in Bhopal and the Columbia University Amnesty Chapter.
 
Side actions usually consist of 10-30 people who are specially gathered for the purpose, out of the over 1000 who come to Get on the Bus. Before the action, I spoke to all 1000+ protesters in a packed church. I gave a 5 minute talk about the children of Bhopal who are living this disaster out every day. The audience was roused with chanting - Justice for Bhopal! Walk your Talk! Justice for Bhopal! Walk your Talk!

On the way to the Indian consulate in New York
 
We managed to get more than 100 screaming and angry protestors from ages 10 to 40 out right smack in front of the Indian Consulate on this small street from 1:10-1:40. Firebrand Emily Setton had them chanting passionately for at least 5 blocks, before they even got to the embassy. Without a single bullhorn, those who joined later said we could be heard blocks away. In the past, we have only been able to protest along Central park about a half block away from the consulate. This year because we had smaller numbers and no noise permit, we were able to face the consulate with our full fury. 

As if that was too little to ask, the students gathered signatures for the fax action, pushing the total gathered by the Bhopal campaign past 1000 (so we have sent 2500 faxes total including those that PANNA gathered). NDTV and Associated Press came to the event and interviewed several people.

 
We had been writing, emailing, calling and faxing the consulate for over 3 weeks, in order to get a meeting with a key official at the Consulate with no results.  After the protestors left, Roshan, Emily and I walked into the consulate uninvited and were summarily escorted back out. But we didn't back down in asking for a meeting, so the guard took our names and after about 5 minutes came back out and escorted us to meet with Consul (HOC) and CPV P.S. Sasi Kumar. Kumar was relatively sympathetic - we talked for about 15 minutes with him and he heard the demands fully. I put a picture of one of the kids affected by a mild birth defect in front of him and asked him if he had kids. We pressed upon him that this not a meeting about a peice of history, that these kids are living this disaster every day, and until there is a Commission that includes the survivors the state government will continue to delay progress and waste resources, while not meeting the survivor's basic needs. Emily told him about her meetings with government officials in Bhopal last summer and how clear it was how little had been done. Roshan impressed upon him how urgent it was that this be addressed immediately. He seemed to hear us and said he would forward our concerns on.
 
Roshan Kumar of the Boston Bhopal Coalition took the lead in the many months of planning and coordinating this fantastic action. We owe him a great debt of gratitude. (He even bought pizza for the ravenous protestors who had skipped lunch ahead of 4 solid hours of pounding the pavement and screaming thier lungs out -  in order to demand justice for Bhopal). Emily Setton of Columbia's Amnesty Chapter and of the Students for Bhopal Advisory Board played a key role in the planning and coordinated the bulk of the media outreach, along with Arielle Schwartz who wrote our press materials and Daniel Yoew who was our photographer. Tony Millard the Padyatra Media Coordinator edited releases and advisories as well and none of this would have happened without the wonderful Amnesty Group 133 who are too many to name.

In addition to full coverage of the Bhopal protest by NDTV, the Bhopal rally was mentioned in the following papers that covered other aspects of the Get on the Bus for Human Rights Day of Action:

Daily Mirror
Common Dreams
Belmont News

Posted by tim at 04:22 PM | Comments (0)

April 11, 2008

100 international artists write open letter on Bhopal to India PM

p.33, The Guardian letters, April 11 2008

Legacy of Bhopal

Nearly a quarter of a century after the Union Carbide gas disaster in Bhopal, the company's factory remains uncleaned while chemicals leaking from the site continue to poison the drinking water of tens of thousands. Children in the affected communities are being born with deformities so severe that their pictures could not be published. Union Carbide, now wholly owned by Dow Chemical, disclaims responsibility for the factory and for the last 16 years has refused to appear in the Indian court where it faces serious criminal charges. In these circumstances, we urge India's prime minister, Manmohan Singh, and his ministers to honour their promises made two years ago on proper healthcare and monitoring for those affected by the gas and poisoned water, to obey the Indian supreme court's 2004 order to provide safe drinking water for communities whose water is poisoned, and not to have business dealings with Union Carbide or its owners while the contempt of court continues.

Indra Sinha writer, Tahmima Anam writer, Michael Anderson filmmaker, Saffron Burrows actress, Matthew D'Ancona writer, Anne Enright writer, Hari Kunzru writer, Arundhati Roy writer and 95 others

Go to the full list of signatures and find out how to add your name.

Posted by tim at 04:11 PM | Comments (0)

April 09, 2008

Indian Americans protest in support of Bhopal gas survivors

Mangalorean.com, April 8th, 2008

Washington, April 8 (IANS): A group of Indian Americans under the banner of Association for India's Development protested outside the Indian Embassy here in support of the survivors of the 1984 Bhopal gas leak.

Asking Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to fulfil the promises he made in 2006, the volunteers spelled out the slogan "Walk Your Talk" at the Gandhi statue in front of the embassy here Monday.

Organisers said their protest was in support of the survivors of the world's worst industrial disaster - when poisonous gas leaked out of the Union Carbide plant in Bhopal on the night of Dec 2-3, 1984, killing thousands of people.

Some of the survivors have been demonstrating in New Delhi last weekend demanding to meet the prime minister after an 800-km march from Bhopal that started in February.

The survivors are asking for a Commission on Bhopal to provide adequate healthcare, clean water, and social and economic rehabilitation, as well as justice by pursuing the existing legal cases against Union Carbide and its current owner Dow Chemical.

The protesters shouted slogans like "Prime Minster, meet the Bhopalis", "Clean water for Bhopal" and "No more Bhopals".

The volunteers said they are planning to continue with similar actions of support till their demands are met. Similar protests have already taken place in Boston, Massachusetts, and Austin, Texas.

"The undelivered promises to the Bhopal survivors must be one of the cruellest jokes by an Indian prime minister on his people. We will stand by the survivors till their just demands are met," said Arun Gopalan, a software consultant.

"The prime minister's broken promises made ailing Bhopal survivors walk 800 kilometres yet again. That the Bhopal survivors are waiting on the streets in Delhi for an appointment with him after this tortuous walk is very worrying," said Vineeta Gupta, activist of Justice for Bhopal coalition.

"The prime minister should meet the Bhopal survivors immediately and agree to their just demands," she said.

Posted by tim at 04:24 PM | Comments (0)

April 03, 2008

Letter from the Philippines to Manmohan Singh

Sent April 3rd, 2008.

His Excellency Manmohan Singh
Prime Minister of India

Thru:

His Excellency Rajeet Mitter
Ambassador to the Philippines
Embassy of India
2190 Paraiso Street, Dasmariñas Village
Makati, Metro Manila

Dear Prime Minister Singh:

We write to urge you to act on your two year old promise to the victims of the Bhopal gas disaster of 1984.

On April 2006 you assured welfare measures for Bhopal survivors and their families. In your statements, these measures included the provision of clean water, the clean up of toxic wastes, and the creation of a national commission for medical and economic rehabilitation.  None of these promises have so far been realized.

This month, Bhopal survivors and their families have once again undertaken a 38- day padayatra from Bhopal to New Delhi. The Bhopalis have made a huge sacrifice in leaving their homes and their livelihoods, walking 800 kms for 38 days in order to seek audience with you.  They have undertaken this grueling walk to demand justice that has remained elusive for more than 24 years. Meanwhile, the poisoned soil and waters of Bhopal will continue to cause monumental damage to the lives, health, and livelihoods of these survivors and their families for several more generations.

The Bhopal Gas Leak is one of the worst chemical disasters the world has ever faced, snuffing out thousands of lives on the night of the disaster, the count reaching about 20,000 within a month. Yet, full accountability from the perpetrators, Union Carbide (now Dow Chemicals), have not been exacted.

As early as a month ago, requests have been filed before your office to arrange a meeting between yourself and the fifty Bhopalis and their supporters so that they may follow up on your promises. Sadly, these requests have been ignored.

We wish to express that we support the Bhopalis in their demands for:

1. the creation of a specially empowered commission, headed by a person of unquestionable integrity who enjoys the confidence of the Bhopal survivors, to oversee the implementation of legal and rehabilitation measures in Bhopal; and

2. unyeilding sincerity on the part of the Government in pursuing the existing cases against Dow Chemicals and Union Carbide.

We believe that your assurances to the Bhopal victims should finally be set to motion so that justice may finally be served in their favor.

Signed:

Ira Beau L. Baconguis
Toxics Campaigner
Greenpeace Southeast Asia

Beau Baconguis
Toxics Campaigner
Greenpeace Southeast Asia
24 K-J St., Brgy. East Kamias
1102 Quezon City, Philippines
Tel. + 63 (2) 4347034 loc 102
Mobile: + 63 917 8036077

Posted by tim at 04:43 PM | Comments (0)

March 28, 2008

UK supporters confront Indian officials over Bhopal

March 27th, 2008, Edinburgh

Scotland-based Bhopal supporters gather outside the Scottish parliament in Edinburgh

A delegation of Members of the Scottish Parliament, campaign groups and supporters met with the Indian Consul General in Scotland on Thursday in solidarity with the padyatris and in support of their demands.

Twenty five people walked from the Scottish Parliament to the Indian Consulate and handed in letters from the paliamentary cross-party group on international development, Amnesty International, Friends of the Earth Scotland, the Scottish Trades Union Congress and Scottish Hazards Campaign as well as about 100 postcards signed by concerned citizens.

Centre of photo: Aileen Campbell MSP and Bill Wilson MSP of Scottish Nationalist Party. Between and behind them: Patrick Harvie MSP of Scottish Green Party

Although international issues are not within the remit of the devolved parliament in Scotland, members of the parliament are able to raise international issues which are of concern to Scottish citizens.

Whilst singing group 'protest in harmony' sang outside the consulate, the Consul General Ramesh Chander and Consul S.N.Srinivasan spent a half hour meeting with three MSPs (Patrick Harvie of Scottish Green Party, Aileen Campbell and Bill Wilson of Scottish Nationalist Party), John Watson of Amnesty International, Owen Davis of Friends of the Earth Scotland and myself.

'Protest in Harmony' at the Indian consulate, Edinburgh

Mr Chander provided a copy of the official version of what the government of India is already doing for survivors and we were able to counter with the need for a Commission with teeth to ensure health, water etc needs were met, and the urgency of pursuing Dow in court.

Outside the Indian Consulate in Edinburgh. Left to Right: Eurig Scandrett; Patrick Harvie MSP (Scottish Green Party); Consul General Ramesh Chander; Consul Mr. S.N.Srinivasan; Aileen Campbell MSP (Scottish Nationalist Party); John Watson (Amnesty International)

The meeting was polite and cordial and the Consul General assured us that our concerns would be conveyed to the Prime Minister. He emphasised that India is a democracy and said he was sure that the Dr Singh would be willing to meet with the padyatris to hear their demands. We hope he's right.

Eurig Scandrett
Lecturer in Sociology
Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh

March 27th, 2008, London

Five of us travelled from Brighton to London carrying our solidarity bannner, 'umbrage' umbrella and 1000 leaflets about the fax action targetting the Prime Minister's office. In London we met with supporters at Pan-uk and collected a number of 'walk your talk' placards showing photos of child deformities caused by Carbide's factory in Bhopal.

We caught public transport to Parliament Square where we were met by a group of Bhopal supporters. Two were familiar faces: recent volunteers at Sambhavana, one of us had met them at last year's dharna site in Newmarket, Bhopal.

We had about 1.5 miles to walk until the Indian High Commission, and we imagined ourselves walking in step with the Padyatris as they marched the last few kilometres to Jantar Mantar at the same time.

As we walked we handed out the leaflets asking people to fax the Manmohan Singh, containing also facts, history and information on the padyatra campaign.

All 20 of us carried placards.

En route a dreadlocked rasta dressed in a dazzling, silky stars and stripes suit and Uncle Sam hat saw us coming, guessed our banners had something to do with the u.s.a. and sheepishly appologised [on behalf of the usa or for his awful dress sense, we weren't quite sure].

Whatever leaflets were left were distributed outside the Indian High Commission.

In the alleged absence of the High Commissioner himself, who was purportedly away on business in Delhi, officials comprising the Coordination Minister and one other came out to collect the materials we had brought them. We asked them to wait and remain outside until we'd finished a poetry reading and cleared our throats with some lusty chanting.

We presented the officials - who were sticking uncomfortably to the security locked main entrance of the High Commission - with a copy of the Bhopal Early Day Motion tabled in the House of Commons the previous day and an UK Bhopal supporters' petition, accompanied by a letter from the Bhopal Medical Appeal, the ICJB and PAN-UK and PAN-Europe. We took time to explain the purpose of the padyatra and the strength of feeling across the UK and elsewhere about the continuing abuse of the Bhopali's rights. We were assured that our message would be passed to Manmohan Singh, though imminent events were about to cast doubt upon the word of these particular representatives of India.

Indian officials receive our material

The officials retreated inside, leaving the stage set for four year old Sameera to belt out an unceasing chant of "justice for Bhopal".

Four year old Sameera makes an impression against the windows of the Indian High Commission

Not five minutes passed before the High Commissioner himself arrived in his ambassadorial car and scuttled straight into the safety of his office, face turned firmly away from the protest positioned a few feet away.

Proof that the High Commissioner was 'in station' after all

Evidently, his eminence, Mr Shiv Shankar Mukherjee was too intimidated to pause and talk to the closest protestor Claire, bearer of the placard "Sweep Dow Out".

We continued our chants and talked to the number of people interested enough to stop. We also leafleted the 50 or so people queueing for visas around the corner.

Some of the supporters had travelled for 3 hours to join us. We stayed for around 2 hours and made sure that the officials inside the building knew the entire time that we were there.

Posted by tim at 03:34 PM | Comments (0)

March 26, 2008

UK parliamentarians support the padyatris

March 26th, 2008, London -- UK member of parliament Des Turner filed Early Day Motion 1266 in the Houses of Parliament, London, in express support of the aims of the Bhopal padyatra and dharna at Jantar Mantar.

Bhopal 23 Years On - Early Day Motion 1266, Houses of Parliament, London, UK

Turner, Desmond

That this House deplores the continuing suffering of the people of Bhopal 23 years after the world's worst industrial disaster; notes that Amnesty International has reported ongoing violations of human rights, that contaminated factory land is still not properly cleaned up, that high quantities of organochlorines and lead pollute local water supplies, that there are continuing occurrences of birth deformities and ill health and that 15 people die each month as a result; congratulates the work of the Sambhavna medical clinic in treating victims of gas and water poisoning and that of the International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal in trying to make the government of India meet its obligations to provide clean water and adequate medical, social and economic rehabilitation; and further applauds the campaign for pursuing polluter pays principles against Dow Chemical and extradition of its fugitive subsidiary Union Carbide, which refuses to face charges in India of culpable homicide in connection with the deaths of 23,000 people.

Signatories as of April 9th, 2008:

37 signatures

Turner, Desmond
Gibson, Ian
Spink, Bob
Dismore, Andrew
Drew, David
Cohen, Harry
Harvey, Nick
Holmes, Paul
Jenkins, Brian
George, Andrew
Prentice, Gordon
Hoyle, Lindsay
Jones, Lynne
McCafferty, Chris
Moffatt, Laura
Corbyn, Jeremy
Cryer, Ann
Hancock, Mike
Wareing, Robert N
Clark, Katy
Sharma, Virendra Kumar
Lepper, David
Owen, Albert
Caton, Martin
Durkan, Mark
Weir, Mike
MacNeil, Angus
Pope, Greg
Robertson, Angus
Llwyd, Elfyn
McDonnell, Alasdair
Meale, Alan
Davey, Edward
Vis, Rudi
Willis, Phil
Hosie, Stewart
Heyes, David

Posted by tim at 02:29 PM | Comments (0)