20th Anniversary of the Bhopal Tragedy
I know, its Friday. Make us laugh, you say. Tell us something cheery. Well sorry. Not today. The 5 day sprint is over, time to enjoy life for 2 days before it sucks again. I hate to end on a downer note… but I said I would talk about Bhopal. So while I do hope everyone has a great weekend, before you head out the door….
The story from www.bhopal.org:
“Shortly after midnight on Sunday 3rd December, poison gas began leaking from a factory in Bhopal, India, owned by the Union Carbide Corporation. There was no warning, none of the plant's safety systems were working. A thick cloud of gas rolled across the road and entered the narrow alleys on the other side. In the city people were sleeping, many in kuccha houses, which had no proper windows or doors. They woke in darkness to the sound of screams with the gases in their eyes, noses and mouths. It burned terribly, it felt like fire. They began retching and coughing up froth streaked with blood. Then there was panic. Entire communities ran out of their houses in whatever they were wearing, some wore nothing at all. As the gases ravaged their bodies, some went into convulsions and fell dead. People lost control of their bodies and ran with urine and feces flowing down their legs. Within hours, thousands of dead bodies lay in the streets.”
Disputed casualties:
http://www.thevictoriaadvocate.com/front/story/2384265p-2759446c.html
“Union Carbide - based in Danbury, Conn., and bought by Dow Chemical Co. of Midland, Mich., in 2001 - claims that 3,800 people were killed. Indian officials say 10,000 to 12,000 people were killed, while Bhopal activists and health workers say more than 20,000 people have died over the years due to gas-related illnesses, such as lung cancer, kidney failure and liver disease. Indian officials estimate that nearly 600,000 more have become ill or had babies born with congenital defects over the last 20 years.
Adil Bee, born seven years after the disaster, stopped growing after his third birthday. His neck never quite took form. His gnarled feet are turned inward, forcing him to scoot around on his knees. Thirteen-year-old Adil cannot speak; his mother can only cry when asked how long he is expected to live.
“The doctors told me not to expect anything from him," said Raisa Bee, 45, who received 25,000 rupees ($543) for Adil's medical care.”
“Dow maintains the case was resolved in 1989, when Union Carbide settled with the Indian government for $470 million. Though the 1989 deal dropped all charges against the company and then-chairman Warren Anderson, the Indian Supreme Court reinstated manslaughter charges against him in 1991. In July, the U.S. State Department rejected India's extradition request on technical grounds.”
Today marks the 20th Annviersary of this tragedy. Both the Indian and US government bear responsibility. The Indian government originally asked for a settlement of $3.3 billion- but took a measly $470 million (by comparison Exxon Valdez had to pay $5 billion for polluting the Alaskan coast). Throughout the years they have been less than aggressive pursuing charges against the company, for fear of scaring off and/or souring relationships with multinational corporations. They have also been horrible about distributing funds to victims. The US refuses to extradite Warren Anderson who apparently lives in a beach house in Florida, hiding from renegade Greenpeace activists. There are some who say the United States government should have intervened long ago.
Anyway, its just something to think about and read up on more. If you are so inclined, become involved. There really are teams of Greenpeace activists who stake out Warren Anderson. If you are in between jobs or something and could use a road trip to Florida. He also makes appearances in the Hamptons. But seriously, do something. Something like that is much, much less likely to happen here. Our government regulations (though paltry at times) do for the most part succeed in protecting us.
That was all really depressing. To cheer up, go to this site if you have speakers on your computer. Without sound, it ain’t worth it:
http://www.e-thug.net/
Thanks Austin
The story from www.bhopal.org:
“Shortly after midnight on Sunday 3rd December, poison gas began leaking from a factory in Bhopal, India, owned by the Union Carbide Corporation. There was no warning, none of the plant's safety systems were working. A thick cloud of gas rolled across the road and entered the narrow alleys on the other side. In the city people were sleeping, many in kuccha houses, which had no proper windows or doors. They woke in darkness to the sound of screams with the gases in their eyes, noses and mouths. It burned terribly, it felt like fire. They began retching and coughing up froth streaked with blood. Then there was panic. Entire communities ran out of their houses in whatever they were wearing, some wore nothing at all. As the gases ravaged their bodies, some went into convulsions and fell dead. People lost control of their bodies and ran with urine and feces flowing down their legs. Within hours, thousands of dead bodies lay in the streets.”
Disputed casualties:
http://www.thevictoriaadvocate.com/front/story/2384265p-2759446c.html
“Union Carbide - based in Danbury, Conn., and bought by Dow Chemical Co. of Midland, Mich., in 2001 - claims that 3,800 people were killed. Indian officials say 10,000 to 12,000 people were killed, while Bhopal activists and health workers say more than 20,000 people have died over the years due to gas-related illnesses, such as lung cancer, kidney failure and liver disease. Indian officials estimate that nearly 600,000 more have become ill or had babies born with congenital defects over the last 20 years.
Adil Bee, born seven years after the disaster, stopped growing after his third birthday. His neck never quite took form. His gnarled feet are turned inward, forcing him to scoot around on his knees. Thirteen-year-old Adil cannot speak; his mother can only cry when asked how long he is expected to live.
“The doctors told me not to expect anything from him," said Raisa Bee, 45, who received 25,000 rupees ($543) for Adil's medical care.”
“Dow maintains the case was resolved in 1989, when Union Carbide settled with the Indian government for $470 million. Though the 1989 deal dropped all charges against the company and then-chairman Warren Anderson, the Indian Supreme Court reinstated manslaughter charges against him in 1991. In July, the U.S. State Department rejected India's extradition request on technical grounds.”
Today marks the 20th Annviersary of this tragedy. Both the Indian and US government bear responsibility. The Indian government originally asked for a settlement of $3.3 billion- but took a measly $470 million (by comparison Exxon Valdez had to pay $5 billion for polluting the Alaskan coast). Throughout the years they have been less than aggressive pursuing charges against the company, for fear of scaring off and/or souring relationships with multinational corporations. They have also been horrible about distributing funds to victims. The US refuses to extradite Warren Anderson who apparently lives in a beach house in Florida, hiding from renegade Greenpeace activists. There are some who say the United States government should have intervened long ago.
Anyway, its just something to think about and read up on more. If you are so inclined, become involved. There really are teams of Greenpeace activists who stake out Warren Anderson. If you are in between jobs or something and could use a road trip to Florida. He also makes appearances in the Hamptons. But seriously, do something. Something like that is much, much less likely to happen here. Our government regulations (though paltry at times) do for the most part succeed in protecting us.
That was all really depressing. To cheer up, go to this site if you have speakers on your computer. Without sound, it ain’t worth it:
http://www.e-thug.net/
Thanks Austin
posted by Amanda at 5:41 PM
1 Comments:
dear amanda,
i applaud you, i think you might be one of the few people in america who know what union carbide did in india, never mind who can still get angry about it. i spent the last few months in and out of bhopal doing research for this amnesty report that was released on monday.
when india sued union carbide in the american courts, union carbide argued to have the case moved to india. their lawyers said that “Indeed, the practical impossibility for American courts and juries, imbued with US cultural values, living standards and expectations, to determine living standards for people living in the slums or ‘hutments’ surrounding the UCIL, Bhopal, India, by itself confirms that the Indian forum is overwhelmingly the most appropriate. Such abject poverty and the vastly different values, standards and expectations which accompany it are commonplace in India and the third world. They are incomprehensible to Americans living in the United States.”
this argument meant that an american company had enough comprehension to build a plant, employ, and endanger the lives hundreds of thousands of indians, but an american court could not comprehend what justice would mean to these same indians---this is the level of absurdity that surrounds everything related to the bhopal case.
that email i promised is on its way.
love,
nithya
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