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Press Release: Remembering 1984
Bay Area residents mark the Bhopal disaster
Stanford, CA, December 2nd, 2001:
Over 40 community residents and students in the Bay Area, on
a wet December 2nd evening, marked the 17th anniversary of the
Union Carbide created disaster in Bhopal through a mix of
information, debate, solidarity and activism at Stanford University.
On the midnight of December 2nd-3rd 1984, Bhopal was the site
of the worst industrial disaster in history. Several tons of
a poisonous mixes of gases leaked from the methyl-isocyanite (MIC)
storage tanks from Union Carbide's factory site in Bhopal
leaving an estimated 3000 persons dead in the immediate aftermath.
Over 500,000 people were injured including several tens of thousands
with severe disability and respiratory problems. To date over
19,000 people have died from the direct effect of the leaked
gases and tens of thousands of persons suffer from continuing health
problems. Communities around the world argue that large
corporations continue to put their health, lives and environment
at risk and that there are Bhopals ticking in their neighborhoods.
The group watched the screening of the documentary "A Cloud over
Bhopal" made by Gondwana Films, a Spanish television company.
The documentary is inspired by a highly acclaimed book "It was
Five Past Midnight in Bhopal" a book by Dominique Lapierre and Javier
Moro about the Bhopal Gas disaster. The short film
sensitized the audience to the enormity and scope of the
disaster and to the living tragedy that continues today ---
- the hundreds of thousands of Bhopal survivors and their
struggle --- a large fraction of them from poor Muslim
"bastis" (habitations), * the 8000 tons of toxic waste that
Union Carbide is yet to clean up,
- the little that has been done by Union Carbide or the central
and state governments in India for the continuing health care
and rehabilitation of victims, and
- Warren Anderson (Carbide's CEO at the time of the disaster)
who remains a fugitive from justice from the criminal charges
against him in Indian courts.
The film viewing was followed by a minute of silence in
remembrance of the victims and in solidarity with the survivors.
Addressing the group, CorpWatch's Amit Srivastava argued that DOW
Chemicals which merged with Union Carbide, assumes its liability
too not merely its assets. DOW has to be held accountable as to
this day 17 years following the disaster, information on the
composition and toxicity of the leaked gases has not be made
public nor have or were the Bhopal medical professionals informed
of an antidote. In addition DOW should assume liabilities
for long-term medical problems of the survivors, their economic
rehabilitation and the clean-up of the highly contaminated
abandoned factory site in Bhopal and surrounding groundwater
resources.
Denny Larson, of the group Global Community Monitoring, spoke
about the importance of communities taking ownership of
monitoring the environmental quality in their neighborhood
through the so-called "Bucket Brigades" --- simple tools to monitor,
sample and log air and water pollution data. He also talked
about serious industrial accidents in the Bay Area itself,
including the sulphur-trioxide gas leaks from the Richmond
based General Chemical Corporation's plant twice in the last
week. This is why he said, "We all live in Bhopal"!
The lively debate that followed covered a range of subjects including
emphasis on the need to hold the Indian Government accountable as well
and for it to demonstrate positive steps
to extradite Warren Anderson, for communities to have effective tools
to monitor corporate crime and laws to bring corporate
criminals to justice, what we as a community can do for Bhopal
and to deal with polluters in our own communities. Several members of
the audience signed petitions to the Indian Ambassador urging
the Indian Government to actively undertake extradition proceedings
against Anderson.
The event organized by an informal local group, Friends of Bhopal
that came together to raise awareness about the Union Carbide
created, and DOW inherited, disaster in Bhopal. Similar events
were held across the world and in various Indian cities. Friends
of Bhopal plans to continue to work with survivor groups in
their struggle for justice.
For further information, high resolution photographs or
press information, contact:
Friends of Bhopal
Prashant Jawalikar
Tel: 510-797-8591
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