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June 22, 2005
Chief Minister Gaur ducks questions, disclaims responsibility
JUST IN FROM SATINATH SARANGI IN BHOPAL
At 8 AM this morning we got information that the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Mr Babulal Gaur would be visiting the Union Carbide factory along with the Minister of Bhopal Gas Tragedy Relief and Rehabilitation and other officials at 9 AM. Seven of us [Rashida Bee, Syyed M Irfan, Shahid Noor, Hazra Bee, Shezadi Bee, Nawab Khan and I]reached the Union Carbide factory gate at 8.50 AM. We were stopped at the gate by a posse of armed policemen. We found that Aloke Pratap Singh, Abdul Jabbar Khan and two of Jabbar's colleagues were already inside the factory. We asked the District Collector why we were being stopped while Jabbar and others were being allowed in. The Collector replied that Aloke and Jabbar were officially approved as representatives of the gas affected people.
Sathyu puts questions to the Chief Minister
Then we spotted the Chief Minister's convoy coming towards the factory. As planned, some of us took flower garlands out, and stood infront of the gate. [Politicians are known to be greedy of being garlanded.] The Chief Minister stopped his car immediately. Rashida, Irfan and others rushed to him with garlands and handed him a list of five questions and complained that we were being kept out of the factory while Aloke Pratap was allowed in. The Chief Minister directed the police officials to let six of us in [Nawab Bhai stayed with the crowd of our people who had begun gathering outside the gate in large numbers] and we followed him to the MIC Plant, then the administrative building and finally to the shed where most of the CHC and other waste is being stored by Ramky Ltd.
Twice the Chief Minister told us [infront of media] that he would answer our questions. (See questions on Press Releases)The Chief Minister spoke to the media persons outside the shed. He said that he was happy with the work of safekeeping of chemicals. He elaborated on two aspects one that the 20 wards that have not been included in the gas affected zone till now will be included as gas affected and that the state government will build a park and a memorial at the site of the Union Carbide factory after clearing away the chemical waste.
Chief Minister Gaur answering first two questions
After speaking to the media the Chief Minister turned to us. I read him the questions. In answer to the first question he answered that his party was not in power for most of the last twenty years. I reminded him that he himself was the Gas Relief Minister in 1990 when the issue of chemical waste and ground water contamination came up for the first time. He said that was a long time ago.
In answer to the second question he replied that the work was not being done secretly and we were kept away for our own safety.
Gaur walks away in the middle of the questions
Before I could finish asking the third of the five questions he said he has to leave and left midway promising to us that he would answer all our questions if we come to his bungalow.
We then spoke to the media who were eager to have our responses to the points mentioned by the Chief Minister. We told the media that the Chief Minsiter has misinformed them that the 20 wards will be included and that it was scientifically, legally and morally improper for these wards to be included.
We also said that the Madhya Pradesh government colluded with Union Carbide Corporation and was as much responsible for the death of over 20, 000 Bhopalis and sickness of hundreds of thousands of people as the killer company. We held that a killer can not have the right to build a memorial in memory of the persons he has killed and asserted that only the victims had the moral right to build a memorial and they will decide what kind of memorial will be built and when.
Posted by bhola at 12:11 PM | Comments (0)
June 19, 2005
This happens only in India - Hazardous work, Bhopal style
BY NITYANAND JAYARAMAN FOR THE INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGN FOR JUSTICE IN BHOPAL, 2 p.m. (Bhopal time), 18 June, 2005
Pictures from today's action, even the police are covering their faces, in one picture you can clearly see tar on the ground.
More than 200 Bhopalis, led by survivors organisations, today entered the Union Carbide factory site to stop the illegal pre-remediation work being carried out by Ramky Pharma City Ltd.
For three days, survivors and residents living adjacent to the Carbide factory site have complained of extreme distress due to the pesticide dust generated by the shoddy handling of pesticides within the factory site. Despite repeated requests by residents to follow best international practices in handling the toxic wastes within the factory, the Madhya Pradesh Government and Ramky went ahead with pre-remediation work using unprotected workers -- working without masks or gloves -- in clear violation of Hazardous Waste Management Rules, 1989. Survivors and residents say they had to take this extreme step after waiting in vain for three days for the Madhya Pradesh State Government and the Supreme Court Monitoring Committee on Hazardous Wastes (SCMC) to stop what was clearly a dangerous and illegal activity. First hand reports from Bhopal confirm that people in the settlements adjacent to the factory site are suffering from symptoms of poisoning including headaches, nausea, vomitting and giddiness. Goldman awardee and Bhopal activist Rashida Bee speaks of a 6-month old child who went to bed normal, but awoke on 17th June with her face and body swollen.
More than 20,000 people, including survivors, reside in the vicinity of the Union Carbide factory. Most of them suffer from chronic illnesses either because they're survivors or because they have been consuming water that has been contaminated with Carbide's poisons. Earlier studies confirmed the presence of dangerous levels of chemicals, including mercury, in the blood and breast milk of residents near the factory. "It goes without saying that these people are hypersensitive to chemicals, and need to be protected even more than normal populations are from chemicals like these," said Satinath Sarangi of Bhopal Group for Information and Action. Sarangi is also managing trustee of the Sambhavna Trust Clinic which provides free medical care to survivors.
On June 16 and June 17, the chairman of the Bhopal Local Area Environment Committee -- an empowered group set up by the SCMC on Hazardous Wastes -- personally visited communities outside Union Carbide and wrote empatic letters to the Chairman of the SCMC. "At 1 PM today I have personally visited four communities namely, Arif Nagar, New Arif Nagar, Atal-Ayub Nagar and Jai Prakash Nagar with an estimated total population of 10, 000 and confirmed that the residents of these communities are being exposed to airborne pollutants [possibly benzene Hexachloride] emnating from the Union Carbide factory premises as a result of the work being carried out by the said firm," the LAEC chairman Mr. Satish Tewari wrote on 16 June. On 17 June, Mr. Tewari visited four other communities in the neighborhood and confirmed "that the stench to be much stronger than yesterday." In his letter on that day to the SCMC, he said he was "extremely dismayed to find that you have taken no action with regard to my letter of yesterday either in ensuring the safety of the resident population or to issue directions so that the work inside the factory is carried out in a transparent manner."
Sarangi reports that the Bhopalis gheraoed (surrounded) the managing director of Ramky Pharma City (India) Ltd Mr. K.S.M. Rao. However, Mr. Rao states that he was not gheraoed. "These people like me. There is some odour complaint, and they came to find out what was causing it. They wanted to know what the dangers of these chemicals are," he said. In a written declaration given to the protesters, Mr. Rao says: "In one of the sheds, there is BHC pesticide. This pesticide has high odour. This odour causes: nauseating feelings, headache. On high exposure, muscular spasms. If this pesticide is not handled properly, then this can cause ill-effects on surrounding communities."
According to Mr. Rao, the odour complaints were evident only on the first and fourth day (today). "We haven't even begun working on the odourous compounds like BHC. On the first day, when we worked, we broke open doors to make room for equipment to move in. People complained then. Today also, there is a cross wind and because the shutters are open, the dust is going out. We'll take steps to ensure that there is no ventilation." Ramky says the work till date has included some civil works, repacking of naphthol residues and handling other non-odourous material like contaminated soil.
According to Mr. Rao, BHC dust has a very low odour threshold -- one can smell it even at very low concentrations. Asked whether there are monitoring equipment stationed in the residential areas to detect pollution due to the pre-remediation work, Mr. Rao said: "There is no monitoring outside. So you're right that I'll not be able to ascertain whether there is pollution outside or not." However, he says laughingly, "People are the monitors. If they can smell it, then we know that there is pollution."
Survivors say that the work at the Bhopal factory site is happening in an ad hoc trial-and-error basis that does not reflect the seriousness of the contamination. Monitoring of pollution and dust during and immediately after activities involving handling of hazardous wastes are a common requirement to ensure speedy steps to correct any situation where workers or communities may be exposed to toxic pollution. Mr. Rao places the blame for the problem squarely on the Madhya Pradesh Pollution Control Board. "It is not normal practice to not monitor. But monitoring is not our responsibility. We have told the Pollution Control Board that this should be done. But they are not doing it," says Mr. Rao.
Survivors and their supporters have demanded that Union Carbide be made to clean up the factory site. But the Government of India is reportedly hesitant to hold the company accountable for fear of invoking the anger of the US Government. Interestingly, even as a arrest warrant is pending against the company, the Government is considering normalising business relations with Carbide by allowing Indian Oil to purchase technology from the company.
To date -- it's more than 20 years since the disaster -- the Madhya Pradesh Government and the Government of India have done nothing to deliver clean water to the survivors or make Union Carbide clean up the toxic wastes. Earlier this month, more than 200 women and children who went to the Gas Relief Minister's office to press their demands for clean water were viciously beaten by the State Police and taken to jail. In the heat of summer, with temperatures soaring above 40 degrees, the survivors of the world's worst disaster remain waterless and at the mercy of a corrupt Government and an impotent judicial system.
Posted by bhola at 10:57 AM | Comments (0)
June 11, 2005
Gas Relief politician's PR nightmare
FROM THE ICJB IN BHOPAL, JUNE 10, 2005
For the past few days, the ICJB has been talking to workers, community members, passers-by and the media about the temporary toxic waste containment on the Union Carbide site.
ICJB tells people about proper safety measures.
Today we were especially "blessed" by the visit of Uma Shankar Gupta, Gas Relief Minister, along with his personal bodyguard of various government officials
This man, Uma Shankar Gupta, is the politician responsible
Gupta had invited the media to hear his statement, so as the caravan of air-conditioned cars rolled through the gates of the Union Carbide factory, ICJB and various community representatives barged their way through in pursuit.
Water-poisoned people follow politicians into the factory
Gupta (who has been making various statements about getting the remaining 20 wards their compensation), after bringing water and buttermilk for the media folks, blamed the Congress party for not taking action on cleaning the site and for not getting the NOC when the US Courts asked for it, and tried to take all the credit for himself and the BJP.
BJP Chief Minister Gaur was gas relief minister in a previous BJP administration which also did nothing about the waste
The ICJB onlookers caught him in this lie, since it was our own efforts to pressure the central government that had resulted in the NOC. Gupta also made a worrisome statement about dumping the toxic waste in a “secure landfill” in Pigdampura, Indore, which has already been contaminated by pharmaceutical waste for many years.
Politician Gupta sees no danger to workers here
Gupta additionally claimed that there were no problems with worker safety and stated that if he were to spend 24 hours in the room, nothing would happen to him. Of course, the Gas Relief Minister hardly spent 10 seconds inside the shed where clean-up was taking place, and when asked, could not name a single chemical that was inside the factory.
Barefoot child exposed to pesticide dust, Gupta has no worries
When shown pictures of workers being subjected to hazardous waste and when asked tough questions by media and ICJB reporters, Gupta claimed he had no time to discuss the details, got into his air-conditioned car, rolled up the tinted windows, and forced his car through the crowd of angry onlookers.
Before he left, Gupta did say that DOW is ultimately responsible for the clean-up. We were glad to hear that and will certainly hold him responsible for those words.
Mr. Abdul Jabbar was also present and told us that we should not be critical of the clean-up and that it was on his insistence that Uma Shankar Gupta decided to visit the factory.
ICJB will continue to have a presence inside and outside the Union Carbide factory, especially as a Hyderabad-based company will arrive to carry out further clean-up tomorrow.
We will also be bringing the founder of Greenpeace Germany, an expert on hazardous waste, to the site. If the company does not follow internationally mandated safety procedures, we will not allow them to bring workers into the site.
Footnotes
1. Photographs and background here. For higher resolution shots, please email editor@bhopal.net or icjb@bhopal.net.
2. "Technical Guidelines for the Clean up of the Union Carbide Site" available online at Greenpeace India website.
3. For further documents and reports and latest updates Bhopal, please keep checking this website, www.bhopal.net
For further information, please contact:
Rachna Dhingra, International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal +91 9826167369
Rashida Bee, Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationery Karmchari Sangh: +91 9303132298
Syed. M. Irfan, Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Purush Sangarsh Morcha: +91 9329026319
Shahid Noor, Bhopal Ki Aawaaz: +91 9303122784
Vinuta Gopal, Greenpeace India: vgopal@dialb.greenpeace.org +91 9845535418
Posted by bhola at 12:14 PM | Comments (0)
June 09, 2005
A warning at the factory gates: friends, you are going in to possible death
ACTIVISTS DEMONSTRATE SAFE CONTAINMENT, DEMAND INTERNATIONALLY ACCEPTED HAZARDOUS WASTE MANAGEMENT PROTOCOLS BE DEPLOYED AT UNION CARBIDE SITE
BHOPAL, 9 June 2005: In order to demonstrate proper and safe hazardous waste containment protocols, ICJB campaigners set up a kiosk at the gates of the Union Carbide plant displaying Personal Protective Equipment and their use through simple posters and live demos.
To highlight unacceptable containment practices, the activists also displayed recent pictures of the shocking and callous procedures of the Bhopal Gas Tragedy Relief & Rehabilitation Department and the Madhya Pradesh Pollution Control Board (MPPCB) that have exposed workers to deadly toxic wastes.
With the state agencies announcing that a Hyderabad based company will commence ground waste containment on the 12th of June, the activists sent a clear message to the company and local authorities that only internationally practiced protocols for handling and containing the wastes would be acceptable. We have already submitted Union Carbide Site Clean-Up Protocols by the Greenpeace Science Unit to the above mentioned state agencies.
"The MPPCB’s inaction while workers inhaled toxic dust and handled poisonous chemicals with their bare hands is deplorable. We cannot stand and watch such a travesty happen," said Vinuta Gopal, Toxics Campaigner, Greenpeace India. "The authorities have yet to share the protocols that will be used to contain the wastes on the site, so we have decided to set up this kiosk to inform, monitor and bear witness to the containment process so that no further infringement takes place."
"Exposing men, women and children employed to handle toxic chemicals with their bare hands is a criminal act under sections 283 and 284 of the Indian Penal Code," said Rachna Dhingra of the International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal. "We will take action against the concerned authorities for perpetrating this crime. We will also monitor the health of the workers exposed to the toxins."
This temporary containment is by no means the end to cleaning the site, but rather a small, temporary and long delayed first step. The Government of India, in its communication last June to the US Manhattan District Court, where Union Carbide faces a class action suit brought by victims of contaminated factory, indicated that it has 'No Objection' to the courts holding Union Carbide responsible for the complete remediation of the site and surrounding areas. Sources in the Government have also indicated that they will not do anything to 'shift the responsibility from the Polluter'.
The ICJB is calling on the MPPCB and the Bhopal Gas Tragedy Relief & Rehabilitation to ensure the following immediately:
1. That the clean-up plans and protocols be made public and that the government demonstrates a clear mechanism to recover costs from Union Carbide.
2. That the authorities allow independent experts, community representatives and NGOs to monitor the containment to ensure complete transparency and accountability as well as best safety standards for the workers and surrounding communities.
3. That people employed in the containment process be properly trained to handle these wastes and be provided with the Personal Protective Equipment required for such process.
Footnotes
1. Photographs and background here. For higher resolution shots, please email editor@bhopal.net or icjb@bhopal.net.
2. "Technical Guidelines for the Clean up of the Union Carbide Site" available online at Greenpeace India website.
3. For further documents and reports and latest updates Bhopal, please keep checking this website, www.bhopal.net
For further information, please contact:
Rachna Dhingra, International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal +91 9826167369
Rashida Bee, Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationery Karmchari Sangh: +91 9303132298
Syed. M. Irfan, Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Purush Sangarsh Morcha: +91 9329026319
Shahid Noor, Bhopal Ki Aawaaz: +91 9303122784
Vinuta Gopal, Greenpeace India: vgopal@dialb.greenpeace.org +91 9845535418
Posted by bhola at 08:11 AM | Comments (0)
June 03, 2005
Amnesty, SfB Protest Dow Facilities Nationwide
On May 11, the day before Dow’s annual Shareholder meeting, several protests organized by Amnesty International, the Association for India’s Development, and Students for Bhopal targeted Dow facilities across the United States.
San Diego
With less than a week of preparation, members of Amnesty International (AI) and the Association for India's Development (AID), with assistance from Students for Bhopal, organized a protest at Dow's San Diego research and development facility to remind Dow employees and executives of Dow's moral and legal obligations to survivors of the 1984 Bhopal disaster.
For several hours on the morning of May 11, a dozen protesters informed Dow employees and many others passing by of the tragic legacy of the Bhopal disaster and its continuing effects. Prior to the protest, Kathy Smith, a member of both AI and AID, was interviewed on radioActive San Diego, a local independent radio station, along with H. Rajan Sharma, a lawyer pursuing justice for the victims of the Bhopal gas explosion in the New York court. Mr. Sharma provided details regarding the current conditions of the Bhopal victim and the status of their legal appeals. Ms. Smith described the protest and its goals as well as discussing Amnesty International's recent report of the disaster, "Clouds of Injustice: Bhopal disaster 20 Years on."
Atlanta
On the afternoon of the protest, there were 12 of us (pretty good for two days notice). Dow-Carbide (and yes they still have signage that says Union Carbide) plant folks knew we were coming or had seen us in the parking lot. They locked the entrance for visitors and the visitor parking lot (which wasn't locked last night or the night before when we stopped by for a visit.)
But we had come with the "fake" contaminated water, a slightly used "jhadoo", Amnesty's report and tons of signs that many worked on late last night, so there wasn't any going back. Only four of us went to make the delivery. The rest headed to Hwy 29 intersection near the plant to demonstrate.
As we were wondering how to get in the plant, a man came towards us. At first it looked like he may let us come by the visitor area but then he was firm and said he couldn't let us get on Dow's premises. So, the “delivery” which lasted about 10 minutes took place behind a chained fence. Govind videotaped the whole thing and Naga was on the camera. Laura and I spoke to the Plant lead/Manager who was sent or came out to deal with us.
He had an official Dow-Union Carbide statement for us (it was a printout from their website). He was very polite, listened to us, took the broom, water, report etc. and promised to take our concerns to his associates. He told us that that was all he would be able to do. This is a fairly small Dow-Carbide plant and has been around since 1973 so the Plant Lead/Manager remembered Bhopal and wanted us to know that he felt badly for what happened and what has been going on.
We went back and joined others holding signs near the highway. Some people stopped and took flyers from us - including delivery truck drivers. We ended by marching back to the plant and around it with slogans. We started with "jhadoo maro DOW ko" and switched to "Justice in Bhopal. Dow Clean up" because it would be understood by others and easier to pronounce for everyone.
One thing we noticed was that some of the signs didn't mention DOW Chemical, for those driving by who didn't know anything it would have been difficult to figure out why we were there. On an interesting note, there was a driving school in the corner where we were standing and the owner came out and spoke to Bindu & took a flyer. Instead of being upset that we were right in front of his signage, he told her that he didn't like Dow and was glad that we were out there.
Portland
On May 11, Amnesty International members and supporters from South Portland High School and the greater Portland area organized a vigil to remember Bhopal.
"Just after sunset, students and activists joined together for a candlelight remembrance ceremony for the victims of Bhopal. The vigil was held in downtown Portland's Tommy's Park. With informational posters on display, candles and incense, I led the ceremony, remembering the victims and dedicating the evening also to those still suffering around the world. After a moment of silence, those in attendance were able to sign postcards to send to Dow Chemical, and to get more information about Amnesty International's Corporate Action Network."
Posted by Shevardnadze at 02:11 AM | Comments (0)
June 02, 2005
Bhopal Remembered in Togo, West Africa
From April 7-9, 2005, Young Volunteers for the Environment of Togo, Africa, the biggest-ever youth environmental organization in the sub region, organized a successful Forum that memorialized Bhopal in Kpémé, Togo. The event included conferences and debates on pesticides, public meetings, video presentation on the Bhopal tragedy and other cultural activities (theatre play). The population of the host city, Kpémé, suffers from the impoverishing of the land left behind from phosphate mines exploitation – they were also given the opportunity to have their voice heard and show their solidarity with the Bhopal victims during the event.
"Where were you since? You should have came long time ago, now we are all dead alike those you picture in the powerpoint diapositive" - that was the first impression of an authority from Kpeme.
The Forum gathered around 70 national and international participants from JVE and numerous NGOs, as well as school children, villagers, school teachers, workers from the plant, media and churches. The chief of the village gave us the honour of attending the opening and closing ceremonies; authorities from the prefecture also visited the first while the police were represented at the latter.
Our challenge was to find a way to show the link between the Bhopal tragedy and the case of Kpémé in a way that could touch everyone who was present. We wanted the people of the village who are bearing the burden of the impacts of the phosphate exploitation and the participants who have conducted preparatory studies on the use of pesticides and social injustice in their home countries, to see why a tragedy of the past still needs our attention.
The morale behind Bhopal was communicated to participants and the people of the village through discourses, a theatre play (Bhopal 20 Years Later by Misty Seemans) and an expressive photo slide show presenting the story of Kpémé and Bhopal.
Even if the photos where showing children of Kpémé with smiling faces, the public was raged to see the damaged teeth behind their smiles. Most touching though, was seeing school children showing their support to the children of Bhopal by:
- reading poems;
- singing;
- writing postcards (that will be soon sent to groups in Bhopal); and
- making handprints on a white banner which will be sent to Bhopal.
On the closing ceremony of the Night of Bhopal, it was very touching to see children entering the stage each one with a letter which in total read: 'Justice pour Bhopal' (justice for Bhopal).
Other notable points included:
- attendance at times reached 700
- representatives came from at least 10 NGOs, church, media (continuous media coverage was done), peasant group, the very phosphate exploitation company, schools and hundreds of youth associations
- we established a memorial in memory of bhopal victims
- at least 12 communications were presented dealing with various topics
- field visit to the company was refused by the company, fearing our comments
- we gave at least 150 participation certificates
- we elected two bhopal ambassadors
- we had a night of souvenir with candles and children marching on the song 'we are the world' with letters that finally read 'justice for bhopal'
- we had a night with songs and poems for bhopal victims
-hundreds of participants express their view on the kpeme situation
- we drafted an action plan
- a final declaration of Kpeme was drafted and read
- we visited villages and surroundings affected by the phosphate exploitation
- we produced a strong powerpoint that compared Bhopal to Kpeme with striking issues that affected seriously populations
- food and accomodation were provided to all
- we planted trees
- a souvenir gift was given to the chief and the local school authorities
- a petition was signed
- a hand print was done with hundreds of hands in memory of world victims
This symbolises the solidarity between two poverty-affected communities locating industrial plants where the greed to make huge financial income happens at the detriment of security, social and environmental impacts.
The participants leave Kpémé after a forum discussing a wide range of themes such as the environmental impacts from use of pesticides, the implementation of ISO norms for businesses, the importance of impact studies, sustainable and biological agriculture, the society of consumption, conventions related to pesticides... After each workshop, a very deep debate followed with experiences and inputs from different countries.
Representatives from Togo, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Benin, Nigeria, Niger, Liberia, Guinea, Ivory Coast also presented a report on the situation in their home countries. Generally speaking the absence of a functional institutional and juridical framework is an obstacle to effective implementation of, for instance, the Stockholm and the Rotterdam conventions, which have been ratified by the governments. Several examples were presented during the session of presentation of the national reports.
For instance the Liberian delegation focused on the use of the pesticide DDT used to fight insects vectoring harmful diseases. DDT is feared for its harmful effects on human health and for its hazardous effects on soil and water. However, compared to the consequences of malaria, the side effects of DDT are considered to be less destructive as malaria is the most deadly tropical sickness. To conclude, the representative drew attention to the need for developed countries to assist developing countries like Liberia as a case of reference to fight tropical diseases by alternative means.
Examples from Ghana stressed the danger of overuse and unsafe storage of pesticides, and the need of ensuring the implementation of the appropriate laws.
Further, case studies from Niger show a terrible example on how fluoride contamination of the drinking water has resulted in severe malformations of infants, while the Niger Government ignores their responsibility. Picture of children handicapped forever touched every participant. Oil spillage in rivers in the Niger delta ruins the local communities where fishing is the main source of living.
Another issue of social justice problematic was given through the report from the Ivory Coast, where civil war has resulted in huge environmental damages, among others a reduced diversity of the local fauna and flora. Populations were forced to leave their lands and once back lost all their living conditions.
We intend to follow up this through campaigns and lobbying coordinated by the International Network that was created during the forum. The main goal is to share common resources and exchange ideas, and in addition all the network partners should take action in the local campaigns (petitions, appeals to governments,..) which each national branch is in charge of as a part of the follow-up.
Depending on the appropriate funding, the network will be capable to conduct case studies and launch campaigns urging governments and business to take action and raising public awareness on environmental and development issues. The case of Kpeme can be the first in a long list of cases that can be brought in front of international tribunals.
All the participants and functionaries are now heading back to their local groups, but they are not leaving Kpémé without a trace. A painted graffiti (a memorial) on the wall at the front gate of the school is a reminder of the tragedy in Bhopal, while dozens of young tree plants will symbolize the start of the fight for social rights in Kpémé.
In addition we believe that each of the participants return back sharing the same impressions - a sympathy with the victims of the catastrophe of the past and a motivation for forthcoming activities and campaigns in their respective home countries.
Our greatest thanks go to Student for Bhopal for its full support (especially Ryan B), Pesticide Action Network (particularly Diana Ruiz), PAN Africa, GGF, The School of Kpeme, the local Kpeme authorities, all the media and the Minister of Interior and Security of Togo.
The fight has just started...
Posted by Shevardnadze at 09:09 PM | Comments (0)