The Bhopal Tragedy - aftercare?

shanthi · Aug 22nd, 2005, 21:45

Someone please tell me I'm wrong ! Ever since Chernobyl, many countries in the West, including Ireland, have had a great drive every year for the past 12 years or so, where host families are welcoming children affected by the Chernobyl disaster - for three week holidays. BUT, has anything ever been set up to assist families espeically children, from the terrible Union Carbide gas spill at Bhopal? I'm sure I must be wrong thinking that nothing has ever been done by the West for these people, and I'm sure that someone will tell me .....I hope!

Jorge Reverter · Aug 22nd, 2005, 21:51

Hi Shanti,

In five or six dayas I'll be in Bhopal and want to have a look personnally in this things. I don't know if Union Carbide can be visited and how to help the families affected by the disaster.

Anyway, our world is like that, Union Carbide just paid few years ago some money to Indian Governement as a compensation. Something ridiculous but we know how things go on ...., with the third world countries.

I'll try to help in one or another way.

Jorge

shanthi · Aug 22nd, 2005, 21:55

Hello Jorge Reverter, thanks for that. I'll be happy to know if the West has set up anything like the program they have for the deserving Chernobyl kids, but I don't think it has been.

As far as the Union Carbide payout goes, they still have to slean up the site yet - after all these years there are still sacks and containers that are in the open and leaking and kids playing in a site that has just been abandoned, but never walled-off! Oh God, my heart stops when I think of what is still going on there!

crvlvr · Aug 22nd, 2005, 23:01

Here is some info on the status:
http://www.christiansciencemonitor.co m/2004/0504/p07s01-wosc.html

Quote:

While Union Carbide settled a civil suit in 1989 by agreeing to pay victims a lump sum of $470 million, a criminal trial against the company and its top officials is entering its 15th year, with less than half of the few hundred witnesses having testified. And the compensation process has taken so long that the settlement fund has nearly doubled in value; Officials haven't decided how to dole out nearly $333 million in unplanned interest.

Quote:

A Union Carbide spokesman says that the company and its sole shareholder, the Dow Chemical Company, cannot be held liable for any waste cleanup at the plant or any contamination of the ground water. "There is no legal foundation for application of liability," says John Musser, the Union Carbide spokesman, speaking from Midland, Mich., headquarters.

Quote:

"This tragedy is living on," says Jabbar, who runs a seamstress workshop for widows of gas victims. "The groundwater for 3 to 5 kilometers from the site is contaminated, and this comes 20 years after the fact. The state public health agency has conducted two studies proving the water is unfit for drinking, but still people use the hand pumps."

Rob_The_Pom · Aug 22nd, 2005, 23:33

Here's some useful links on Bhopal:-

This is the campaign for justice...
http://www.bhopal.net/index.php

This is those bastards at Dow's response to their continuing crime...
http://www.bhopal.com/

These are Amnesty's pages on the matter...
http://web.amnesty.org/pages/ec-bhopal-news-eng

I live the continual hope that one day justice will be done.
Justice will not be done until those responsible are in prison, the site has been properly cleaned, proper medical care has been paid for and all those who suffered at the hands of Carbide have been properly compensated.

The US legal system is happily sending other corporate crooks to long prison sentences, but it continues to ignore the worst corporate crime in history.

shanthi · Aug 22nd, 2005, 23:55

I added my name to the campaign for justice at Bhopal some time back - it only takes a second to do - But this tragedy will live on and on - I know what I'd like to see happen to those Union Carbide people

, but would be banned from IM forever if I spoke my mind as truthfully as that !

Rob_The_Pom · Aug 23rd, 2005, 00:19

I'd love to see the rest of posters on IM add their names to the petition as well.

shanthi · Aug 23rd, 2005, 00:28

Me too! How's about it people - just click on the link in the post below and they don't bombard you with loads of mail afterwards either. It's a very simple petition, and who knows where it could lead.

There are a lot of IMers out there and think what a difference that would make to the petition! Most people have forgotten about Bhopal - we could try waking them up

skell · Aug 23rd, 2005, 02:11

Sorry, click what link and where?

MeCasa · Aug 23rd, 2005, 02:24

I'm not sticking up for Dow but they didn't have anything to do with Bhopal, they bought Union Carbide a decade after Bhopal. The Indian government also shares vast amounts of culpability, way too many deals made to enrich a few and they haven't even used the money to help the victims, they kept it

Rob_The_Pom · Aug 23rd, 2005, 03:17

Quote:

I'm not sticking up for Dow but they didn't have anything to do with Bhopal, they bought Union Carbide a decade after Bhopal.

I'm sorry but that's wrong.
Dow bought Carbide - that means Carbide's responsibilities are now Dow's, just the same as an potential profit from Carbide's assets.

As for the link try this one...

http://www.petitiononline.com/bhopal/

Please sign up guys.

Rob_The_Pom · Aug 23rd, 2005, 03:20

I'm number 411 on the petition by the way.

crvlvr · Aug 23rd, 2005, 04:11

Apparently, Union Carbide has already made asettlement as ordered by the Supreme Court of India. So, I don't know what the petition aims to achieve.

Was the settlement amount too little? Probably when compared to western standards. The Indian govt has yet to decide how to disburse the monies. Has anyone petitioned them?

From: http://www.bhopal.com/irs.htm

Quote:

In May 1989, Union Carbide and Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) entered into a $470 million legal settlement with the Government of India, which represented all claimants in the case. The settlement was affirmed by the Supreme Court of India, which described it as “just, equitable and reasonable,” and settled all claims arising out of the incident. Ten days after the decision, Union Carbide and UCIL made full payment of the $470 million to the Indian government.

The settlement award was much larger than any previous damage award in India, and was $120 million more than plaintiff’s lawyers had told U.S. Courts was fair. The settlement was reached after the Supreme Court of India reviewed all U.S. and Indian court filings, applicable law and relevant facts, and an assessment of the victims’ needs. In its opinion, the Court said that compensation levels under the settlement were far greater than would normally be payable under Indian law. By November 1990, the Reserve Bank of India reported that the settlement fund, with interest, was approximately twice what was estimated to be needed to compensate the victims.

To resolve continuing legal disputes, the Supreme Court of India later upheld the $470 million settlement in its entirety and dismissed all outstanding petitions seeking review of the settlement.

Pursuant to the settlement, the Government of India assumed responsibility for disbursing funds from the settlement and providing medical coverage to citizens of Bhopal in the event of future illnesses. In July 2004, fifteen years after reaching settlement, the Supreme Court of India ordered the Government of India to release all additional settlement funds to the victims. News reports indicate that there was approximately $327 million in the fund as a result of earned interest from money remaining after all claims had been paid.

Rob_The_Pom · Aug 23rd, 2005, 04:15

For the amount of death and suffering that is an incredibly low amount.

crvlvr · Aug 23rd, 2005, 04:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rob_The_Pom

For the amount of death and suffering that is an incredibly low amount.

I agree. But the Indian supreme court passed that judgement and apparently it was more than what the plaintif's claimed. the plaintif was the Indian govt, and its possible that there was some colluson. This link gives some insight on the chronology.http://www.bhopal.net/oldsite/oldwebsite/UCC25.html

Aug 22nd, 2005, 21:45	#1
shanthi Account closed on user's request Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: South India Posts: 785	The Bhopal Tragedy - aftercare? Someone please tell me I'm wrong ! Ever since Chernobyl, many countries in the West, including Ireland, have had a great drive every year for the past 12 years or so, where host families are welcoming children affected by the Chernobyl disaster - for three week holidays. BUT, has anything ever been set up to assist families espeically children, from the terrible Union Carbide gas spill at Bhopal? I'm sure I must be wrong thinking that nothing has ever been done by the West for these people, and I'm sure that someone will tell me .....I hope!

Aug 22nd, 2005, 23:33	#5
Rob_The_Pom offcourse essentric Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Seoul, South Korea Posts: 1,291	Here's some useful links on Bhopal:- This is the campaign for justice... http://www.bhopal.net/index.php This is those bastards at Dow's response to their continuing crime... http://www.bhopal.com/ These are Amnesty's pages on the matter... http://web.amnesty.org/pages/ec-bhopal-news-eng I live the continual hope that one day justice will be done. Justice will not be done until those responsible are in prison, the site has been properly cleaned, proper medical care has been paid for and all those who suffered at the hands of Carbide have been properly compensated. The US legal system is happily sending other corporate crooks to long prison sentences, but it continues to ignore the worst corporate crime in history. __________________ The solution to your troubles is at the bottom of a glass

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Aug 22nd, 2005, 21:51	#2
Jorge Reverter Maha Guru Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Murcia - Spain Posts: 1,149	Hi Shanti, In five or six dayas I'll be in Bhopal and want to have a look personnally in this things. I don't know if Union Carbide can be visited and how to help the families affected by the disaster. Anyway, our world is like that, Union Carbide just paid few years ago some money to Indian Governement as a compensation. Something ridiculous but we know how things go on ...., with the third world countries. I'll try to help in one or another way. Jorge

Aug 22nd, 2005, 21:55	#3
shanthi Account closed on user's request Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: South India Posts: 785	Hello Jorge Reverter, thanks for that. I'll be happy to know if the West has set up anything like the program they have for the deserving Chernobyl kids, but I don't think it has been. As far as the Union Carbide payout goes, they still have to slean up the site yet - after all these years there are still sacks and containers that are in the open and leaking and kids playing in a site that has just been abandoned, but never walled-off! Oh God, my heart stops when I think of what is still going on there!

Aug 22nd, 2005, 23:55	#6
shanthi Account closed on user's request Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: South India Posts: 785	I added my name to the campaign for justice at Bhopal some time back - it only takes a second to do - But this tragedy will live on and on - I know what I'd like to see happen to those Union Carbide people , but would be banned from IM forever if I spoke my mind as truthfully as that !

Aug 23rd, 2005, 00:19	#7
Rob_The_Pom offcourse essentric Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Seoul, South Korea Posts: 1,291	I'd love to see the rest of posters on IM add their names to the petition as well.

Aug 23rd, 2005, 00:28	#8
shanthi Account closed on user's request Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: South India Posts: 785	Me too! How's about it people - just click on the link in the post below and they don't bombard you with loads of mail afterwards either. It's a very simple petition, and who knows where it could lead. There are a lot of IMers out there and think what a difference that would make to the petition! Most people have forgotten about Bhopal - we could try waking them up

Aug 23rd, 2005, 02:11	#9
skell Maha Guru Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: The OC Posts: 975	Sorry, click what link and where?

Aug 23rd, 2005, 02:24	#10
MeCasa Account Closed Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Texas/New York Posts: 959	I'm not sticking up for Dow but they didn't have anything to do with Bhopal, they bought Union Carbide a decade after Bhopal. The Indian government also shares vast amounts of culpability, way too many deals made to enrich a few and they haven't even used the money to help the victims, they kept it

Aug 23rd, 2005, 03:20	#12
Rob_The_Pom offcourse essentric Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Seoul, South Korea Posts: 1,291	I'm number 411 on the petition by the way.

Aug 23rd, 2005, 04:15	#14
Rob_The_Pom offcourse essentric Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Seoul, South Korea Posts: 1,291	For the amount of death and suffering that is an incredibly low amount.

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