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"MOURN FOR THE DEAD AND FIGHT FOR THE LIVING”: Bhopal remembered in SF Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area residents gathered in Palo Alto to commemorate the 19th anniversary of Bhopal gas tragedy, Hiroshima of Industrial disasters. People demanded that DOW Chemical, who has inherited Union Carbides assets, to immediately address the demands of the survivors who are still suffering from long term effects of the poisonous gas, inadequate compensation and pollution by toxic waste that Union Carbide left for them.
Association for India's Development - San Francisco Bay Area Chapter
PRESS RELEASE
Thursday December 4, 2003
Contacts:
Venkataramani Arunachalam, Chapter President : (408) 396-2045;
Srividhya Venkataraman: (408) 741-5072
For immediate release
“TO MOURN FOR THE DEAD, FIGHT FOR THE LIVING”: BAY AREA ACTIVISTS, RESIDENTS HOLD VIGIL MARKING BHOPAL ANNIVERSARY
A committed group of about 20 activists and community members gathered Wednesday evening in Palo Alto’s Lytton Plaza to commemorate the 19th anniversary of the 1984 Bhopal Gas Disaster. The leak of poisonous gases --- dubbed the “Hiroshima of the Chemical Industry” --- from the Union Carbide plant in the Indian city Bhopal remains the worst industrial disaster in human history. The candlelight vigil marked by a spirit of solidarity, poetry readings and talks by activists and a child-survivor’s father, was organized by the Bay Area chapter of the Association for India’s Development (AID).
Addressing the gathering --- people assembled in a circle with each holding a lit candle --- Saratoga resident and AID volunteer Srividhya Venkataraman declared the purpose of the vigil. “We are gathered here … to mourn for the dead and to fight for the living.” She then went on to give a background about the disaster and the current status and many of the demands of the survivors that remain unfulfilled till today.
An estimated 8000 people died immediately after a poisonous gas, methyl isocynate, leaked from a Union Carbide facility on the midnight of December 2nd-3rd in 1984 due to malfunctioning safety systems. Over 20,000 people have died till date and many more are suffering from the long tem effects of the lethal gas. Survivors of the disaster are still struggling to secure their rights and for justice to be done. Their major demands are for Dow Chemicals (which bought Union Carbide in 2001) to accept all legal, moral, environmental and criminal liabilities that arise from the Bhopal disaster. These relate to the long term medical problems of the survivors, loss of livelihood due to disabilities caused, the environmental hazards due to the abandoned factory site in Bhopal that is now a toxic wasteland causing ground-water contamination, and to stand trial in the Bhopal courts for the charges pending against Union Carbide executives including its then CEO Warren Anderson (for which they have been proclaimed fugitives from justice by the Bhopal courts). The survivors also have a set of demands from the Indian government, including securing justice for the survivors by prosecuting the pending cases and implementing extradition proceedings against Anderson, the speedy distribution of balance of the compensation money amongst the survivors (a huge fraction of which lies in government coffers undisbursed to this day) and the release of medical studies conducted by the Indian Council of Medical Research that the government has blocked from being made public.
After this background was described at the vigil, another AID volunteer Rajesh Veeraraghavan informed the attendees that approximately 50 similar group actions were planned in 16 countries across the globe to commemorate the 19th anniversary of the disaster. Actions across the globe are being coordinated through a coalition called the International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal (ICJB). A vigil attendee, Sukesh Pai, read a hard-hitting poem “Torture Me” by a Bhopal survivor describing her agony and anger against the corporation responsible for her misery.
Huddled in a circle, the attendees also had the chance to hear a first person account from Vijay Rajvaidya who described his anxious moments in 1984 trying to find out about the well-being of his wife and then three month old son who were in Bhopal when the disaster happened. After some unsuccessful attempts at reaching top governmental officials and politicians he was helped by India’s army chief who personally inquired and informed Rajvaidya about his family’s safety. Rajvaidya who was then a student in the US on a limited income said that he was saddled with a huge phone bill and wrote to Union Carbide CEO Warren Anderson with a request for reimbursement. “Needless to say that I never heard anything from Union Carbide office...not even a note of sympathy.” Rajvaidya’s son was also present at the vigil.
The participants of the vigil, who came from various parts of India, pledged to take at least one action to express solidarity with the people of Bhopal who are struggling for their rights. They raised their candles while taking this pledge. Sunnyvale resident, Mathirajan Manoharan suggested two ideas. “One can write a letter to Dow chemicals and ask them to address the demands of the people of Bhopal and one can also write the Indian consulate and ask them to expedite the process of extradition of Warren Anderson.”
The Bay Area chapter of the Association for India’s Development is organizing a free screening of the Hindi-language feature film (with English subtitles) “Bhopal Express” on December 13th at the Naz Cinema multiplex in Fremont. For more information about the screening contact: Rajesh Veeraraghavan (isavida [at] yahoo.com).
About AID:
The Association for India's Development (AID) Inc. is a 501 (c)(3) charitable non-profit organization with over 35 chapters in the US. AID is committed to the cause of alleviating poverty in India measuring progress through the yard-sticks of self-reliance, people's involvement and volunteerism. AID supports projects that empowering poor and marginalized communities in India through various social developmental efforts in areas such as women's issues, education, literacy, micro-credit, community health, sustainable livelihoods, watershed development and environmental issues.
The Bay Area chapter of AID stands in solidarity with the survivors of the Bhopal disaster and is committed to generating awareness about the struggle and seeking justice for them.
Media contact for event details, photographs:
Venkataramani Arunachalam, Chapter President : (408) 396-2045
Srividhya Venkataraman: (408) 741-5072
Additional info:
Association for India’s Development
San Francisco Bay Area Chapter: http://www.aidsfbay.org
Main website: http://www.aidindia.org
Bhopal struggle related:
Website: http://www.bhopal.net
“Torture me” poem: http://www.bhopal.net/oldsite/tortureme.html
PRESS RELEASE
Thursday December 4, 2003
Contacts:
Venkataramani Arunachalam, Chapter President : (408) 396-2045;
Srividhya Venkataraman: (408) 741-5072
For immediate release
“TO MOURN FOR THE DEAD, FIGHT FOR THE LIVING”: BAY AREA ACTIVISTS, RESIDENTS HOLD VIGIL MARKING BHOPAL ANNIVERSARY
A committed group of about 20 activists and community members gathered Wednesday evening in Palo Alto’s Lytton Plaza to commemorate the 19th anniversary of the 1984 Bhopal Gas Disaster. The leak of poisonous gases --- dubbed the “Hiroshima of the Chemical Industry” --- from the Union Carbide plant in the Indian city Bhopal remains the worst industrial disaster in human history. The candlelight vigil marked by a spirit of solidarity, poetry readings and talks by activists and a child-survivor’s father, was organized by the Bay Area chapter of the Association for India’s Development (AID).
Addressing the gathering --- people assembled in a circle with each holding a lit candle --- Saratoga resident and AID volunteer Srividhya Venkataraman declared the purpose of the vigil. “We are gathered here … to mourn for the dead and to fight for the living.” She then went on to give a background about the disaster and the current status and many of the demands of the survivors that remain unfulfilled till today.
An estimated 8000 people died immediately after a poisonous gas, methyl isocynate, leaked from a Union Carbide facility on the midnight of December 2nd-3rd in 1984 due to malfunctioning safety systems. Over 20,000 people have died till date and many more are suffering from the long tem effects of the lethal gas. Survivors of the disaster are still struggling to secure their rights and for justice to be done. Their major demands are for Dow Chemicals (which bought Union Carbide in 2001) to accept all legal, moral, environmental and criminal liabilities that arise from the Bhopal disaster. These relate to the long term medical problems of the survivors, loss of livelihood due to disabilities caused, the environmental hazards due to the abandoned factory site in Bhopal that is now a toxic wasteland causing ground-water contamination, and to stand trial in the Bhopal courts for the charges pending against Union Carbide executives including its then CEO Warren Anderson (for which they have been proclaimed fugitives from justice by the Bhopal courts). The survivors also have a set of demands from the Indian government, including securing justice for the survivors by prosecuting the pending cases and implementing extradition proceedings against Anderson, the speedy distribution of balance of the compensation money amongst the survivors (a huge fraction of which lies in government coffers undisbursed to this day) and the release of medical studies conducted by the Indian Council of Medical Research that the government has blocked from being made public.
After this background was described at the vigil, another AID volunteer Rajesh Veeraraghavan informed the attendees that approximately 50 similar group actions were planned in 16 countries across the globe to commemorate the 19th anniversary of the disaster. Actions across the globe are being coordinated through a coalition called the International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal (ICJB). A vigil attendee, Sukesh Pai, read a hard-hitting poem “Torture Me” by a Bhopal survivor describing her agony and anger against the corporation responsible for her misery.
Huddled in a circle, the attendees also had the chance to hear a first person account from Vijay Rajvaidya who described his anxious moments in 1984 trying to find out about the well-being of his wife and then three month old son who were in Bhopal when the disaster happened. After some unsuccessful attempts at reaching top governmental officials and politicians he was helped by India’s army chief who personally inquired and informed Rajvaidya about his family’s safety. Rajvaidya who was then a student in the US on a limited income said that he was saddled with a huge phone bill and wrote to Union Carbide CEO Warren Anderson with a request for reimbursement. “Needless to say that I never heard anything from Union Carbide office...not even a note of sympathy.” Rajvaidya’s son was also present at the vigil.
The participants of the vigil, who came from various parts of India, pledged to take at least one action to express solidarity with the people of Bhopal who are struggling for their rights. They raised their candles while taking this pledge. Sunnyvale resident, Mathirajan Manoharan suggested two ideas. “One can write a letter to Dow chemicals and ask them to address the demands of the people of Bhopal and one can also write the Indian consulate and ask them to expedite the process of extradition of Warren Anderson.”
The Bay Area chapter of the Association for India’s Development is organizing a free screening of the Hindi-language feature film (with English subtitles) “Bhopal Express” on December 13th at the Naz Cinema multiplex in Fremont. For more information about the screening contact: Rajesh Veeraraghavan (isavida [at] yahoo.com).
About AID:
The Association for India's Development (AID) Inc. is a 501 (c)(3) charitable non-profit organization with over 35 chapters in the US. AID is committed to the cause of alleviating poverty in India measuring progress through the yard-sticks of self-reliance, people's involvement and volunteerism. AID supports projects that empowering poor and marginalized communities in India through various social developmental efforts in areas such as women's issues, education, literacy, micro-credit, community health, sustainable livelihoods, watershed development and environmental issues.
The Bay Area chapter of AID stands in solidarity with the survivors of the Bhopal disaster and is committed to generating awareness about the struggle and seeking justice for them.
Media contact for event details, photographs:
Venkataramani Arunachalam, Chapter President : (408) 396-2045
Srividhya Venkataraman: (408) 741-5072
Additional info:
Association for India’s Development
San Francisco Bay Area Chapter: http://www.aidsfbay.org
Main website: http://www.aidindia.org
Bhopal struggle related:
Website: http://www.bhopal.net
“Torture me” poem: http://www.bhopal.net/oldsite/tortureme.html
For more information:
http://www.bhopal.net
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Three thousand dead at Bhopal.
Sat, Dec 6, 2003 11:22AM
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