Former Union Carbide Doctor and Disaster Survivor to Speak    

Boston, MA – Greater Boston Coalition for Justice in Bhopal members will march downtown Saturday carrying black coffins and shrouded bearers, as part of a nationwide action on the anniversary of the Bhopal Disaster, the world's worst industrial catastrophe. Environmental Justice organizer, Klare X. Allen will address the marchers at Park St, linking the lack of corporate accountability for Bhopal with the lack of Boston University accountability for its proposed Biolab project in Roxbury. Sunday, December 3rd, Dr. KumKum Modwel a former doctor for Union Carbide in Bhopal who quit due to safety concerns will be speaking at MIT from 3-5pm.

Six other cities will stage funeral processions and die-ins to raise awareness of daily survivor deaths in Bhopal. Concerned community members in Chicago, Washington, DC, and Midland, MI will present Dow Chemical Board members with orange prison jumpsuits to highlight the fugitive status of Union Carbide, a fully-owned subsidiary of Dow Chemical, in Indian Criminal Court.

On December 2, 1984, thousands of people in Bhopal, India, were gassed to death after a catastrophic chemical leak at a Union Carbide pesticide plant. Advocates say Carbide's owner Dow Chemical is to blame for daily deaths in Bhopal, due to its refusal to clean up the disaster site and provide adequate care to the survivors.

On Friday, December 1st, Amnesty International and Students for Bhopal advocates in New York City will kick off the action with a funeral procession in front of the Indian Consulate. Saturday, December 2 nd, is an international day of action called by disaster survivors who burn effigies of Dow's leadership and light candles to remember their lost family members. Groups in Austin, Boston, Bloomington, IN, Cincinnati and San Diego will re-enact funeral marches and die-ins to vividly remind the public that deaths continue in Bhopal, 22 years after the disastrous gas leak. Candlelight vigils and film screenings will be held in many more US cities including Ann Arbor, Princeton, NJ, Wesleyan, Baltimore, and Atlanta.

Ryan Bodanyi, Students for Bhopal US Coordinator commented, "Dow's 2001 purchase of Union Carbide transferred legal liability and moral culpability for the cleanup of contaminated waste in Bhopal to Dow. Carbide put a time bomb in the middle of a crowded city and called it an accident when it went off, changing their name does not remove their guilt nor their liabilities."

“Thousands continue to die in Bhopal. Yet, Dow wants to deny all responsibility and have the Indian government pay the millions of dollars needed to clean up their mess in Bhopal. This company put the people in harms way and this company should pay for clean up and face criminal charges for these deaths," said Namarata Bhasin a student at Boston University.

“State Street Bank is among the largest Dow Chemical shareholders, yet refuses to condemn Dow Chemical’s human rights abuses in Bhopal, or to vote in favor of an investor resolution on Bhopal. Dow’s CEO claims that shareholders come before all else, including human rights. Major shareholders like State Street vote the Dow’s recommendations or refuse to vote at all. Call it asleep at the wheel or passing the buck but, 22,000 people are dead in Bhopal and according to management no one should be held responsible those deaths.” Said Nate Stell of Amnesty International Group 133 of Somerville.

 â€œThe Bhopal Disaster survivors have pledged to fight for justice until they are all dead. Dow/Union Carbide has been waiting them out for 22 years. Dow and State Street Bank’s claim that they are only responsible for profit, not for their impact on human life, is as thin as the paper it is written on. No one - not a single felon nor a single corporation - should be allowed to get away with negligent homicide.” Said Kaveri Rajaram of Association for India’s Development – Boston Chapter.

Union Carbide's internal documents show the company cut corners on safety and maintenance in order to save money. The night of the Bhopal Disaster, none of the six safety systems at the Union Carbide plant were functional. Following a partial 1989 settlement, Union Carbide fled India, leaving behind unresolved criminal liabilities and several thousand metric tons of hazardous waste, which has poisoned the drinking water for 20,000 Bhopal residents. Dow Chemical Company claims it has no responsibility for the ongoing deaths. According to Amnesty International, Dow's behavior is a fundamental violation of the Bhopalis' human rights.  Eighteen members of the US Congress signed a letter to Dow in 2003, calling Dow's behavior a "blatant disregard for the law."

www.boston4bhopal.org - www.studentsforbhopal.org

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