Bhopal, 20 years on.

Greenpeace activists around the world are remembering the world’s
worst industrial disaster, twenty years after a toxic gas leak killed
and maimed thousands in the Indian city of Bhopal (1). Bearing candles
and photos of people stricken by the poisonous gas leak, the activists
are calling on DOW Chemical to take full responsibility for Bhopal.

"Twenty years on, people in Bhopal are still suffering because DOW
Chemical refuses to take responsibility for their welfare or for the
toxic waste that is still poisoning their land and water (2).
Thousands around the world are remembering Bhopal and what its stands
for today - the danger of the chemical age, double standards and lack
of accountability of multi-national corporations," said Vinuta Gopal,
Greenpeace campaigner in Bhopal.

Greenpeace activists in fifteen countries, and seven Indian cities,
including Bhopal, will hold candlelight vigils and form human chains.
In Switzerland, they will deliver an exact replica of the memorial
statue in Bhopal to the DOW European headquarters in Zurich. Photo
exhibitions showing people impacted by the poisoned gas and the
contamination of the site are being held in Belgium, France,
Australia, India, Slovakia and China, among others.

"In an increasingly globalised world, there is a need for corporations
like DOW to use consistent standards around the world and take
responsibility for their operations. If this disaster had happened in
Europe or the US, the site would have been cleaned and the people
fully compensated. We demand that DOW takes full responsibility for
the horrendous disaster in Bhopal", Gerd Leipold, Greenpeace
International Executive Director will say at a seminar on Bhopal and
corporate accountability in Brussels on December 3rd.

Greenpeace and International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal (ICJB) (3)
are demanding that DOW, the multinational chemical leader, pays for
the health treatment of the survivors, cleans up the large stockpiles
of dangerous poisons left behind at the factory site since the
disaster and cleans up the contaminated underground water. They are
also calling for international corporate accountability legislation to
make sure disasters like Bhopal never happen again.

For more information please contact:

Vinuta Gopal, Greenpeace India campaigner in Bhopal, + 91 98 45535418
Zeina Al-Hajj, Greenpeace International campaigner, + 31 6 531 28904
Cecilia Goin, Greenpeace International media officer, +31 6 212 96908
For photos, Laura Lombardi: +31 6 46 16 20 09; for video, Hester van
Meurs: + 31 6 29 00 11 35


Schedule of activities:


Bangalore

December 2, 7.00 pm to midnight

JOIN THE CANDLE LIGHT VIGIL on the night of Dec 2, 7-12pm at the
Mahatma Gandhi Statue on MG Road, Bangalore, near Chinnaswamy Stadium
PAINT THE SOLIDARITY CANVAS on Dec 2nd night, 7-12pm at the same venue as above.
SIGN the petition in support of the International campaign for Justice
for Bhopal.

December 3, 11.00 am to 2.00 pm

JOIN THE DHARNA on Dec 3rd morning 11 am to 2 pm at the same venue as above.
PAINT THE SOLIDARITY CANVAS on Dec 3rd morning, 11.00 am to 2.00pm at
the same venue as above.
SIGN the petition in support of the International campaign for Justice
for Bhopal.


Chennai

December 3, 11am to 1 pm

Human Chain from Gandhi statue to Light house

December 3, 2pm to 5pm

Bhopal Show
Venue - Diocese Pastoral Centre, New # 25, Rosary Church Rd (Kutcherry
Road) towards Santhome End. Mylapore, Chennai-4.


Hyderabad

December 2, 5.30pm to 9pm

Candle light vigil Tank bund (nr. Mullaji’s statue)


Delhi

December 2nd, 9.00 pm to 10 pm

Screening of ’Miles to Go’ at Greenpeace Delhi office followed by the
candle light vigil at the park opposite the Greenpeace Delhi office: B
1/66, Safdarjung Enclave, Delhi 29.

December 3rd, 2.00 pm to 6:30 pm

CANDLE LIGHT VIGIL at Amar Jawan jyoti,’C’ park India Gate


Pune

December 3rd, 7:30 pm - 8.30 pm

CANDLE LIGHT VIGIL, at Balgandharva Rang Mandir.


Chandigarh

December 3rd, 2.30pm - 6pm

Non-voilent protest & candle light vigil at Sector 17 Plaza.


Mumbai

December 3rd, 7:30 pm - 9.00 pm

CANDLE LIGHT VIGIL, in front of the Gateway of India.

Bhopal

Take part in 4 day activities - we will have a booth to showcase GP
work on Bhopal on one day


Kanpur

Dec 1st to 3rd

Raghu Rai Photo exhibition at IIT Kanpur at the International
Conference on the 20th Anniversary of Bhopal Gas Tragedy

"Bhopal and its Effects on Process Safety"


(1). On the night of December 2-3rd 1984, forty tons of lethal gases
leaked from a pesticide factory in Bhopal, owned by Union Carbide, now
DOW Chemicals. The disaster has killed up to 20,000 people and left at
least 150,000 chronically ill to date. Survivors and their children
continue to suffer long-term health effects ranging from cancer and
tuberculosis to birth defects and chronic fevers. (2). A further
20,000 people remain at risk of being poisoned by toxic waste that has
been abandoned at the site since the disaster. The toxic chemicals
include carbon tetrachloride and other persistent organic pollutants
and heavy metals such as mercury, according to the scientific findings
of Greenpeace in 1999, 2002 and 2004. (3). http://www.bhopal.net