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No More Bhopals: Not Here, Not Anywhere

Nov 26 2004

Friday the 3^rd December 2004 marks the 20th anniversary of the world's worst peacetime chemical disaster and has been declared an international day for corporate accountability. Friends of the Earth England Wales and Northern Ireland joins the International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal [1] in calling for justice for Bhopal survivors.

Friends of the Earth also wants to see a legally binding international framework which would ensure that companies have legal liability for impacts on communities and the environment, which could help prevent disasters like Bhopal from ever happening again. The UK Government could lead the way by implementing changes to UK law to make British companies more responsible for their impacts on the environment and on society.

Many multinational companies, like Union Carbide/Dow Chemicals, claim to be implementing voluntary codes of conduct that improve their performance. But, when disaster strikes, companies often do all they can to escape liability. In cases like Bhopal, where Union Carbide and CEO Warren Anderson have evaded the Indian courts, communities need to be able to seek redress through other avenues. Friends of the Earth is proposing Foreign Direct Liability measures which would allow and enable communities to seek redress in the company's home courts.

Friends of the Earth's Corporates Campaigner, Hannah Griffiths, said:

"The Bhopal disaster is an appalling example of environmental injustice and corporate irresponsibility. The horror is compounded by Union Carbide's callous dismissal of its liabilities and responsibilities. In the wake of its response to Bhopal, the company's claim that it has worked voluntarily to "develop and implement strict safety and environmental standards" sounds hollow and insincere.

"The example of Bhopal shows how for a company like Union Carbide, voluntary measures are simply not good enough. Communities need to be able to hold companies legally liable. It is time for governments to learn the lessons of Bhopal and prevent a re-run of this atrocity"

Notes

[1] www.bhopal.net

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