Another Bhopal?

Dear Friends,
I received the following e-mail via Valerie Joy, clerk of FWCC- Asia/ West Pacific Section, and Devdas Shrisunder.  While I am not advocating signing the Greenpeace petition (which may be majorly used to harvest names of potential donors), this nuclear liability bill is an issue of eco-justice.   In the 2 minute Youtube, Satinath Sarangi speaks on the proposed legislation to limit liability for an Indian nuclear power plant accident to $1/2 billion. 

I have met "Sathyu" a few times in Bhopal, once with Carolyn Schodt, Vanessa Julye, and Beth Georgian during our 2008 trip.  In addition to helping lakhs (several 100,000) of people requiring medical assistance, he and his organization, Sambhavna, helped Archana Gour and her sisters file the papers necessary to be registered as "gas victims." 

The Bhopal Union Carbide leak has been called the largest industrial accident in the history of humankind.  Five Past Midnight in Bhopal is one fascinating depiction of what happened when Carbide lost track of its fiduciary responsibility to benefit society and not just shareholders. 

Devdas Shrisunder, a member of Bhopal Yearly Meeting who will be studying at Pendle Hill for the fall term with the assistance of India Friends Working Group, was among the thousands of Bhopal residents who assisted in the aftermath of the leak.  More than 25 years later, this tragedy continues.  The people of India wish to avert future industrial disasters.  They need our help.  We need each other.

In faith - Viv Hawkins

Valerie Joy

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--- On Fri, 11/6/10

Subject: Stop Another Bhopal
To: shridevdas

Date: Friday, 11 June, 2010, 2:13 PM

Hi ,

What a shame! The Bhopal judgement is so unfair! The real culprits are free and the ones punished are already out on bail.

After all this our government is still bent on appeasing foreign corporations. It is only considering some cosmetic changes in the nuclear liability bill. The proposed nuclear liability bill allows foreign corporations to get away by paying a meagre compensation in case of a nuclear accident in our country.

We have to stop another Bhopal in the making. Over 1.8 lakh people, including me, have already signed the petition asking Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to stop the bill in its current form. More signatures will make the opposition to this bill stronger.

Check out this video and then add your signature to this petition.

http://www.greenpeace.org/india/stop-another-bhopal?tyf=1

The petition says: India must hold a public consultation before changing the liability rules for any nuclear accidents caused by U.S. corporations.

Thanks!

paliakara