Chip

Just seen this on BBC news.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/4064527.stm

Typical of the US. Did very little to put things right when this tragedy happened. News compared it to WTC attack stating that was cleared immediately yet Bhopal has been barely touched in last 20 years and still contains deadly chemicals.

Nearly 20,000 died here and another 150,000 need medical treatment for life,about time the US paid some proper compensation to these people.

Chip

Jer

Yea, I watched the Documentary the other night. It's disgusting how they treated people. Most big American companies are the same.

ProperCharlie

Radio 2 news inadvertently read a hoax statement this morning, claiming to be from Union carbide. The statement announced, among other things, that UC took full responsibility for the disaster, and had created a multi billion dollar fund to care for the 150,000 people who were left permanently incapacitated by the accident. Later they had to put out a bulletin stating that the earlier report was incorrect, and did not come form UC. Quite funny, if the subject wasn't so disturbing.

harvey

iTrader: (48)

Chip, the BBC have been scammed. I think you listened to an interview purporting to come from the conglomerate that now owns what used to be Union Carbide. The "company" spokesman gave details of a huge compensation package etc. etc. etc.
It now turns out to have been a scam by one of the action groups involved in highlighting the history of the disaster etc. etc.

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

What????? An AMERICAN comapny not acting ethically???
Surely not??????????

Sarcasm mode: off

Alcazar

Brendan Hughes

I mentioned this to a number of people since the invasion of Afghanistan. US lives? Worth millions. Bunch of funny ethnics? They don't count.

The_Gza

Sad- but true

Suresh

Very sad situation there in Bhopal.

Didn't see the BBC doc, but I recall that the Indian government accepted an immediate but meagre sum in full and final settlement from UC and agreed not to sue in the U.S. Not sure that this sum ever reached the people it was intended for anyway.. If the Indian Government seemingly couldn't give a flying **** about their own population, what can you expect from a U.S. conglomerate???

My experience of India is very much that's it's an 'I'm alright Jack' culture. You can sit in a restaurant in Mumbai full of bmw-driving yuppies and yet come out and fall over beggars who live there in the street. The yuppies couldn't give a toss about their own people, so the beggars only bother anyone with a western appearance. I've seen it with my own eyes and had the feeling of why should I bother to help when their own middle class don't?

Sad.

Suresh

The_Gza

Apparently the head honcho of Union Carbide is still wanted under an extradition treaty in India but the US have effectively ignored requests for him to be extradited to India to face trial - India haven't pushed for it due to the amount of inward investment from US companies...

gsm1

That's the major problem. If you're a rich nation you can buy your way out.

gsm1

Mumbai (Bombay..whatever) doesn't typify India. It's a million miles away from the rest of India - I believe real estate there is more expensive per square foot than in Manhattan, New York.

When I was in India (in Delhi and Punjab) it was only Indians who actually gave any money to beggars. All the tourists/westerners wouldn't give anything, not necessarily because they're mean but they're all advised not to.

Leslie

Its the sort of thing that companies do automatically these days. Just too greedy to face up to their responsibilities when they screw up.

I still remember SW Water when the Aluminium Sulphate was dropped into the water supply due managerial incompetence and affected so many people very seriously. They will almost certain get Alzheimer's disease at an early age. The water company denied everyting, tipped the poison into the river to try to get away with it, thus killing all the wild life.

They get protected by the authorities too and it was a shameful episode just like the Bhopal tragedy.

can't think why that sort of thing is allowed to happen.

I am getting fed up of all the whitewashing these days.

Les

class_A

Have a look at the article on Wikipedia about the Bhopal disaster http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhopal_Disaster

It includes a piece about the fake employee the BBC interviewed.