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By Fakir Hassen Rashida Bee, a survivor of the Bhopal gas tragedy, is at the Earth Summit, carrying a broom. Bee, who has been campaigning ceaselessly for justice for the Bhopal victims, hopes to hand over the broom to the head of multinational Dow Chemicals, in a symbolic suggestion that they clean up the mess they've left behind
Rashida Bee, a survivor of the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy, carries a broom when she speaks at meetings in Johannesberg linked to the World Summit on Sustainable Development beginning August 26. Bee, who lost most of her family in the gas leak that killed hundreds that very night, is one of the activists taking part in the Global Peoples Forum organised by civil society to run parallel with the 10-day summit. She hopes to be able to hand the broom over to the head of multinational company Dow Chemicals -- which took over Union Carbide -- as a symbolic move to suggest they should sweep away the mess his company left behind in Bhopal. Her weathered features show the battle Bee has waged for years in an attempt to get justice for the victims of the Bhopal tragedy, the world's worst industrial disaster. Union Carbide owned the Bhopal pesticide plant, which emitted tonnes of lethal methyl iso-cyanate (MIC) gas in the heart of the central Indian city on the night of December 2-3, killing about 1,750 people instantly. The death toll has since climbed to several thousands and left many more maimed for life. Activists say the victims have not been adequately compensated for their suffering. Dow Chemicals later took over Union Carbide's assets but refused to accept responsibility for its liabilities in respect of Bhopal. As the head of the Gas Peedith Mahila Stationery Karamchari Sangh (Gas-Affected Women's Stationery Workers' Association) in Bhopal, Bee promotes the cause of women who were most seriously affected by the gas leak. "Now 18 years later, we are still finding children being born without lips, noses or ears. Sometimes complete hands are missing, and women have severe reproductive problems. The result is that women are discriminated against through no fault of their own," Bee told a gathering at the Brixton mosque here after Friday prayers. She emphasised they are not looking for South African and world support through financial contributions only, but also for moral support to strengthen their case against Dow Chemicals. "On August 15 we launched the 'Jaroo Maro Dow' (Hit Dow with a Broom) campaign in India. This is to remind Dow Chemicals that it has a lot of mess to clean up in Bhopal. It has to clean up the contamination; take responsibility for long-term medical care, economic rehabilitation of the people and answer the criminal charges that it has inherited from Union Carbide," said Bee. "We want to hand over this broom to Bill Stavrapoulus, president of Dow, who is expected to play a major role at the Earth Summit through his involvement in the World Business Council on Sustainable Development." Bee also addressed a gathering attended by a number of delegates from all over the world who have arrived here to participate in the Global People's Forum. She was joined by Satinath Sarangi, who was so moved by the Bhopal deaths that he gave up his studies at Benaras University to go and help there as a volunteer. He ended up establishing the Sambhavna Clinic in Bhopal. Sarangi explained how the clinic faced tremendous difficulties because Union Carbide would not release the findings of research studies into the gas leak and its effects. "It has done many tests that remain unpublished on the claim that they are trade secrets. Because of that there is no treatment, except for irrational drugs being used in Bhopal. "We are trying non-drug therapies like yoga and ayurveda, which we are finding very effective. We are using a combination of modern medicine with it while we undertake the research that has been abandoned by everyone, including the Indian government." Sarangi said girls affected as teenagers in 1984 were now experiencing a range of reproductive health problems, including menopause coming in as early as 25 or 30. (Indo-Asian News Service) (InfoChange News & Features, August 2002)
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