STOP Dow-Carbide in West Bengal

To:
The Members of the Polit Bureau
Communist Party of India (Marxist)
A.K. Gopalan Bhawan,
27-29, Bhai Vir Singh Marg
(Gole Market),New Delhi - 110001
Date: December 15, 2006

Subject: Open letter for disallowing American multinational Dow Chemical, owner of Killer Union Carbide, to invest in West Bengal

Dear Members of the Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist),

We, representatives of organizations of survivors of the Bhopal disaster and their supporters are writing to you to urge that you reject the proposed investment in West Bengal by the current owner of Union Carbide Corporation, American multinational The Dow Chemical Company.

As you must know Union Carbide has killed well over 20 thousand people in Bhopal and injured more than half a million by the leak of toxic gases in December 1984. You may also know that more than 25 thousand people living in the vicinity of the abandoned pesticide factory are being poisoned through contaminations in their ground water.

We are sure you are aware that Union Carbide Corporation is criminally charged with manslaughter, grievous assault and other serious offences and the company is absconding from the ongoing criminal case since 1992. Successive Indian Governments have failed to make any effort to enforce Carbide's appearance in Indian courts. We have recently presented evidence in the criminal court in Bhopal that the fugitive American corporation continues to sell its products, technologies and processes through Indian subsidiaries of The Dow Chemical Company with which it merged in 2001.

Like Union Carbide, Dow has left a trail of massacre and misery all over the world. It was the major supplier of Napalm and Dioxin-tainted Agent Orange used by the US military against communist Vietnam in the 1960s. Today more than 650,000 children suffer a range of physical and mental deformities as a result of Dow's poisons in Vietnam. In India Dow Chemical is producing Dursban, a pesticide that was withdrawn from the US market in 2000 because of its harmful effect on children's brains.

Rather than bring Union Carbide and Dow Chemical to own up to their responsibilities in Bhopal, the Indian Government has gone out of its way to facilitate Dow's business in India. Last year the Prime Minister directed the setting up of a Special Task Force in the Planning Commission to facilitate Dow Chemical's petrochemical investments in West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh.

Given the support by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and its allied groups to the 22 year long campaign for justice in Bhopal it would be indeed ironic and unfortunate if Dow Chemical were allowed to invest in CPM ruled West Bengal. We are hopeful that the CPM leadership will issue an unequivocal statement clarifying that Dow Chemical or any of its subsidiaries will not be entertained in West Bengal.

As we send this letter to you we are also releasing it to the media so as to communicate to the public the issue which we believe is of critical national and international importance particularly to the progressive people in our country and the world.

Please let us know if you would like us to send more information regarding this matter. We will appreciate an early response from you.

Yours sincerely,

Representatives of organizations of survivors of the Union Carbide disaster in Bhopal and their supporters.