More like this
Toxic row for Obama after Bhopal email is leaked
White House accused of double standards as Obama aide appears to issue threat over compensation
As Barack Obama's administration was attacking BP over the Gulf of Mexico oil spill (death toll: 15), one of the president's most trusted advisers was writing an email to an Indian official in which it was implied that if the New Delhi government did not shut up about the 1984 Bhopal gas leak (death toll: up to 16,000), there might be a "chilling effect" on investment.
The Bhopal tragedy (above), in which deadly methyl isocyanate gas leaked from the US-owned Union Carbide pesticide plant in the central Indian city, remains the world's worst industrial accident. Up to 16,000 people were killed and another 558,125 injured. Chemicals from the plant are believed still to be contaminating groundwater supplies in the area.
Five years after the tragedy, Union Carbide agreed to pay $470 million in compensation to the victims. The company was bought by another US company, Dow Chemical, in 2001, which claimed the affair had been resolved.
However, the Bhopal Medical Appeal says Union Carbide remains liable for "environmental devastation", because it was not included in the 1989 settlement. And the Indian government is reportedly deciding whether Dow should be held liable for an additional $200m in compensation.
The current furore is the result of an email exchange obtained by India's Times Now television channel.
Montek Singh Ahluwalia, deputy chairman of the Indian Planning Commission, wrote to Obama's Deputy National Security Adviser Michael Froman to lobby for US backing in India's application for World Bank funds.
In the course of the exchange, which neither side has denied, Froman writes: "While I've got you, we are hearing a lot of noise about the Dow Chemical issue. I trust that you are monitoring it carefully.
"I am not familiar with all the details, but I think we want to avoid developments which put a chilling effect on our investment relationship."
The exchange has been taken in India as implying that US backing could be relied upon only if India pulled back from its pursuit of further damages from Dow.
Following the fuss over the BP oil spill, and the establishment of a $20bn compensation fund for people affected by it, critics are suggesting that the Obama administration believes the lives of Indians are cheaper than the livelihoods of Louisiana shrimpers.
The International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal said the leaked email showed the US government was "not pursuing the same levels of accountability from American Dow Chemical as it has from BP" and that it "values profit over people, when the profit benefits American corporations".
Froman has denied suggestions of intimidation, saying: "I want to make clear that I was not making any link between what are two separate and distinct issues nor issuing a 'threat' of any sort."
President Obama is due to visit India in November. With New Delhi already upset at the arming of Pakistan by the US, the president can ill afford a poisonous and intractable issue such as Bhopal to dominate headlines. ·
Comments are now closed on this article
Comments
Barry Cash--you can help pressure the U.S. Government by emailing the State Department. Please find contact info here: http://www.state.gov/ When the International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal (ICJB) took action after the Froman-Ahluwalia email chain was leaked, Froman's office usually directed us to the State Dept. Visit http://www.studentsforbhopal.org/ (the U.S. ICJB site) for more information on how to get involved.
These types of things again show the meanness of government. First thing they had to take action at that particular moment but they donâ??t after few years they decided to pay compensation but for what. Can this compensation now return back all the things to those victims and their families?
Americans are much better people than their government which is a disgrace to humanity.
This is further proof that the majority of major international companies' only interest is profit, and never mind the little guy. And if the little guy happens to be anything other that a WASP, he or she matters even less. As trebornos rightly said - hypocrisy
Obama or Showbama, it does not really matter. USA administration officials are always like this. They always threat other governments to get US companies out of trouble. Indian's need to realise that they do not need any investment from USA. What is meant by investment from the USA? Some dollars? USA needs to invest those dollars created out of thin air by the Federal Reserve to get real goods and services in return. Indian companies should try to raise money from domestic market. Indian government should issue as much Rupee via Reserve Bank of India (wholly owned by the Government) as needed for its functioning. No need for any foreign investment. Just barter goods and services and by pass dollar ompletely.
Yes. I'm glad it's been raised again. For a long time I've thought the people of Bhopal have had a raw deal. Does anyone know how we could help? Is there an e-mail address that I could send a message of support that Obama would hear about, for example?
I'm just so very, very pleased that this matter is seeing the light of day across the media again. The appalling hypocrisy of the US government has been sickening.