Dear Editor,
There is American double standard relating to the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico and the deadly gas leak in Bhopal, India 26 years ago. President Barack Obama has cornered the UK-based oil giant, BP, to commit US$20 billion within two months of the disaster, without any cap, to an escrow account for the clean-up and compensation of victims in the Gulf region. The President also complained to the British government about BP. After 26 years, the American government is yet to force the American multinational, Union Carbide (now Dow Chemical) to offer meaningful compensation to the tens of thousands of victims in Bhopal. Even the US government has failed to offer much assistance to the Bhopal victims. This is hypocrisy at its worst.
The Bhopal gas leak was the worst industrial accident in history killing over 30,000 and injuring hundreds of thousands. The victims have had to suffer for 26 years now with minimal compensation from Dow Chemical. When the Union Carbide gas spill occurred, the American government was mostly silent about the issue and did not offer much assistance to the victims or cooperation for justice for the Indian victims. Being one of its multinationals, the US government moved to protect Union Carbide which was responsible for the industrial accident caused by negligence in much the same way that BP is responsible for the Gulf oil spill. Clearly what we have in India is a travesty of justice deviating in a major way from how Americans are being treated in their worst industrial disaster involving BP’s oil spill in the Gulf. I remember Exxon in the Exxon Valdez (Alaska) case being required by the US government to provide billions in dollars of compensation to Alaska for the oil spill. What happened in Bhopal was culpable homicide making a mockery of justice for crimes committed in different locations by companies due to negligence. Americans are going to get immediate relief from the BP oil disaster as mandated by President Obama but Indians will have to wait longer for a pittance.
The US President should instruct Dow to own up to its responsibilities abroad. The tens of thousands of victims in India need to get proper justice – fair compensation for loss of loved ones and for their long-term health problems.
As a lesson from the disasters in America and India, I would also like to suggest that poor countries like Guyana enact laws to hold companies liable for damage done to a country arising out of negligence. I recall there was a cyanide spill from gold dredging some years ago in the interior killing fish in the river and rendering the water unusable. Omai should have been held to account.
Yours faithfully,
Vishnu Bisram
