VOA标准英语2009年-Bhopal Gas Victims Still Await Justice

India is marking the 25th anniversary of the leak at the Union Carbide pesticide¹ plant in the city of Bhopal. The victims have generally been left in a legal haze² since the ill-fated night (Dec. 2, 1984) when a toxic³-gas cloud spread across the central Indian city.

Steve Herman | New Delhi 03 December 2009

Children put candles on the ground during a candle light vigil on eve of 25th anniversary disaster, in Bhopal, 2 Dec 2009

"We are cautiously hopeful that the American courts will see that Union Carbide is playing a game here," New York-based lawyer Rajan Sharma said.

India is marking the 25th anniversary of the leak at the Union Carbide pesticide plant in the city of Bhopal.  The victims have generally been left in a legal haze since the ill-fated night (Dec. 2, 1984) when a toxic-gas cloud spread across the central Indian city.

Victims of the gas leak, accompanied by family members and supporters, took to the streets of Bhopal to demand long-delayed justice.

They want accountability for the deaths of thousands of people and the ill effects suffered by - in the Indian government's estimate - a half million individuals.

There have been numerous civil and criminal cases, filed in India and the United States. 

Warren Anderson, 88, who was then chairman of Union Carbide, faces manslaughter charges in India. The United States, five years ago, rejected India's request to extradite him.

A nearly one-half-billion dollar settlement was paid by Union Carbide to the Indian government in 1989.  Disabled survivors⁴ say what eventually trickled⁵ down to them, amounting to an average of a few cents a day since the tragedy, is woefully inadequate⁷ to pay medical bills and replace lost income.

India's prime minister, Manmohan Singh, commented in a statement that the victims "can never really be fully⁶ compensated⁸."

Mobile protest truck in New Delhi marking 25th anniversary of Bhopal gas leak.

The parent company of the Indian subsidiary was bought by Dow Chemical of the United States in 1999.  Dow maintains all legal liabilities were settled with that one-time payment.

New York-based lawyer Rajan Sharma, who represents Bhopal plaintiffs in a groundwater contamination case, filed in 1999, disputes Dow's stance.

"The U.S. Court of Appeals has rejected that argument at least four times," Sharma said.  "There is absolutely no doubt the present-day litigation that concerns environmental pollution stemming from the Bhopal plant is completely outside the scope of the 1989 settlement."

Sharma, speaking to VOA from Bhopal, says he hopes American judges will rule the plant's original owner is legally responsible, no matter how much time has passed.

"We are cautiously hopeful that the American courts will see that Union Carbide is playing a game here whereby it will not submit to the jurisdiction⁹ of India's courts.  It will not allow India to apply its own laws to address this problem.  The American courts will see that if they do not address this Union Carbide will essentially¹⁰ to have been allowed or permitted to escape liability altogether."

Dow declined VOA's requests for an interview.

Anti-Dow Chemical petition signed by Delhi college students.

Union Carbide claimed a disgruntled employee sabotaged¹¹ the plant, causing the leak of tons of toxic gases.  Activists¹² contend a faulty plant design or neglect was to blame.

Union Carbide documents no one has bothered to remove remain at the neglected site inside buildings with broken doors and smashed windows.  Lawyers and activists say the files, could be pertinent¹³ to the lingering legal cases.

Telegrams and other papers obtained by VOA from the site discuss leaks and other problems at the facility prior to the December 1984 disaster.  The full picture is slowly vanishing, however.  Security guards on the site say they use the remaining documents to light fires on chilly¹⁴ nights.

 

1 pesticide   

n.杀虫剂，农药

参考例句：

• The pesticide was spread over the vegetable plot.菜田里撒上了农药。
• This pesticide is diluted with water and applied directly to the fields.这种杀虫剂用水稀释后直接施用在田里。

2 haze   

n.霾，烟雾；懵懂，迷糊；vi.(over)变模糊

参考例句：

• I couldn't see her through the haze of smoke.在烟雾弥漫中，我看不见她。
• He often lives in a haze of whisky.他常常是在威士忌的懵懂醉意中度过的。

3 toxic   

adj.有毒的，因中毒引起的

参考例句：

• The factory had accidentally released a quantity of toxic waste into the sea.这家工厂意外泄漏大量有毒废物到海中。
• There is a risk that toxic chemicals might be blasted into the atmosphere.爆炸后有毒化学物质可能会进入大气层。

4 survivors   

幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The survivors were adrift in a lifeboat for six days. 幸存者在救生艇上漂流了六天。
• survivors clinging to a raft 紧紧抓住救生筏的幸存者

5 trickled   

v.滴( trickle的过去式和过去分词 )；淌；使)慢慢走；缓慢移动

参考例句：

• Blood trickled down his face. 血从他脸上一滴滴流下来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The tears trickled down her cheeks. 热泪一滴滴从她脸颊上滚下来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

7 inadequate   

adj.(for,to)不充足的，不适当的

参考例句：

• The supply is inadequate to meet the demand.供不应求。
• She was inadequate to the demands that were made on her.她还无力满足对她提出的各项要求。

8 compensated   

补偿，报酬( compensate的过去式和过去分词 )； 给（某人）赔偿（或赔款）

参考例句：

• The marvelous acting compensated for the play's weak script. 本剧的精彩表演弥补了剧本的不足。
• I compensated his loss with money. 我赔偿他经济损失。

9 jurisdiction   

n.司法权，审判权，管辖权，控制权

参考例句：

• It doesn't lie within my jurisdiction to set you free.我无权将你释放。
• Changzhou is under the jurisdiction of Jiangsu Province.常州隶属江苏省。

10 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

11 sabotaged   

阴谋破坏（某事物）( sabotage的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The main pipeline supplying water was sabotaged by rebels. 供水主管道被叛乱分子蓄意破坏了。
• They had no competition because competitors found their trucks burned and sabotaged. 他们之所以没有竞争对象，那是因为竞争对象老是发现自己的卡车遭火烧或被破坏。 来自教父部分

12 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 pertinent   

adj.恰当的；贴切的；中肯的；有关的；相干的

参考例句：

• The expert made some pertinent comments on the scheme.那专家对规划提出了一些中肯的意见。
• These should guide him to pertinent questions for further study.这些将有助于他进一步研究有关问题。

14 chilly   

adj.凉快的，寒冷的

参考例句：

• I feel chilly without a coat.我由于没有穿大衣而感到凉飕飕的。
• I grew chilly when the fire went out.炉火熄灭后，寒气逼人。