Rajan Sharma, the lead attorney representing the survivors of the world's worst industrial disaster, said: "The legal struggle to hold Union Carbide accountable for its conduct in Bhopal continues."

The lawsuit also demands that Union Carbide clean up the drinking water supply of at least 16 neighbourhoods near the plant. "We have prevailed twice before in the US Court of Appeals."

Several events are being held worldwide to mark the 20th anniversary of the disaster, including a new book by Jack Doyle released here this week.

The book chronicles the last century of Dow Chemical's toxic chemical production, including Agent Orange, Dioxin, the pesticide Dursban, Silicone breast implants and the acquisition of Union Carbide's still-unresolved Bhopal legacy. Union Carbide was taken over in 2001 by Dow Chemicals.

The book, "Trespass Against Us: Dow Chemical and the Toxic Century" has been described by Gary Cohen, executive director of the Environmental Health Fund, as: "'Trespass Against Us' exposes the dark truth of how Dow Chemical's poisons have invaded every aspect of our lives. For more than 100 years, Dow has operated under a business model where people and their health are expendable."

The Boston Common Asset Management investors have filed a shareholder resolution with Dow Chemical addressing its liability for the Bhopal disaster. The resolution requests that Dow quantify and analyse the impact that the Bhopal disaster may reasonably pose to the company, its reputation, its finances, and its expansion elsewhere.

The resolution was filed on behalf of the Brethren Benefit Trust, Inc. and other investors including the Grand Rapids Dominicans, the Sisters of Mercy Regional Community of Detroit and the Sisters of the Holy Cross of Notre Dame.

Four new documentaries were aired this week to highlight the ongoing suffering of the people of Bhopal and the demands being made on Dow Chemical. "One Night in Bhopal" was aired Wednesday on BBC, "Bhopal - The Search for Justice" was shown on Canadian Broadcast Corporation Thursday, "Litigating Disaster" was aired on Link TV Tuesday and "Twenty Years Without Justice: The Bhopal Chemical Disaster" is screening on the web (http://bhopal.strategicvideo.net) and on college campuses.

Students at over 50 US colleges and universities will be organizing protests, vigils, documentary screenings and other events to demand that Dow resolve its responsibilities in Bhopal. "Students are outraged," said Ryan Bodanyi, a student coordinator.

"They don't want their colleges and universities accepting money from a corporation that maintains its profit margins by poisoning people and blithely standing aside as they suffer. Dow-Carbide should expect these protests to continue and intensify."

Amnesty International released a report this week outlining how human rights have been violated on a massive scale in Bhopal, including people's rights to life and health. The report examines responsibilities of Union Carbide Corporation for storing ultra-hazardous chemicals in bulk; failing to set up an emergency plan to warn local residents; ignoring warnings about the possibility of a chemical reaction similar to that which caused the leak; and withholding information critical to the medical treatment of the victims.

--Indo-Asian News Service