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What does it take to get a Minister to act?

January 19, 2006

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Greenpeace activists on vigil outside the Minister of Environment and Forests, bringing postcards signed by 3500 citizens, demanding that the Minister reject the Clemenceau unless fully decontaminated.

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Delhi, India — 10 Greenpeace activists. 10 barrels marked toxic. 3500 Indian citizens, from eight cities across the country. All urging the minister to do the right thing and send the Clemenceau back to France until it has been decontaminated. Speak now, Minister, or forever bear the guilt of having failed to perform your responsibility towards the environment and people of India.

At 10 am on 19 January 2006, Greenpeace activists line up outside the Ministry of Environment and Forests. On their banner, a simple demand – 'Don't make India a waste dump.' In front of them, ten barrels spell out the latest and largest threat to the environment and people of India – C L E M E N C E A U.

The minister's office informs us that he is 'unavailable' at present, but will probably agree to a brief meeting at 4 pm. Although it means several hours of standing vigil in the cold shadow of the ministry, all ten activists are willing to wait until the Minister personally accepts the thousands of postcards we bring.

Meanwhile, ministry officials, central government employees and curious bystanders all join the fight – coming up to sign the postcard demanding that Mr. Raja does the right thing.

Will he? Won't he?

Latest Update:

The Minister, Mr. A. Raja, met a delegation from Greenpeace and the Ban Asbestos Network at 4 pm today, 19^th January 2006, six hours after the Greenpeace demonstration outside his office began.

After listening to our submissions on exactly how the import of the ship without prior decontamination constitutes a violation of the Basel Convention, and hearing an account of asbestos-related diseases in France from Annie Thebaud-Mony of the Ban Asbestos Network, the Minister accepted our Memorandum, and three thousand five hundred postcards, including yours.

He ended the meeting by saying that the matter was being left to the Supreme Court to decide, though he did assure us that there would be no dilution of international or national laws.

Meanwhile, our signature campaign will continue, so if you haven’t signed a postcard yet, do so now! If you are hugely popular, and can muster over 500 signatures for us, contact us now and we will get a set across to you.

Also continuing is our pressure on the French government – so if you haven’t joined our cyberaction to stop the Clemenceau, click here now!

Curious about the Clemenceau? Read its brief but murky history here.

Click here for a chronology of protests against the Clemenceau.

Click here for the press release we issued at our demonstration this morning.