ASIA SEEN AS DUMP SITE FOR TOXIC WASTE by Bangkok Post BANGKOK, Thailand, 12 February 2000 -- Asian countries have become destinations for toxic waste from rich countries, a development encouraged by Unctad, according to Greenpeace and the Basel Action Network. Representatives of the two groups, who rallied at the Democracy Monument, said Unctad was undermining the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movement of Hazardous Waste and Their Disposal, by keeping toxic waste dumping alive. They also blamed Unctad for eroding the fundamental rights of third world people to a clean environment by encouraging their countries to receive toxic waste from rich countries. "Democracy is about people's right to free choice, and not the corporations' right to free trade which seems to be the way that Unctad interprets things," said Tara Buakamsri, Greenpeace's local toxic campaigner. Greenpeace representatives will deliver a report on "Unctad's role in fostering toxic waste trade" at the Unctad meeting. The movement will be represented by Mr Tara, Nityanand Jayaraman, another toxic campaigner, and international campaigner Marcelo Furtado. The report will outline several recent cases of hazardous waste dumping in Asia, such as the export of toxic ships-for- scrap to India and China, and contaminated lead waste to Thailand and the Philippines. Greenpeace would ask Unctad to reshape its role on the toxic waste trade, and that rich countries like Japan, the United States, Canada and Australia take care of their own waste. In 1996, Unctad presented a report characterising the ban on trade of hazardous waste under the Basel Convention as an obstacle to the global recycling trade, according to Mr Furtado. That implied developing nations operating the recycling businesswould be affected by the convention, he said. FAIR USE NOTICE. This document contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. The Basel Action Network is making this article available in our efforts to advance understanding of ecological sustainability and environmental justice issues. We believe that this constitutes a `fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond `fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. More News