During the 1960's and 70's, Dutch company HVA International established and ran sugar factories in Ethiopia. Apparently, their activities resulted in toxic levels of fluoride appearing in the drinking water. Excessive fluoride causes dental and skeletal fluorosis. In the former, teeth are stained and the tooth emanel are pittled, while the latter leads to changes in bone structure and making them extremely weak and brittle. In its most severe cases it results in calcification of ligaments, immobility, muscle wasting, and neurological problems related to spinal cord compression. These are not reversible diseases.
According to its successor company (operating under the same name), when HVA International learned of the use of fluoride, it installed fluorination filters and later paid compensation to the Ethiopian government. The people from the affected areas, however, did not benefit from such measures.
A lone Wonji activist, Almaz Mequanint, has taken on their cause, appealing to the company and the United Nations. While I'm unable to ascertain what responsibility HVA may have, it is clear that the Ethiopian government has the obligation under international law to provide the affected population with reparations, including access to medical care. I have written to the authorities reminding them of such obligations and I urge you to do the same:
* Prime Minister, His Excellency Meles Zenawi, Office of the Prime Minister, P O Box 1031, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Fax:+ 251 1 552020 / 552030
* Ambassador Fisseha Yimer, Permanent Mission of Ethiopia to the United Nations in Geneva, 56 rue de Moillebeau, Case postale 338, 1211 Geneva 19, Switzerland, Email: mission.ethiopia@ties.itu.int / info@ethiopiamission.ch, Fax: +41 22 919 70 29
The horror in this story is about Wonji, Wonji/Shoa and Metehara victims, which are still suffering for four generations by the environmental pollution in Ethiopia. I strongly believe that HVA International, which is a Dutch-run giant company-which are still operating in many countries including in Africa had committed this horrible environmental crime.
HVA International was established in 1879 and started business activities in Indonesia. HVA had sugar factories in Java and rubber, fibers, tea and coffee estates in Sumatra. After the proclamation of Indonesian sovereignty in 1945 HVA suffered revolutionary turmoil in 1945 and 1946 and all Dutch assets was nationalized in 1958. So, HVA's next move was in Africa and in 1954 HVA established it's first sugar factory in Ethiopia in Wonji. Then in Wonji/Shoa and Metehara sugar factories were established in 1960 and 1968.
I grew up in Wonji and I got married and also my two children were born and raised there. What I found disturbing all those years was finding solutions and whom to blame. Most residents were suffering from teeth decay and severe skeletal fluorosis, osteoporosis, noise pollution, asbestos pollution, respiration problems, arthritic pain and decaying teeth caused by drinking water with excessive levels of fluoride. I am suffering from asthma caused by air pollution and had an operation on my left knee due to fluoride. My children's teeth most are decayed with a lot of cavities. My whole family and I are lifelong victims. Our conditions are irreversible. Many beautiful young boys and girls in Wonji when they smile reveal a good set of teeth discolored and decayed.
The Dutch knew in 1957 the existence of excess fluoride in the drinking water so in 1962 they installed two defluoridation plants in two villages where the Dutch family lived protecting themselves and exposing us. Then after the revolution in 1974 the Dutch knowing that they will be nationalized planted 10 deflouridated water to all villages. The huge damages to those communities were overwhelming because they were holding information for 17 years and warning us at the time of their departure about the poisonous water we were consuming. This is deliberate violation of trust and responsibility. Is this environmental crime or not?
The Dutch held a referendum and amended their constitution to prevent their water from being fluoridated in the Netherlands but when it comes to blacks, the poor and unfortunate they care less to protect. Employees in Wonji were used as disposable tools literally.
The irrigation system was designed to penetrate through our villages to the plantation and had caused mosquitos to produce and many children drowned but no questions were asked for those lost lives. Two workers were murdered in Metehara by a Dutch worker and the cause of death was claimed that they drowned in the Dutch swimming pool while trying to swim. But it was believed that they were killed outside and their bodies damped in the swimming pool such as a cover up.
All houses roofs are built by asbestos while asbestos was banned for may years in the Netherlands-and many are affected by this pollution. The sugar factories produce harmful waste and gases in the air. Instead of paving asphalt molasses was poured on to the streets, making them sticky to walk, foul smell, which attracted many flies in our villages.
The Dutch were living in a secluded area called "Shebo Gibi" means wired village. They built our village far from they lived. The Dutch also had their own school and club in their village. There was a cinema hall attached to their club and movies was seen by the Dutch on Tuesday and Saturday and we blacks are allowed to see movie on Wednesday and Sunday that means after the Dutch had seen the movies.
Another inhumane treatment of the Dutch was poor medical treatment. The Dutch were treated direct by a doctor while we have to go through nurse, health officer, then after 2-3 month we will be able to see a doctor. The hospital was divided in floors where the upper floors were for the white and the lower floors are for the blacks. The food and medicine given by the hospital varies as well. Very few educated black employees were allowed to use some facilities as the Dutch-such as housing and medical treatment. In the factories black employees were suffering countless physical and verbal abuses including losing their jobs with little or no reasons by their Dutch bosses. The living conditions in the camps where the sugarcane cutters live are horrendous. They were extremely filthy and riddled with mosquitoes, flies and other insects. All workers in those three sugar factories were given below minimum wage.
Moreover, when HVA and the Netherlands government were asked about my allegation by UN rapport 2004 they gave a very ugly statement mix of misinformation, propaganda, posturing, hypocrisy and denial. And the worst thing is that they stated that they paid undisclosed amount of money for the Ethiopian regime at the time for the fluoride victims. Why do they have to wait until they got nationalized to help the victims and secondly, why don't they gave it directly to the victims? Plus, how do they asses the number of the victims to pay reasonable amount of compensation. Their statement was rubbish and ridiculous-nobody with right mind will buy it.
The Ethiopian communist regime at that time who were given the money are not in power to testify and I guess this is a statement done by the Dutch as a fabrication to veil the truth and the guilt. It is at best stupid alibi, at worse very deceitful. Any way, we've been dehumanized and violated in unspeakable way. To prove all these I have a compelling evidence to prove their guilt. Here below is the website of the UN Rapport regarding Wonji.
E/CN.4/2004/46/Add.1 Page 11
http://www.unhchr.ch/Huridocda/Huridoca.nsf/e06a5300f90fa0238025668700518ca4/537cc11206078a27c1256e27003798aa/$FILE/G0317267.pdf and also please view this website,http://www.newint.org/issue363/dirty.htm, thank you.
I cannot stop thinking about the victims of Wonji until they get the justice they deserve as equal as any other human beings in this divisive planet. To combat evil and survive, between commitment and courage I urge you to investigate this matter further and to appeal and to confront this corporate polluter HVA International and attempt to instill accountability and remedy. These neglected victims especially by major western media I am wondering-what's going to be their fate? The answer is triple death sentence. The Dutch which their city is the Hague ironically the City of Peace and Justice, international criminal court, international convention, Unicef City in 2005/2006 and the home to over 150 international legal organizations are the human right violators of these poor and helpless victims. In my opinion, all those offices should be moved from the Hague to another country. What is luminously clear the response for their acts is for HVA and The Netherlands is: "Guilty!"
Sincerely,
Almaz Mequanint