INTERNATIONAL BOYCOTT OF COKE LAUNCHED

An International Boycott of Coke has kicked off in protest of Coca Cola's alleged complicity in the murders of Columbian bottling plant worker organizers, and Coke's disregard for enviornmental and health standards in India. <!--break--> June 22 marked the beginning of an international boycott of Coca-Cola called by the Colombian food and beverage trade union <a href="http://www.sinaltrainal.org"target="_blank">SINALTRAINAL</a> to protest what the union considers to be corporate complicity in the murders of nine union members and officers over the last thirteen years. The occasion was marked by marches, rallies and direct action in <a href="http://melbourne.indymedia.org/news/2003/07/51126.php"target="_blank">Australia</a> <a href="http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=60520"target="_blank">Ireland</a> <a href="http://indymedia.org.uk/en/2003/07/274568.html"target="_blank">England</a> and of course <a href="http://atlanta.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=19603">Atlanta</a>. <p> SINALTRAINAL has long maintained that Coke is among the most notorious employers in Colombia and that the company maintains open relations with murderous death squads as part of a program to intimidate trade union leaders. The Latin American Social Forum has issued a <a href=" http://www.terrelibere.it/cocacolacolombia_eng.htm"target="_blank">Declaration to stop Coke's violence</a> in Colombia and the world, detailing a comprehensive redress plan for the victims and a plan of action, including a year-long boycott.<br> <a href="http://colombia.indymedia.org/"target="_blank">Colombia Indymedia</a> <a href="http://www.cokewatch.org/"target="_blank">CokeWatch</a> <p> SINALTRAINAL has filed a law suit against Coca-Cola and its Colombian bottling plants under the US Alien Torts Act in cooperation with the <a href="http://www.uswa.org" target="_blank">United Steelworkers of America</a> and the <a href="http://www.laborrights.org" target="_blank">International Labor Rights Fund</a><p> <b>Coke's toxic reputation in India:</b><br> THE Greenpeace Environment Trust, the Indian arm of the international NGO, has urged the Kerala State Pollution Control Board to serve a <a href="http://sdnp.delhi.nic.in/resources/environment/news/bl-05-08-03-coke.html"target="_blank">15-day closure notice</a> on Coca-Cola India's bottling plant at Plachimada in Palakkad district due to reports of contaminated land and drinking water from Coke's <a href="http://atlanta.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=19806&group=webcast"target="_blank">toxic sludge by-product</a>.<br> Coke and Pepsi have exploited <a href="http://www.cseindia.org/html/press_releases/press_20030805.htm"target="_blank">India's weak government standards</a> for health and enviornmental regulations instead of upholding global standards.<br> <a href="http://www.cseindia.org"target="_blank">Centre for Science and Environment</a> is calling for independent testing of <a href="http://www.cseindia.org/html/press_releases/press_20030805_1.htm"target="_blank"> pesticide residue</a> found in bottled water and soda products produced by Coca Cola and Pepsi. The previous <a href="http://www.cseindia.org/html/press_release.htm"target="_blank">industry sponsored testing</a> found favorable results for the bottling companies. <br> <a href="http://www.cseindia.org/html/cola-indepth/index.htm"target="_blank">Background</a> info and <a href="http://www.cseindia.org/html/lab/comments.htm"target="_blank">complete lab report</a> from CSE. Key <a href="http://www.cseindia.org/html/cola-indepth/source_list.htm"target="_blank">resource persons</a> in Government, Regulatory Agencies and Industry you can contact for more information.

<p>An International Boycott of Coke has kicked off in protest of Coca Cola's alleged complicity in the murders of Columbian bottling plant worker organizers, and Coke's disregard for enviornmental and health standards in India. </p> <!--break--><p>June 22 marked the beginning of an international boycott of Coca-Cola<br /> called by the Colombian food and beverage trade union<br /> <a href="http://www.sinaltrainal.org" target="_blank">SINALTRAINAL</a> to protest what<br /> the union considers to be corporate complicity in the murders of nine<br /> union members and officers over the last thirteen years.<br /> The occasion was marked by marches, rallies and direct action in <a></a> href="http://melbourne.indymedia.org/news/2003/07/51126.php"target="_blank"&gt;Australia </p> <p><a href="http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=60520" target="_blank">Ireland</a> </p> <p><a href="http://indymedia.org.uk/en/2003/07/274568.html" target="_blank">England</a> and of course<br /> <a></a> href="http://atlanta.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=19603"&gt;Atlanta. </p> <p> SINALTRAINAL has long maintained that Coke is among the most notorious employers in Colombia and that the company maintains open relations with murderous death squads as part of a program to intimidate trade union leaders. The Latin American Social Forum has issued a <a href=" http://www.terrelibere.it/cocacolacolombia_eng.htm" target="_blank">Declaration to stop Coke's violence</a> in Colombia and the world, detailing a comprehensive redress plan for the victims and a plan of action, including a year-long boycott.<br /><br /> <a href="http://colombia.indymedia.org/" target="_blank">Colombia Indymedia</a> <a href="http://www.cokewatch.org/" target="_blank">CokeWatch</a> </p> <p> SINALTRAINAL has filed a law suit against Coca-Cola and its Colombian bottling plants under the US Alien Torts Act in cooperation with the <a href="http://www.uswa.org" target="_blank">United Steelworkers of America</a> and the <a href="http://www.laborrights.org" target="_blank">International Labor Rights Fund</a> </p><p><b>Coke's toxic reputation in India:</b><br /><br /> THE Greenpeace Environment Trust, the Indian arm of the international NGO, has urged the Kerala State Pollution Control Board to serve a <a href="http://sdnp.delhi.nic.in/resources/environment/news/bl-05-08-03-coke.html" target="_blank">15-day closure notice</a> on Coca-Cola India's bottling plant at Plachimada in Palakkad district due to reports of contaminated land and drinking water from Coke's <a href="http://atlanta.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=19806&amp;group=webcast" target="_blank">toxic sludge by-product</a>.<br /></p> <p>Coke and Pepsi have exploited <a href="http://www.cseindia.org/html/press_releases/press_20030805.htm" target="_blank">India's weak government standards</a> for health and enviornmental regulations instead of upholding global standards.<br /><br /> <a href="http://www.cseindia.org" target="_blank">Centre for Science and Environment</a> is calling for independent testing of <a href="http://www.cseindia.org/html/press_releases/press_20030805_1.htm" target="_blank"> pesticide residue</a> found in bottled water and soda products produced by Coca Cola and Pepsi. The previous <a href="http://www.cseindia.org/html/press_release.htm" target="_blank">industry sponsored testing</a> found favorable results for the bottling companies. <br /> </p> <p><a href="http://www.cseindia.org/html/cola-indepth/index.htm" target="_blank">Background</a> info and <a href="http://www.cseindia.org/html/lab/comments.htm" target="_blank">complete lab report</a> from CSE. Key <a href="http://www.cseindia.org/html/cola-indepth/source_list.htm" target="_blank">resource persons</a> in Government, Regulatory Agencies and Industry you can contact for more information.</p>