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INTERNATIONAL PRESSURE GROWS TO PERMANENTLY CLOSE COKE BOTTLING PLANT IN PLACHIMADA For Immediate Release: Contacts: BOSTON and OTTAWA--This week, hundreds of people across North America are calling on Coca-Cola to permanently close its bottling plant in Plachimada, India. Coke drains water from communities throughout India to make soft drinks and bottled water. This irresponsible and dangerous practice causes serious harm to people's health and the environment. Activists are contacting Coke by phone, fax and email to show solidarity with the people from Plachimada calling for the plant's permanent closure, and to support the local authorities' efforts to defend their right to water. "There is a growing movement around the world calling for Coke to end its abusive actions," says Corporate Accountability International Executive Director Kathryn Mulvey. "Our members in the US are joining with community leaders and allies in India to demand that Coke permanently close its plant in Plachimada, and then pay back communities for the damage it has caused." Last week, 700 villagers gathered outside of Coke's plant in Plachimada to prevent the soft drink giant from re-starting operations there. Police arrested hundreds of people during the non-violent demonstration. Yesterday, local authorities denied Coke's license to re-start operations in Plachimada. In Plachimada, people have protested Coke's abuses for more than three years. In 2003, Coke's plant was closed to protect local people's access to water. However, the corporation has tremendous political and economic clout in the region and around the world, and won a recent court ruling that could pave the way for Coke to re-open the plant and continue to deplete the local water supply. "The people of Plachimada vow to continue their struggle to keep the Coke plant closed and to ensure their access to water," explains Polaris Institute Executive Director Tony Clarke. "Across North America and around the world, people are joining in solidarity with the people of Plachimada in their battle against Coke." # # # Corporate Accountability International, formerly Infact, is a membership organization that protects people by waging and winning campaigns challenging irresponsible and dangerous corporate actions around the world. For over 25 years, we've forced corporations--like Nestlé, General Electric and Philip Morris/Altria--to stop abusive actions. For more information visit www.stopcorporateabuse.org. The Polaris Institute is an action-research organization that works on international campaigns challenging the corporate theft of water resources in communities around the world. For further information, visit www.polarisinstitute.org and our program on bottled water issues, www.insidethebottle.org.
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