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3.11 FUKUSHIMA DAY
On March 11, people around the world are commemorating the
disaster that occurred in Japan in 2011. Regularpeople like you and
me, mourning the dead, and fighting for the living.
The people of Fukushima were told that the nuclear reactors in
their towns were completely safe. That science hadmade it
impossible for a serious accident to ever occur. But it did, in one
of the most technologically advancednations in the world, a natural
disaster destroyed what was considered to be the pinnacle of human
science, in onefoul blow. The meltdown of 3 nuclear reactors has
contaminated huge areas, of highly fertile farming land, oftowns
and residences, of mountains and streams, of ocean. An area of 20
km radius around Fukushima Dai-ichi is
now a dead zone, due to high levels of radiation. It is unlikely
that the tens of thousands of people who lived herewill ever be
able to return. They have been robbed of their houses, their land,
their lives.
While expressing our support for these people, and for those who
are still living in Fukushima in constant fear andconfusion, we,
the ordinary people of the world, must listen to what they are
telling us. For their story could easilybe ours. The truth is that
we all live in Fukushima and we must all work towards keeping our
world, our country,our village nuclear free and safe for ourselves
and future generations. It takes courage, as the people of
Fukushimaare showing us, to admit that you were wrong, to demand
alternatives, to make changes, to challenge govern-
ments, but the consequences of just believing everything we are
told by the experts is also plain to see.
Fukushima:
OneyearofaContinuin
gDisas-
For full version of these messages and other resources on
Fukushima and nuclear energy, see www.DIaNuke.org
Yayoi Hitomi (Goodbye Nukes Fukushima Womens Network
)
People of India,I pray that, as soon as possible, you will stop
plansto build so many nuclear reactors. Building nuclearreactors in
your country is like setting time bombs.Rather than living in fear
of the destruction that willone day occur, it is so much better to
live a simplelife, without greed, where people smile at eachother
and support each other. Dont wait, like wedid, till after the
accident occurs, to realize howmuch happier and richer this life
would have been.
Nakamura Seiko
Today is March 11.
Exactly one year ago, Japan was attacked by an earthquake and
tsunamiand the nuclear accident.
The current situation caused by the nuclearaccident is very
serious.
Children are currently being exposed toradiation nearly ten
times the normal limit,but the Japanese government has set
themaximum allowable radiation exposure
level at 20 mSv/year, 20 times higher than itwas before the
accident. Under the circum-stances, many guardians have been
unableto choose to voluntarily evacuate, and aresuffering mentally,
being unable to fulfilltheir responsibilities as parents. It is
thechildren that are victimized by such deci-sions. In fact, the
children are unable toexpress their anxieties out of concern
fortheir parents.
Today, please pray for Japan,
Please pray for a lot of life that was robbed by the
tsunami.
Please pray to be healed so many wounds brought about by the
nuclearaccident.
And, please imagine a future without nuclear power plant.
Suzuki Kinue(Head of Fukushi no machizukuri no kai
\)
Community based welfare organization in TamuraCity, Fukushima,
supporting independent living ofpeople with disabilities
Look at the state of Japan. Everything is concen-trated in Tokyo
and Osaka. Only the big cities aredeveloped and small rural towns
are left behind. Itsa deliberate strategy to create the so
calledunderpopulated places and leave them in poverty.
Only when they want to build a nuclear plant, theycome in, all
high and mighty, slapping your facewith a bundle of money,
demanding that you obey.They expect you to be thankful for the jobs
andmoney being generated. This was the way of ournuclear policy.
Its unforgivable. But who am I to saythese things as I didnt act
against such reality. It allcomes back to myself.
Ruiko Muto (Hairo Action Fukushima)
Maybe this nuclear disaster is a chance for hu-mankind to return
to Earth and create a new
world. Babies come into this world, unknown as itis to them, by
throwing off their fear, with a loudcry. Maybe we must also come
into the new worldcrying as we take our first breath.
Ayako Oishi
Even now, after such a major disaster as Fukushima, Japan talks
aboutrestarting its nuclear reactors. Even though so many people
are sufferingso much.
In several countries, there are plans to build new nuclear
reactors. How-ever, many countries have announced plans to phase
out nuclear powergeneration. Why is this? Surely it is because the
risk when an accidentoccurs is just too great. The history of
Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power
Plant began in 1971. It will take more than 30-40 years before
they canfinally decommission it. The life of Fukushima Dai-ichi is
just as long as ittakes for the plant to die.
Messages from Fukushima
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Excerpt from letter to PM of India from Koodankulam children
Greetings! We, hundreds of thousands of Koodankulam Children who
will be the worst victims of a natural or human error ormanmade
disaster at the Koodankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP), would
like to appeal to you to scrap the KKNPP pro-ject immediately.
We, the future leaders of India, are so sad to see that our
pre-sent leaders such as yourself put the interests of
multinationalcorporations and foreign governments ahead of the
needs andwants of our own countrys citizens, especially children
like us.Your governments signing a secret Inter-Governmental
Agree-ment (IGA) with Russia on liability exemption for
Russiangovernment and companies is just one example.
The Koodamkulam Nuclear Power Plant projects are imposed
on our communities without our or our parents approval
orauthorization. No basic information has been shared with them;no
public hearing has been conducted; and their opinions arenever
entertained or respected. Is this any way to teach us, the
children of India, transparency, accountability, popular
partici-pation and most importantly, democracy?
May we point out the fact that your governments energy pol-icy
will deprive us all of our health, well-being, clean air,
safewater, radiation-free sea food and so forth. Your generation
has
no moral legitimacy to pollute our natural resources and
poisonour future in order to get electricity for 30 to 40
years.
Fukushima: Never Again, Not in India, Not Anywhere
An insane nuclear expansion:Planned nuclear expansion in India
is:
Importing dangerous and untested reactors
In ecologically fragile regions.
Near dense population centres: 2 reactors coming up atthe
doorstep of Delhi (Fatehabad, Haryana150 kms ).
Without a people-friendly nuclear liability mechanismin
place.
Without an independent nuclear regulator.
Without a democratic process of consultation with
localcommunities who are being forced to host nuclear facili-
ties.
Without full disclosure of costs of nuclear power, in-cluding
subsidies
With cover-ups and downplaying of previous accidentsand
leaks.
Repressing people's protests against nuclear power with-out
answering their legitimate concerns about safety,
environment and livelihoods.
Without proper evaluation of a technology that is being
phased out in many countries around the world for bothpolitical
and economic reasons.
Without properly addressing the needs of the 40% of
Indian citizens who are not connected to the grid and
receive no electricity .
Nuclear power in India
Despite having a nuclear program since 1948, currently nuclear
power makes up less than 3% of total electricity generated inIndia.
However the Government of India plans to increase the installed
capacity of nuclear power in India to 256,000 MW by2050 (25% of the
total electricity), largely through importing nuclear power plants
from foreign countries.
There are already 20 nuclear power plants operating throughout
India andthere are plans to build 39 nuclear power plants at
Jaitapur (Maharashtra),
Koodankulam (Tamil Nadu), Kovada (Andhra Pradesh),
Mithivirdi(Gujarat), Fatehabad (Haryana), and Chutka (Madhya
Pradesh).
BUT local resistance to these nuclear power plants is strong.The
government is trying to downplay, discredit and forcibly
suppressmany of these movements, just like the Japanese government
did. Unfor-
tunately for the people of Fukushima and Japan, the Japanese
governmentwas able to suppress local resistance and build 54
nuclear reactors. Now,only after the disaster, people all over
Japan are realizing the truth aboutnuclear power, and how they were
conned into believing it was safe and necessary. Let's learn from
the people of Fukushima--
we don't have to go through an accident in India too before we
realise that nuclear power is inherently dangerous and that
thereare much safer, cleaner, cheaper alternatives, which we,
ordinary people, can choose and demand that our governments
choose.
The children of Koodankulam are not being fooled and are taking
action...
CNDPIndia.Org
Contact us:
124A/6, 1st Floor
Katwaria Sarai, New Delhi
Phone: 011-26968121
Email: [email protected]
Coalition for Nuclear Disarmament and Peace
