Women's Day turns into anti-nuclear protest<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Women's Day on Friday was used by a group of
\nwomen to express their objection to nuclear power plants.<\/p>\n
A group of 16 women signed a petition denouncing the
\ngovernment's plan to use nuclear power to meet Indonesia's energy
\nneeds.<\/p>\n
The women -- from South Sulawesi, Yogyakarta, Central and West
\nJava and Jakarta -- were in Bogor for a seminar to discuss the
\nimpact of nuclear power plants. The women said they had formed a
\nloose organization called "Women concerned about nuclear
\nreactors".<\/p>\n
"As we commemorate Women's Day today... we are rejecting the
\nplanned construction of nuclear reactors in Indonesia," their
\nstatement read.<\/p>\n
The group demanded that the government make available all
\ninformation about nuclear reactors and their effects,
\nparticularly to women's health. "There must be open and balanced
\ninformation about the effects of nuclear reactors on people's
\nlives."<\/p>\n
The government has yet to decide on whether to use nuclear
\npower to meet Indonesia's growing energy needs. A decision is
\nexpected sometime in 1996.<\/p>\n
The government has already commissioned a study on building a
\nnuclear power plant on Mt. Muria in Central Java. If approved,
\nthe plant will have a capacity of 27,000 megawatts and will
\nsupply Java and Bali. Djali Ahimsa, the chief of the national
\nNuclear Power Agency estimated Indonesia needs between seven and
\n12 nuclear reactors.<\/p>\n
President Soeharto has repeatedly stressed that nuclear power
\nwill be the last alternative considered by the government. He has
\nalso indicated, however, that Indonesia may have no choice but to
\ngo nuclear.<\/p>\n
Friday's discussion in Bogor concluded that nuclear power
\nplants expose Indonesians to radiation. "This has a strong impact
\non women's bodies, including their reproductive organs, although
\na plant may be functioning normally," the group's statement
\nasserted.<\/p>\n
The signatories included Nur Asiah of the Anti-Nuclear
\nStudents' Action Network in Ujungpandang, Okti Muktini Ali of the
\nYogyakarta Women's Joint Secretariat, Titi Soentoro of the
\nIndonesian Anti-Nuclear Forum in Bogor and Wijiyatni of the
\nFoundation of Energy for People in Surakarta.<\/p>\n
The workshop reviewed data and films on developed and
\ndeveloping countries' experiences with nuclear power plants.<\/p>\n
In the case of a disaster like Chernobyl in the old Soviet
\nUnion, the group said the physical impact would include skin
\ncancer, blindness, and cancer of the womb. "Babies could be born
\ndisfigured," the statement said.<\/p>\n
It also said radiation and toxic waste entail social costs to
\nthe public. (anr)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/womens-day-turns-into-anti-nuclear-protest-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}