S'pore party fumes over RI nuke plant

S'pore party fumes over RI nuke plant

SINGAPORE (AFP): Singapore's largest opposition party asked
the government yesterday to protest Indonesia's plans for turning
to nuclear power, saying it will pose a danger to this island's
existence.

"This is a matter of utmost urgency as any radioactive leakage
from a nuclear meltdown would wipe Singapore off the face of this
earth," Singapore Democratic Party's secretary-general Chee Soon
Juan said.

Chee said if the government did not ask Indonesia to
reconsider the move, his party would make direct representation
to Jakarta's embassy here.

Indonesian President Soeharto said on Thursday that the use of
nuclear energy for generating much-needed electricity would be
unavoidable in the future.

"As of now, we have to carefully prepare ourselves to begin
using nuclear power to meet our energy needs in the future,"
Soeharto said.

Indonesia, which currently relies on hydro, coal and fuel
generated electricity, is considering building its first nuclear
plant in 2000 to sustain its industrialization. It plans to set
up 11 more plants over the next 25 years.

"As Singapore is just an island and in close proximity to
Indonesia, any nuclear dust can easily envelop our island as was
the case in the haze caused by fires in Indonesian forests in
1994," Chee said.

Thick smoke from forest fires in Indonesia's Sumatra island
and in Kalimantan blew across Southeast Asia, shrouding
Singapore, Malaysia and parts of Indonesia late last year.