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.