There was a large anti nuclear protest in Jakarta where the government wants to place a nuclear reactor ON AN EARTHQUAKE FAULT. Seems Indonesia wants to move ahead with a very controversial plan to build its first nuclear reactor. The government claims that the Mount Muria has been chosen for the nuclear power plant because, based on feasibility study results, the location is the "safest area" in terms of the volcanic and tectonic activities and tsunami disaster. Has it occurred to Indonesia, that some areas of the world (if not all areas of the world) are simply unacceptable locations for a nuclear reactor?
Thousands protest Indonesia's proposed nuclear power plant
Jakarta - Thousands of people rallied in a Central Java district town on Monday, opposing the Indonesian government's controversial plans to build its first nuclear power plant on the country's earthquake-prone island. Dozens of policemen and riot-squads stood guard but no reports of violence took place and the protestors dispersed peacefully, reported detik.com online news portal.
It was the latest protest rally by locals against the controversial nuclear plant. Early last month, thousands of people staged protest rally in three different districts in the province, including in Jepara district, opposing the proposed plant.
Indonesia is moving ahead with controversial plans to build its first nuclear power plant, which if completed on schedule in 2017 would put the country in Southeast Asia's nuclear-energy vanguard.
The plant would be built on Gunung Muria, on the densely populated and earthquake-prone Central Java about 400 kilometres east of Jakarta, with a capacity of 4,000 megawatts by 2025. According to the initial schedule, construction tenders for the 1.6-billion-dollar facility, may be called as early as this year.
Locals and other anti-nuclear activists accused the government only conveying information to the public on the benefits of the plant, without explaining the potential dangers.
Indonesian environmentalists have long criticized the proposed nuclear plant, saying there are cheaper, safer ways to generate power since the country has more environmentally sound sources, including geothermal and natural gas.
Despite warnings of geologic instability, the National Nuclear Power Agency is adamant that constructing the first nuclear plant should go ahead on the foothills of Mount Muria.
Government officials have consistently brushed aside complaints about the region's unstable tectonics and the project's high costs, contending that the country can ill-afford to forgo atomic energy.
Java accounts for more than 60 per cent of Indonesia's 220 million people who inhabit the 17,000 islands that comprise the sprawling archipelago nation.
But government officials have insisted that the Mount Muria has been chosen for the nuclear power plant because, based on feasibility study results, the location is the "safest area" in terms of the volcanic and tectonic activities and tsunami disaster.
Mount Muria has been dormant for more than 3,000 years, the officials claim, noting that nuclear technology has already been extensively applied in Indonesia, especially for agriculture, animal husbandry, health, water resources and industry.
It was the latest protest rally by locals against the controversial nuclear plant. Early last month, thousands of people staged protest rally in three different districts in the province, including in Jepara district, opposing the proposed plant.
Indonesia is moving ahead with controversial plans to build its first nuclear power plant, which if completed on schedule in 2017 would put the country in Southeast Asia's nuclear-energy vanguard.
The plant would be built on Gunung Muria, on the densely populated and earthquake-prone Central Java about 400 kilometres east of Jakarta, with a capacity of 4,000 megawatts by 2025. According to the initial schedule, construction tenders for the 1.6-billion-dollar facility, may be called as early as this year.
Locals and other anti-nuclear activists accused the government only conveying information to the public on the benefits of the plant, without explaining the potential dangers.
Indonesian environmentalists have long criticized the proposed nuclear plant, saying there are cheaper, safer ways to generate power since the country has more environmentally sound sources, including geothermal and natural gas.
Despite warnings of geologic instability, the National Nuclear Power Agency is adamant that constructing the first nuclear plant should go ahead on the foothills of Mount Muria.
Government officials have consistently brushed aside complaints about the region's unstable tectonics and the project's high costs, contending that the country can ill-afford to forgo atomic energy.
Java accounts for more than 60 per cent of Indonesia's 220 million people who inhabit the 17,000 islands that comprise the sprawling archipelago nation.
But government officials have insisted that the Mount Muria has been chosen for the nuclear power plant because, based on feasibility study results, the location is the "safest area" in terms of the volcanic and tectonic activities and tsunami disaster.
Mount Muria has been dormant for more than 3,000 years, the officials claim, noting that nuclear technology has already been extensively applied in Indonesia, especially for agriculture, animal husbandry, health, water resources and industry.
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