Kudankulam: Sri Lankans should learn to run and swim
Posted on September 13th, 2012
W. David Soysa- Courtesy The Island
Koodankulam Nuclear Plant ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”𬅔
The potential mind boggling Fukushima, Chernobyl type disaster, from IndiaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Kudankulam nuclear power plant, has begun to count down. Currently nuclear fuel (supplied by US & France) is being fed in to the plant, built by the Russians, at the southern tip of India, just 220 KM from Kalpitiya.
But donƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t panic. Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Atomic Energy Authority (AEA) will be setting up Nuclear Early warning system in Navy camps in, Kalpitiya, Delft Islands and KKS. Later such detectors will be installed in Colombo. Galle, Trincomalee and Kandy ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”𬅔 covering almost the entire Island. According to AEA, the alarm would be raised if the radiation from Kudankulam nuclear reactor, increase by three fold in Sri Lanka. My domestic help (a victim of 2004 Tsunami) asked me whether we should run and jump in to the sea, if the alarm is raised? I replied, the AEA plans to evacuate the people or advise them what to do (see Daily Mirror of July 21-2012). The setting up of the early warning system and plans to evacuate people is by itself an admission that a nuclear radiation disaster affecting the entire Island could happen anytime after the Kudankulam plant is commissioned. My domestic helpƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s second question was whether the authorities were planning to evacuate all of us and take us to Swaziland?
The Indian P.M. Dr. Manmohan Singh sent a letter in August 2012, to the Indian Dept of Nuclear Energy, asking the question “who would be liable in the event of a mishap” at the Kudankulam reactor. He added, Russia had asked for a waiver from liability and if the waiver is given to Russia, both US and France would ask for a waiver. Thus Indian PM has acknowledged that a ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”mishapƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ could happen, causing harm to people in India. Could anyone believe that our authorities ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”𬅔 Ministry of Environment, External Affairs Ministry, Presidential Secretariat, AEA ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”𬅔 have so far not even dreamt of raising that vital question from India. Instead we are installing early warning systems. Is it that the powerful multi-national corporations lobbying for highly profitable nuclear reactor installations and supply of nuclear fuel, transport, etc are having a hand in the deafening silence? Yet a planeload of our guardians of the environment flew in a specially chartered plane singing all the way to Rio de Janeiro to save the planet!
Specially built tankers carrying nuclear fuel had reached Kudankulam. DidnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t they go throughout territorial waters without Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s permission as required according to International conventions? Who cares in Sri Lanka?
When I proposed to a group of concerned intellectuals to organize a forum, seminar or a public discussion and debate on this issue, I was asked “Why didnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t our authorities use our sovereign right to raise objections to the high-handed action of India?
Our media performed their duty in enlightening the public on the life threatening disaster, which could happen due to natural (earthquakes, tsunamis, typhoons) technical (like Chernobyl) or even a terrorist attack. But nothing can wake up our guardians of the environment. They are sleeping like the dinosaurs of Jurassic Park.
After installing early warning systems, authorities may be advised to acquire a fleet of passenger vessels to take people (from KKS to Galle, Colombo to Kandy and Kalpitiya to Trinco) to the South Pacific Islands Vanuatu, Nauru etc where the External Affairs Ministry wants to establish embassies!
September 13th, 2012 at 6:04 pm
India will not go back on the heavy investment they have committed. Even our intellectual fools advocate a Nuclear plant in Sri Lanka, to be with the ‘times’ and to be a modern developed country. Since there is no escape for anyone in the island if anything goes wrong, the early warning system has no effect, whether it’s from South India or within the island. This will be the end of a the most beautiful country on this planet. Thanks to these vetti fools and Lankan fools who are subservient to foreigners, whatever they can throw at them they will gullibly swallow.
September 13th, 2012 at 8:27 pm
Passenger vessels to take people from KKS to Galle ? Excellent idea. All problems solved. Let the accident happen.
September 14th, 2012 at 4:01 am
“Today you are brought here and given a plot of land. You have been uprooted from your village. You are like a piece of driftwood in the ocean; but remember that one day the whole country will look up to you. The final battle for the Sinhala people will be fought on the plains of Padaviya. You are men and women who will carry this island’s destiny on your shoulders. Those who are attempting to divide this country will have to reckon with you. The country may forget you for a few years, but one day very soon they will look up to you as the last bastion of the Sinhala.”
SL’s first Prime Minister, D.S.Senanayake, address to people in Padaviya