Fukushima – IndependentWHO the cons-forum “Nuclear Free Now» December 2012

“….Demonstration outside the conference venue IAEA in Koriyama

Denial is strong among the local population, the desire to forget the anxiety dominates but the consequences and the possibility that the disaster is even worse, it seems, is present in all minds. Highlight of this event: the spokesman of the IAEA came listen to speeches by representatives of different associations of victims. She was visibly moved to all the suffering but that said, she still has not crossed the barrier that separates us from it to associate with victims. In another ten disasters maybe …..”

22 – DECEMBER – 2012

Translated from French – Google

connected viseo with introduction in english

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hM-1bDfVfxo

In Japan, a cons-forum was organized by the group “Nuclear Free Now”, in Koriyama, a city 55 km from Fukushima, from 12 to 17 December 2012, in response to the ministerial meeting on nuclear safety organized on the same dates in this city by the Japanese government and the IAEA.

Against the organizers of the forum, a member wishing to make a presentation IndependentWHO the agreement WHO / IAEA activities of the group, so I participated in various events organized by “Nuclear Free Now. ”

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In Tokyo, a first meeting was held on December 12 by “Friends of the earth Japan” (Friends of the Earth), with interventions of two Japanese associations on the situation in Fukushima, with a presentation of the IAEA by Reinhard Uhrig of the Austrian “Global 2000” and also with my intervention.

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Thursday, December 13, the same presentations were made, this time in Fukushima, with a high point when the video I presented the watch to the Ministry of Health in Paris, the people of Fukushima have recognized one of them, now a refugee in France.

Presentation at Fukushima December 13, 2012

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Friday, December 14, with the group of Europeans came to this forum-cons, we went for the day in the area particularly susceptible to contamination. Along the way, we saw workers decontaminating karcher roof houses and in various places, land or fields where topsoil has been removed. Contaminated, it is stored in big bags.

Contaminated soil is stored in bags

We start by visiting Iitate, a village evacuated in which, apart from workers engaged in decontamination, there is not a soul. Nothing special in this town, nothing to see, nothing to feel , only the beep / beep is heard geiger counter. Amazing thing that radioactivity distributed unevenly in leopard spots, but you can not see and can easely who wants to forget, before its consequences on health remind us of his presence. A Iitate, are stacked sandbags waiting for a destination that nobody seems to he the slightest idea. The issue of storing “waste” is already a very serious problem and volumes that will stop growing as decontamination to be performed is important. And for the moment, the candidates receiving the waste are reported to say …. they do not especially want. So, in some fields, we chose the dilution on the spot, the earth has been disturbed and mixed with the underlying layer, making every culture now impossible.

It is then that we realize Minamisouma. Near the east coast and the damage caused by the tsunami are still visible. It feels a little better power has been absolutely amazing and have this cataclysm ….human arrogance to think their nuclear power plants able to resist.

We meet Father Kariura, a priest from Nagoya to help the victims, who knows what radioactivity means because he was born in Nagasaki. Previously, he has helped many victims of mercury from Minamata petrochemical plant in southwestern Japan. A Minamisouma our counters indicate 2-3 microSievert / h where we are is from 16 to 26 millisieverts per year. The city was divided into 4 zones: one where it is now impossible to live a very long time, an area where at the moment it is forbidden to live, an area where the ban will be lifted reside shortly and an area where it is still possible to live. This zoning raise questions and divided the community who does not know what to believe and do. Father Kariura is obviously a little lonely and faces multiple requests from people who have not yet fled, they rely on him.

Barrier preventing access to the restricted area

In the region of Oguni is Mr Kanno, architect, we meet. He explains how this disaster has literally exploded the community until very related. In this area, it is only 128 families who have been named in the list of “recommended evacuations” and that without being told what criteria these evacuations are decided.

Depending on whether the outlets are decided by the government or whether they fall within the population itself, or there will be no compensation. Is it worth noting that everything is done by the government to have to pay the least possible. Imagination and strategies do not fail to eventually eliminate a candidate for the award. There is also the problem of lack of coordination between the various actors in the disaster management. Thus, persons under the Ministry of Health will decide to decontaminate an area, while others, depending on their Ministry of Environment will decide decontaminate another place without the public be informed of the reasons for the each other.

In this area, measurements were made of rice plants. It was found that there was no linear relationship with the level of radioactivity of soil and ambient dose which was found later in the plant.Variations are observed and are due to many factors including the type of soil, its calcium content … eg, many factors make it extremely difficult decision to grow or not.

Control the level of radioactivity rice

Measurement methods and how the disaster is managed highly dependent on the mayor. In municipalities where the mayor takes little initiative and not cooperating with its population, everyone must fend for himself for measurements of radioactivity for health examinations and reading the results and for estimating measures to be taken.

In this region Oguni, the rural population lived simply and internet use was non-existent for some. So, without this information means facing the silence of the authorities and face the contradictory information that are given, as well as measures that are taken without obvious logic, they feel betrayed, abandoned, lost. It is these feelings that are usually expressed when one is faced with one of the victims of Fukushima.

During the day, we stopped in front of several meters, installed at different locations, which should thus allow the public to know what is the

contamination. But, as we were told, it was found that between what was stated in the counter “official” and ours placed a little further, and there is a difference in the sense of a lesser contamination to the counter Official. To avoid a too high a figure shows the area in and around the counter is usually cleaned and decontaminated.

Other techniques are also used such as placing a metal plate under the counter.Suddenly, the figure does not reflect the actual level of contamination of where people live. Concealment, lies, nuclear is faithful to himself.

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Saturday, December 15, a demonstration was held outside the “Big Palette”, the convention center in Koriyama. The IAEA clung there for 3 days, a ministerial conference on security, involving several hundred members of all organizations of the nuclear lobby and ministers from around the world. Surprisingly, in this city at the heart of the disaster, there were only a few hundred to manifest.

Demonstration outside the conference venue IAEA in Koriyama

Denial is strong among the local population, the desire to forget the anxiety dominates but the consequences and the possibility that the disaster is even worse, it seems, is present in all minds. Highlight of this event: the spokesman of the IAEA came listen to speeches by representatives of different associations of victims. She was visibly moved to all the suffering but that said, she still has not crossed the barrier that separates us from it to associate with victims. In another ten disasters maybe …

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On Saturday afternoon, Koriyama always stood Mayors Conference against nuclear power (80 mayors in the region of Fukushima and elsewhere are members of this group).

Conference of Mayors for a nuclear-free Japan

They also say they felt abandoned, without instructions from the government, hearing the news on television.

During this conference, the ground began to tremble, then the walls and ceiling: 5.3 on the Richter scale. We were 60 km from the central ruin and the pool of reactor No. 4 that another earthquake could collapse. My neighbor, however, very accustomed to constant turmoil in the country has faded and me too of course.

A Big Palette, IAEA delegates also had the right to shake. Not sufficient, however, to shake their belief as I have the opportunity to see the next day.

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The organizers of “Nuclear Free Now” has earned the right to be “observers” at the conference of the IAEA, I therefore went on Sunday morning.

The theme was “Lessons learned from the accident at the Fukushima nuclear plant.” Interesting to see that there is, unsurprisingly, nothing to expect from these large masses to the glory of nuclear power. In summary, the participants expressed satisfaction with the work done, things done, but still recognized the need to do better to ensure maximum security to an accident like Fukushima happening again. The day before, during the opening ceremony, Mycle Schneider, also present as an observer, told us that she had the feeling of being in 1986 in short, the accident did not have the impact that we have been feared. Minimize, minimize as much as possible, this is the will of the lobby.

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Sunday afternoon is the citizens’ conference that was scheduled, with the first presentation of the IAEA by Reinhard Uhrig “Global 2000” and then my statement on the agreement WHO / IAEA and activities IndependentWHO. The representatives of two Japanese associations we were then joined and a former ambassador to Japan for an exchange with the public.

Conference citizen Koriyama December 16, 2012

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Monday 17, I returned to the conference of the IAEA, the theme is “Protecting people and the environment from radioactive contamination.”

Session on the protection of people and the environment at the conference of the IAEA in Koriyama

That morning, Maria Neira, director of Health and Environment WHO, gave a presentation on the role of WHO and the work done. A presentation was a steady pace, with a long list of collaborations in place with WHO and answers at the beginning of the disaster. In short, a WHO present and effective.And of course, we got the inevitable psychological problems affecting the population, radiophobia in particular the importance of care, among other treatments (!), By appropriate communication. The first results concern a study by the Medical University of Fukushima Prefecture about thyroid children were not mentioned! The study unfortunately did not have time to reach the WHO or she is accidentally lost in spam. A balance therefore reassuring that Mr. Weiss then confirms the UNSCEAR. He assured us that no workers died in the years that followed the accident, had died due to radiation and that they did not cause any effect on workers and communities. Phew.

It is interesting to note that health-related, issues or questions were not necessarily caused denied all but the hypocrites following precautions: Research has so far failed to draw conclusions – They don ‘ have failed to identify significant consequences – We must continue to work on these issues .

They no longer deny the obvious but inevitably push up when they need to draw appropriate conclusions.

Communication is a theme that is returned in all but one of the speakers presentations particularly stressed the need not to have in public exchanges on which they would not agree among themselves.A common discourse, smooth, reassuring people, this is what is intended by the nuclear lobby and it succeeded because that is what it feels like to this kind of gathering.

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On Monday afternoon, a press conference was organized to take stock of the cons-forum. I took the opportunity to express my joy of being there with the Japanese people, but also my sadness that my presence is linked to such a terrible tragedy.

Press conference in Koriyama

I also said to be impressed by the number of associations they have created to work on the various issues that generate this tragedy but I also stressed the need for them to be linked, united and determined to give a real power to the resistance since it obviously needs strengthening.

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After the press conference, we returned to Tokyo to join the 37 million inhabitants of the most populous metropolis in the world. 70 km, urban concentration is absolutely amazing and face it, the feeling is terrible. If the earth was shaking again to collapse the central point No. 4, with winds that would blow in this direction, it would be impossible to escape this population.

Terrifying, absolutely terrifying.

Christophe Elain – Tokyo – December 20, 2012

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Christophe Elain interventions during the news conference December 17, 2012 in Koriyama and in the event of December 21, 2012 in Tokyo, an event organized every Friday by the group “The Fukushima Evacuation Trial Collective” group wishing to justice that the government take measures to immediate evacuation of children living in contaminated territories.

Video in french on the bottom of the article link

http://independentwho.org/fr/2012/12/22/fukushima-contre-forum/

January 7, 2013 - Posted by arclight2011 | Uncategorized