nuclear-news

Sedition charges for anti nuclear hunger striker?

Locals Resume Anti-Nuclear Protest, WSJ, March 21, 2012,    “…….. protesters, mostly fishermen and villagers who live in coastal areas, are still worried that nuclear waste from the planned seaside nuclear power plant may damage the ecosystem and ruin their livelihoods.

S.P. Udaykumar of the People’s Movement Against Nuclear Energy, a Tamil Nadu-based anti-nuclear power group that is spearheading the protest, is concerned the nuclear site could endanger those who live in close proximity to it. “People have not been given any disaster training…Both central and state government will be held responsible if
any untoward incident happens in the area,” Mr. Udaykumar told India Real Time Wednesday.

Mr. Udaykumar, who started an indefinite hunger strike on Monday in protest, is under investigation on charges that include sedition for his role in the agitation.

Local police officer Vijendra Bidari on Wednesday told India Real Time that more than 150 people have been arrested since Monday in Idinthakarai, the epicenter of protests against the proposed Kudankulam nuclear power plant…

Mr. Bidari said that, to maintain law and order in the state, further protests in the area have been banned.

The news was welcomed by the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd.,
which is building the plant in Kudankulam with Russian support….

March 22, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | civil liberties, India | Leave a comment

Is the world aware of India’s repression of its peaceful anti nuclear protestors?

“There is no need for such massive deployment of police here. This is nothing short of state terrorism against a peaceful group of women, children and men fighting for the last seven months in a non-violent manner”

Tension simmers in Koodankulam http://www.asianage.com/chennai/tension-simmers-koodankulam-750 The Asian Age, Mar 21, 2012 – Pradeep Damodaran & Arul Oli | DC | Idinthakarai  Even as engineers and other workers drove in to resume work following the government’s green signal for the Koodankulam nuclear power project, the situation at Idinthakarai, which is less than 10 minutes drive from the nuke plant, is getting more tense by the minute as the ‘fast-to-death’ by the protesters’ leader S.P. Udayakumar and 14 others entered the second day on Tuesday. Continue reading →

March 21, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | civil liberties, India | 1 Comment

Civil liberties gone, as Tamil Nadu government moves to crush anti nuclear protest

Civil society members warn of “nuclear Nandigram” THE HINDU, CHENNAI, March 21, 2012 Civil society members, including former judges, writers, scientists, academicians, filmmakers and lawyers, have condemned the Tamil Nadu government’s decision “to give the green signal to commissioning of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP) and the massive deployment of police force to crush the peaceful agitation.” Continue reading →

March 21, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | civil liberties, India | Leave a comment

India: the crackdown on protestors, the pro nuclear media ‘spin’

And Koodankulam is Being Hunted Down !  http://www.dianuke.org/and-koodankulam-is-being-hunted-down/ 6000 armed policemen, led by Tamil Nadu’s Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), 3 DIGs (Deputy Inspector Generals) and 20 SPs (Superintendents of Police) who are present themselves and are presiding over this operation that can turn up into a state-sanctioned carnage of its own civilians.

As drumbeats approached Idinthakarai, Tamil Nadu Chamber of Commerce and Industry hails the decision to start the Koodankulam reactor as it is necessary for the State’s “progress”.

A 5-page press statement from the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu ended the rituals of “engaging people”, “dialogue with the locals” and “allaying their fears” in the world’s largest democracy. Not surprisingly, the government crackdown on people’s movement waited for another mega-ritual to end: the elections in the neighbouring assembly constituency of Sankarankoil on March 18.

Since yesterday afternoon, the police squads have blocked every road leading to Koodankulam and Idinthikarai to prevent people from gathering there. Yet, more than 20,000 people have gathered at the gate of Koodankulam nuclear power project, with several hundreds getting detained on their way.

Learning from the democracies in the West, the corporate media here has also embedded itself to this ‘shock and awe’. Newspapers and TV channels are abuzz with the ‘green signal’ given to the nuclear project and the country’s progress. The titles say it all: …. http://www.dianuke.org/and-koodankulam-is-being-hunted-down/

March 20, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | civil liberties, India | Leave a comment

Thousands of police surround India’s anti nuclear protestors

Indian Police Arrest 10 at Nuclear Power Plant Protest IDINTHAKARAI, Tamil Nadu, India, March 19, 2012 (ENS) – Thousands of police today surrounded thousands of anti-nuclear protestors demonstrating against the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant in Idinthakarai.

Ten people have been arrested, including three protest leaders, Continue reading →

March 20, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | civil liberties, India | 2 Comments

Deomocracy teeters in India, as government cracks down on anti nuclear protest

India government responds bluntly to anti-nuclear push In response to villagers’ concerns about the Kudankulam nuclear plant project, Indian officials have deported a sympathizer and cracked down on charities they accuse of aiding anti-nuclear efforts. By Mark Magnier, Los Angeles Times March 18, 2012 Continue reading →

March 20, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | civil liberties, India | Leave a comment