- Title: CHINA: Hundreds protest against nuclear power in Hong Kong
- Date: 25th April 2011
- Summary: HONG KONG ENVIRONMENTALIST, CHU HON KEUNG, HOLDING CHILD AND STANDING OUTSIDE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT OFFICE BUILDING
- Embargoed: 10th May 2011 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: China, Hong Kong, China
- City:
- Country: China
- Topics: Energy
- Reuters ID: LVA78Z58ML3WWQS11LRTOVL008AF
- Story Text: Some 460 people in Hong Kong marched in an anti-nuclear rally on Sunday (April 24), protesting against the increased use of nuclear power imported from mainland China.
Organised by the Greenpeace environmental group, the protesters gathered in a public garden and marched to the Central Government office building, where they rallied for an hour.
Composed of activists from various political parties and environmental groups, the group demanded that the Hong Kong government halt a nuclear expansion plan coming before the legislative council at the end of April.
"We demand our government to first announce the suspension of nuclear expansion planning, and secondly to really compose a planning with energy-saving measure, policy, investment, and also invest on the regional collaboration on developing renewable energy, for example, offshore wind farm," said the Greenpeace campaigner Prentice Koo.
A government consultation document, 'Climate Change Strategy and Action Agenda' outlines intentions to increase use of nuclear energy, imported from mainland China, from 23 per cent to 50 per cent by 2020.
This scheme triggered objections among environmentalists, like Chu Hon-Keung who expressed his concerns on the negative impact on future generations.
"This doesn't only affect the environment, but our next generation also bears a high risk. Especially in the future, Hong Kong will be surrounded by about 16 more nuclear plants built in the Pearl River Delta. With such a high population, the pressure and risk are really high. For the interest of Hong Kong people, in case of any nuclear disasters like the one in Fukushima (in Japan), we have nowhere to hide but jump into the sea," he said.
Demonstrators on Sunday urged the setting-up of an independent monitoring panel to oversee safety operations at the Daya Bay nuclear plant, located in nearby Shenzhen city.
Greenpeace says that according to the 1987 Daya Bay Emergency Plan, should a leak take place at the nuclear plant, the resulting radioactivity would spread to an area of over 50km-radius within three hours.
There has been a rise in the number of protests against nuclear power, following the disaster at the Daiichi nuclear plant at Fukushima, Japan, which was crippled in the recent massive earthquake and tsunami.
Nobuo Tanaka, the Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA) recently suggested that the events at Fukushima would increase pressure for a reduction in nuclear power usage. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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