REQUESTING THE JAPANESE GOVERNMENT TO CANCEL THE NUCLEAR POWER PLANT PROGRAM IN VIETNAM.

Vietnam, 21 May 2012

Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda
Cabinet Office, Government of Japan
1-6-1 Nagatacho

Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-8914 JAPAN

Email: Kanteihp-info@cas.go.jp

C/c: Minister for Foreign Affairs Koichiro Gemba

        Kasumigaseki 2-2-1, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-8919, Japan
      
      : Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam Yasuaki Tanizaki
         27 Phố Liễu Giai, Hà Nội (soumuhan@vnn.vn)

REQUESTING THE JAPANESE GOVERNMENT TO CANCEL THE NUCLEAR POWER PLANT PROGRAM IN VIETNAM.

Dear Prime Minister,

         Minister for Foreign Affairs,
         Ambassador to Vietnam,

We, the concerned Vietnamese residing in Vietnam and around the world, wish to protest against Japan’s decision to provide loans to the Vietnamese government to construct a nuclear power plant in Vietnam. We strongly urge you and your government to reverse immediately this decision which we consider discriminative, inconsiderate and lack of morality.

On 4 May 2012, Japan’s Hokkaido Electric Power Co shut down the last of the 54 nuclear power plants. This action has ceased the production of nuclear power throughout Japan.

This responsible decision had been reached as a result of the catastrophic partial meltdown  nuclear explosion of four reactors in the Fukushima nuclear power complex, following the severe earthquake and tsunami in the Fukushima region on 11 March 201, spreading deadly radioactive materials in the air and water.

The Fukushima disaster has been affecting millions of Japanese within a radius of 100 km. The long-term impacts on the region’s environment and Japan herself are immeasurable. The degree of severity is second only to the world’s worst nuclear power plant disaster in Chernobyl in 1986. This disaster claimed casualties in the hundreds of thousands, affected millions of lives in Russia and Ukraine, and contaminated a vast area of Northern Europe with deadly radioactive materials for many generations.

Among the world leaders in nuclear technology, Japan has the resources, reliable nuclear safety regulatory processes, and fully established social, economic and political institutions to effectively govern nuclear power plants. Japan has been one of the best-prepared countries in the world. However, despite such precautions, it was unable to prevent the major nuclear tragedy in Fukushima that raised grave concerns for human safety.

Responding to the demands from the people of Japan, the Japanese government and the Parliament had acted promptly and decisively to temporarily cease all nuclear power operations and end new constructions. Other developed countries such as Germany and Switzerland have swiftly adopted nuclear power phasing out policies. The United States has not constructed new nuclear power plant since 1979 after the partial meltdown nuclear explosion at the Three Mile Island nuclear plant. Many countries are now shifting away, vowing to no longer engage with nuclear power.

Vietnam is a country with third world technology know-how, with inadequate and primitive safety standards. Its people lack knowledge of the deadly risks of nuclear contaminations caused by any mishap from a nuclear reactor, with consequences that could affect many generations. Vietnam is amongst the world’s worst-prepared countries to manage a nuclear power plant. A nuclear power plant in Vietnam would inevitably lead to a nuclear catastrophe. The citizens of Vietnam are facing a frightening future, millions of human lives and generations at risk, with unimaginable long-term consequences.

While deciding to cease production of electricity in all nuclear power plants in Japan, the Japanese government continues to provide financial loans and nuclear power construction services to other countries.

Reasonable people do not understand the paradox of the Japanese government's actions in lending 10 billion USD to Vietnam for the construction of a nuclear power plant in the Ninh Thuan province. This huge sum of money equals to a tenth of Vietnam’s annual Gross Domestic Product. The Vietnamese, poor as they are, would carry a large national debt for many generations. In return they will have in their backyard a nuclear power plant which has been considered as devastatingly dangerous and unwanted in Japan and other developed countries.

This financial provision for a nuclear power plant shows clear contradiction, displaying a lack of conscience, or compassion for the citizens of Vietnam.

Are the lives and well-being of the Japanese people worth protecting, yet that of the Vietnamese people worthless?

Is the profit and prosperity of Japanese companies that produce equipment and machinery for nuclear power plants more important than the safety and the well-being of the Vietnamese people?

For many decades, the behaviors of the Japanese government and its people have always been praised in the civilized world, and considered as models for responsibility, morality and nobility. But the policy of exporting nuclear power plants to Vietnam is not consistent with those behaviors. The Japanese government is causing severe damage to the image of Japan in the eyes of the Vietnamese and people around the world.
We appeal to the Japanese government to uphold their long-standing reputation of righteousness and integrity, and to act responsibly and compassionately with the interest of humanity above economic gains by ending the nuclear power export program.

We hope that, with compassion and responsibility, you will quickly come to a rightful and timely decision in order to protect Vietnam. Not only will this decision protects Vietnam from future nuclear catastrophes, it will furthermore protect and consolidate the special relationship between our two peoples over the past decades.

We are anxiously waiting for your corresponding.

Sincerely yours,

On behalf of concerned Vietnamese:

Prof Nguyen The Hung, Dr Nguyen Xuan Dien, Nguyen Hung.

Contact email: hungthuoc@yahoo.com

List of 460 signatories collected between 14 May to 21 May 2012 is attached: