No more Chernobyls!  NO more Fukushimas!

NO Nuclear power plant in Koodankulam!

In the face of massive protests from local people, the Indian government, in collaboration with Russian company Atomsroyexport, has been constructing a large-scale nuclear power plant in Koodankulam in south India. More than 300 people are on hunger strike in protest against the construction. The government has reacted to the protests by deploying thousands of police and paramilitary forces in order to commission the reactor in a military style operation.  This will have serious consequences for the life and ecology of the whole of peninsular India.
Non-violent protesters are being intimidated, harassed, imprisoned, and falsely charged. From one police station alone, charges have been brought against more than 55,000 people including 6,500 for sedition and 'war against the state' in the last eight months alone. 
The protesters at Koodankulam are urging that the construction be halted because:
The construction violates the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Safety Guidelines because Koodankulam is in a tsunami and earthquake prone region which has also experienced small volcanic eruptions and is affected by water shortages. 

It is also in violation of the mandatory requirement for construction of fresh water reservoirs which are essential in case of a nuclear accident.   This is significant, because fresh water is the only remedy in the event of a nuclear emergency. The primary cause for all major accidents such as Three Mile Island, Chernobyl and Fukushima - was lack of fresh water. 
Mandatory reports on the safety of the construction are being withheld from the public and the media. 

The first reactor is set to go critical this month. The villages around the plant are placed under a prohibitory order under Section 144 which means that they cannot even peacefully assemble. 
We demand :
Sedition and 'war against the state' cases against members of Koodankulam People's Movement Against Nuclear Energy must be dropped.   
International safety regulations must be followed.   
All  information related to the nuclear plant must be  transparent and accessible to the public. 
This is not just a domestic and national issue, but a global and human concern. People's basic human rights and environmental safety procedures in the construction of a major nuclear power plant have been appallingly abused.

For further resources, see www.DiaNuke.org and sign the petition also available at http://www.change.org/petitions/the-dangers-of-koodankulam-nuclear-reactors-in-south-india