HONG KONG, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- All sectors in Hong Kong have expressed strong protests against the Japanese government's decision to discharge nuclear-contaminated wastewater into the sea despite the opposition of the international community.
The Japanese government said on Tuesday it has decided to start releasing nuclear-contaminated wastewater from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant on Thursday.
Politihk Social Strategic, a local organization, launched an online petition against the plan.
Many local organizations, including the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions, went to the Consulate-General of Japan in Hong Kong to protest the dumping decision by the Japanese government.
Joephy Chan Wing-yan, a member of the Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, said that it is extremely selfish and irresponsible of the Japanese government to insist on pushing ahead with the plan while disregarding the opposition voices at home and abroad, the international community's doubts about the legitimacy, legality and safety of the plan, and the risks of damaging the global marine environment and human health.
Martin Chan Keung, a member of the board of directors of the Hong Kong Federation of Restaurants and Related Trades, said that the news of the discharge plan has caused a sharp drop in the business of his Japanese restaurant.
Chan said he believes that many Japanese restaurants may be closed in two or three months.
