KUALA LUMPUR, June 30 (Xinhua) -- The lack of transparency over Japan's plan to discharge radioactive wastewater from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the ocean is of grave concern, according to a Malaysian environmental group.
Considering the potential severity of nuclear pollution and its impact on countries in Southeast Asia, whose population depend heavily on fisheries, Friends of Nature Malaysia (better known by its Malay acronym SAM) President Meenakshi Raman said the unilateral decision by Japan to discharge the nuclear-contaminated water into the sea was against the principles of multilateral dialogue.
"It is indeed unilateral. No discussion whatsoever... Despite all the protests, because there have been protests by civil society, and even SAM, we all had signed on, petitions and everything. Despite all that, the Japanese authorities have gone ahead with this," she told Xinhua in a recent interview.
Meenakshi said the lack of engagement with regional governments and other civil society organizations had only drawn suspicion and raised concerns over Japan's controversial decision, with countries from around the world protesting the release.
Despite claims of the water having been treated and considered safe by Japan's Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) and Japanese authorities, the lack of engagement with governments whose countries could find themselves facing contamination by heavy metals and other contaminants had only cast suspicion and growing doubts over the safety of the plan.
"We eat a lot of seafood and also import quite a lot as well. You just don't know where the contaminants would be going. It's worrying because no one is giving a definite answer, and no one can give you any guarantees of safety," she said.
Meenakshi also stressed that the governments of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries and the public should be in the loop on studies and assessments about the release plan.
"It is incumbent on the Japanese government to make all studies public and for our authorities to also make their assessments, and not just assume that the wastewater is safe. This is too serious a matter to be left to the Japanese alone. The agencies of the ASEAN governments should have access to all information, and should conduct their own assessments," she said.
Meenakshi also warned that tourism, a major contributor to the economies of Southeast Asian nations and other affected countries, could be jeopardized over fears of exposure to harmful substances through swimming or consuming fish caught in the affected areas.
"It is highly irresponsible of Japan to dump the contaminated water and cause negative impacts on countries whose economies are dependent on tourism," she said.
Other local civil society groups and fishing community organizations have also expressed concern to the Penang Inshore Fishermen Welfare Association, which has voiced objection to the Japanese government's release plan.
Greenpeace's East Asia chapter previously warned that the contaminated water of Fukushima is different from other nuclear power plants not only by its greater variety of radioactive materials but also the overall much higher radioactivity.
"If it is discharged into the Pacific Ocean, it will potentially pose a significant threat to the well-being of human health and marine life," it said. ■