Uranium is a blight, not a blessing, for  India  Australian Greens spokesperson for nuclear policy Senator Scott  Ludlam. 15 October 2012.

“The Prime Minister should put human rights and safety before uranium profits  during her current visit to India,” said Australian Greens spokesperson on nuclear  issues, Senator Scott Ludlam, today.

“This visit will no doubt be spun as a triumph for the uranium industry, a deal is a  long way from reality. Australia and India are months away from a formal  agreement, and the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties should be expected to  conduct an exhaustive inquiry into any agreement that emerges.

“Recently at the site of a nuclear reactor in Koodankulam, police have used brutal  tactics against tens of thousands of peaceful protestors.  Two people have been shot  dead by police, most recently Mr Anthony Samy in September.  There have been at  least five deaths in the struggles against Koodankulam (Tamil Nadu), Jaitapur  (Maharashtra) and Gorakhpur (Haryana) nuclear power plants since 2010.

“There were more arrests in September and as recently as three days ago - 12  October - an ‘All India Fact Finding’ team of about 12 people was intercepted at  Nanguneri on route to Idinthakarai, interrogated and remanded in Tirunelveli Jail.  This is part of a pattern of intimidation to silence dissent.

“The September 2012 Comptroller and Auditor General’s report on India’s Atomic  Energy Regulatory Board and on nuclear safety regulation in India highlighted a  series of grave organisational and operational flaws, and raised serious concerns  about the lack of independence of the Board.  The Indian government has legislation  before parliament to replace the board with a new Regulatory Authority which will  have even less independence than the current board.

“Earlier this year India was ranked 28th out of 32 countries in terms of the security of  their nuclear stockpiles, and in 2011 one of India's pioneer nuclear scientists and  formerly a member of India's Atomic Energy Commission - Dr MP Parameswaran -  said India should suspend its entire nuclear program because of safety risks and the  unresolved problem of nuclear waste.

“Pushing uranium onto India's market temporarily benefits a dying industry in  Australia at the expense of Indians who deserve energy that is clean, safe, and  affordable. Nuclear is none of those things.”



Media Contact: Giovanni Torre - 0417 174 302

