Letter from A Social Movement in India to The Delegates of 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China

November 9, 2012

The People’s Movement Against Nuclear Energy
Idinthakarai 627 104
Tamil Nadu
India
koodankulam@yahoo.com

The Delegates
18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China
Great Hall of the People
Beijing
[Through]
H. E. The Ambassador of China
50-D, Shantipath
Chanakyapuri
New Delhi-110021
Fax: 91-11-26885486; 24679542
E-mail: chinaemb_in@mfa.gov.cn

Dear Esteemed Delegates:

Greetings! We, the Struggle Committee of the People’s Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE), write to congratulate you all on the successful start of the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and to wish you all great success with this important meeting.

As you are making crucial decisions about the socioeconomic-political future of your important country, may we request you to shun the development of nuclear power as an energy option please. After all, scores of developed and scientifically advanced countries around the world are renouncing nuclear power and going for ‘New Energies’ for obvious reasons.

Only our two countries, China and India, are going for major expansion of nuclear power with no concrete plans to decommission the plants or to store and safeguard the nuclear waste. Both our countries also go for major nuclear arms build-up which is not in the best interests of our peoples, regional harmony and world peace.

Our countries are working together in several international forums such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), the Russia-India-China (RIC) troika, and the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) economies. We could become a much larger force in the world economy over the next 50 years. In fact, economists predict that BRICS economies could account for over half the size of the G6 (US, Japan, Germany, France, Italy, UK) by 2025 and could be larger than the G6 (in US dollar terms) in less than 40 years.

But our national growth and progress may mean little if we also engage in nuclear arms race and squander our resources on expensive and dangerous projects such as nuclear power plants that will take enormous amounts of money for decommissioning, waste management and so forth. All our nuclear plants/parks will have deleterious effects on our farmers’, fishermen’s and workers’ rights to life and livelihood; our natural resources; our cattle, crops and seafood; food security; nutrition security; health of our people, and the wellbeing of our progeny.

In the larger interests of our own countries and peoples and the whole world, please make a solemn resolve in your historic 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China not to promote nuclear energy in China. Such a thoughtful decision will also help India, Pakistan and other countries shun nuclear power and go for “New Energies.â€

Looking forward to your timely and wise intervention in the nuclear issue, we send you our best regards and all peaceful wishes.

Yours truly,

S. P. Udayakumar M. Pushparayan M. P. Jesuraj

Fr. F. Jayakumar R. S. Muhilan Peter Milton