Penduduk Kuantan resah dengan Lynas

Zulkifli Sulong

KUANTAN, 21 Julai: "Di negara mereka, ditetapkan peraturan zon bafer seluas 30 km dari kilang rare earth (nadir bumi), namun di sini, jika apa-apa berlaku seluruh bandar Kuantan akan terlibat kerana kilang ini hanya 25 km sahaja dari bandar Kuantan."

Fakta inilah yang membuatkan penduduk Kuantan sekarang resah dengan kehadiran kilang 'lampu' atau 'Lamp' yang akan dibina di kawasan perindustrian Gebeng, 25 km dari bandar Kuantan. Ia disingkatkan dengan nama Lamps On pada papan tandanya di Gebeng.

Namun sebagaimana biasa, masyarakat Cina di sini jauh lebih resah berbanding dengan orang Melayu kerana inilah yang sentiasa berlaku apabila melibatkan sensitiviti masyarakat. Mereka telah mengepalai NGO "Save Malaysia - Stop Lynas' bagi melawan projek ini.

Presiden PAS, Datuk Seri Tuan Guru Abdul Hadi Awang menyalahkan sikap media Melayu yang terlalu 'membela' kerajaan dalam laporan mereka menyebatkan sensitiviti orang Melayu rendah dalam isu sebegini.

Satu keluarga Cina di Kuantan diminta berpindah dari bandar itu oleh ibu mereka kerana takutkan apa yang berlaku di Bukit Merah, Ipoh berlaku lagi di Kuantan dengan pembinaan kilang 'Lamp' ini.

Ini kerana, kilang yang sama di Bukit Merah, Ipoh (bukan Bukit Merah, Taiping) telah diarahkan tutup oleh Mahkamah Tinggi pada tahun 1992 ekoran tindakan penduduk tempatan membantahnya selepas dipercayai menyebabkan pelbagai kecacatan dan kematian kepada penduduk berhampiran kilang ini.

(Papan tanda jalan masuk ke kilang Lynas di kawasan perindustrian Gebeng, Kuantan)

Lamp adalah singkatan dari perkataan Lynas Advanced Material Plant (LAMP) sebuah kilang memproses nadir bumi yang sudah 65 peratus siap (ada yang berkata 90 peratus siap) sekarang ini. Ia dibina di atas tapak sebuah kawasan perindustrian yang berjiran juga dengan kilang-kilang perindustrian yang lain di situ.

Antara kilang yang berkongsi pagar dengan Lamp adalah Polyplastics, BASF Petronas Chemicals dan juga Palmoil Industrial Cluster yang sedang dibina.

Di seberang jalan pula adalah pusat latihan Agensi Penguatkuasaan Meritim Malaysia (APMM).

Pada papan tandanya, tercatat papan tanda LAMPS ON atau Lynas Advanced Material Plant (LAMP) yang dimiliki Lynas Malaysia Sdn Bhd dan UGL Resources. UGL Resources adalah syarikat utama yang berpengkalan di Australia dalam bidang Pengurusan Aset dan Projek dengan jumlah kakitangan sekitar 42,000 orang.

Mereka telah dianugerahkan Kontrak Pengurusan Projek Pembinaan Lynas di Gebeng pada 22 Februari 2010 dengan nilai kos pengurusan projek di sekitar RM96.8 juta.

UGL Resources bertanggunjawab di dalam urusan rekabentuk kejuruteraan kilang Lynas. Kos infrastruktur Lynas di Gebeng dianggarkan sekitar RM700 juta.

(Bangunan APMM yang siap untuk digunakan hanya dipisahkan dengan jalan raya dan sebuah kilang sahaja dengan kilang Lynas. Ia tidak sampai 5 km jaraknya sebagaimana yang disarankan dalam laporan EIA)

Kilang ini adalah 100 peratus milik Lynas Australia dan dijadual untuk disiapkan Suku-3 2011 (iaitu September). Tarikh asal dikatakan pada suku-pertama 2011 (Mac).

Selepas siap nanti, nadir bumi yang dilombong di Australia akan dibawa ke perlabuhan Kuantan dengan kapal. Dari kapal, ia akan dibawa dengan lori ke kilang ini untuk diproses sebelum dieksport semula.

Ada beberapa isu penting yang membimbangkan penduduk tempatan.

1) Bahan 'nadir bumi' ini berupa gentian yang sangat halus yang mengandungi bahan radio aktif. Ia sangat merbahaya kalau tertelan atau dihidu dan masuk ke dalam badan.

2) Semasa memproses nadir bumi ini, ia akan melibatkan penggunaan yang asid Hidroklorik dan asid Sulfurik yang banyak. Ia sangat bahaya kalau terlepas bebas ke udara.

3) Prosesnya juga melibatkan banyak air dan air yang telah digunakan akan dilepaskan ke Sungai Gebeng selepas dirawat. Namun setakat manakah rawatan itu berlaku dan apa berlaku jika rawatan ini tidak lengkap.

3) Bahan sisa kilang ini juga mengandungi radio aktif. Di mana ia akan dibuang dengan selamat.

Ke empat-empat isu inilah telah menyebabkan penduduk tempatan khasnya di Beserah dan Gebeng serta Kuantan menubuhkan NGO khas bagi menghadapinya.

Badan itu adalah Save Malaysia - Stop Lynas dan satu lagi Badan Bertindak Anti-Rare Earth Refinery (Badar).

(Tiga penggerak utama Badar yang dipimpin oleh Amdan Sura [berdiri di tengah] ketika ditemui di Gebeng Ahad lepas)

Hari ini, Badar telah menyerahkan memorandumnya kepada Kementerian Perdagangan Antarabangsa dan Industri (MITI) bagi membantah kebenaran yang diberikan MITI untuk pembinaan kilang ini di Malaysia.

Mereka juga bertemu dengan Lajnah Guaman PAS bagi membuat proses tindakan undang-undang bagi menyekat pembinaan kilang ini di Gebeng.

"Pada peringkat awal dahulu kita agak lunak dengan pembinaan kilang ini tetapi setelah mengetahui secara mendalam, kita tidak akan biarkan dan akan menentangnya," kata Presiden PAS, Datuk Seri Tuan Guru Abdul hadi Awang kepada Harakahdaily dua hari lalu.

LAPORAN BERKAITAN

Lynas : Apa yang perlu anda ketahui

http://bm.harakahdaily.net/index.php/headline/4486-penduduk-kuantan-resah-dengan-lynas

Lynas : Apa yang perlu anda ketahui

Huzir Sulaiman

(Kilang Lynas yang sedang rancak di bina di kawasan perindustrian Gebeng, Kuantan. Kawasan yang sedang ditimbus adalah satu lagi kilang baru yang sedang dibina dan bakal berkongsi pagar dengan Lynas)

KILANG Lynas sudah pun 95% dibina di Gebeng Kuantan. Keluasan menyamai 140 buah padang bola atau 100 hektar tanah. Kedudukan Kilang Lynas diapit oleh Polyplastic dan Projek Fasa 1 Kluster Industri Minyak Kelapa Sawit yang juga berhadapan dengan Agensi Penguatkuasaan Maritim Malaysia (APMM) dan bersebelahan dengan BASF Petronas Chemicals.

Juga tercatat papan tanda LAMPSON atau Lynas Advanced Material Plant (LAMP) antara Lynas Malaysia Sdn Bhd dan UGL Resources. UGL Resources adalah syarikat utama yang berpengkalan di Australia dalam bidang Pengurusan Aset dan Projek dengan jumlah kakitangan sekitar 42,000 orang.

Mereka telah dianugerahkan Kontrak Pengurusan Projek Pembinaan Lynas di Gebeng pada 22/2/2010 dengan nilai kos pengurusan projek di sekitar RM96.8 juta. UGL Resources bertanggunjawab di dalam urusan rekabentuk kejuruteraan kilang Lynas. Kos infrastruktur Lynas di Gebeng dianggarkan sekitar RM700 juta.

Syarikat ini adalah 100% milik Lynas Australia.

Dijadualkan, kilang ini akan disiapkan Suku-ketiga tahun 2011 (iaitu September). Tarikh asal dikatakan pada Suku-pertama 2011 (iaitu Mac).

Lesen untuk dibina diberikan pada tahun 2008 oleh kerajaan tempatan dan beberapa pihak berkeuasa lain.

Peluang Pekerjaan hanya untuk 350 orang sahaja selepas infrastruktur LAMP
Lynas siap dibina.

2500 pekerja terlibat dengan pembinaan infrastruktur Lynas di Gebeng sekarang ini melalui pelbagai peringkat pembinaannya.

Lebih 3000 pekerja lain di syarikat-syarikat lain yang sedang beroperasi di Kawasan Industri Gebeng Kuantan sekarang ini. Yang paling besar adalah BASF Petronas Chemical, Polylplastic (gambar) dan pusat latihan Agensi Meritim Malaysia (APMM) di saping kilang-kilang lain.

Kilang ini dijangka akan menghasilkan 22 ribu tan 'rare earth oxide ' setahun.

Nilai eksport kilang dianggarkan pada nilai RM8 Billion setahun apabila ia beroperasi sepenuhnya.

Kerajaan telah memberikan status bebas cukai selama 12 tahun kepada kilang ini berasaskan projek pioner.

Negada China merupakan pembekal ‘rare earth’ atau nadir bumi terbesar di dunia sebanyak 95%. Dijangka berlaku penurunan export nadir bumi atau ‘rare earth’ China dari 72% kepada 37% pada tahun 2011.

Harga satu tan rare earth sekarang adalah pada RM364, 800.

Pembeli terbesar adalah dari Jepun, Amerika dan Eropah untuk keperluan industri berteknologi tinggi (Magnet Prestasi Tinggi) seperti Kabel Fiber Optic, Monitor LCD, Komputer, Lensa Kamera, Mentol Lampu, Smartphone, Alatan Ketenteraan dan Kereta Hybrid.

Setiap kereta Hybrid akan menggunakan 12KG nadir bumi atau ‘rare earth’.

Walaubagaimanapun, penggunaan Thorium di dalam ‘gas mantle’ sebagai lampu yang menyala bila dikenakan api sudah semakin berkurangan kerana kesan radioaktif.

Thorium-232 digunakan sebagai makanan kepada bahan api nuklear Uranium-233. Rusia, China dan India berhasrat kini untuk menggunakan Thorium sebagai tenaga nuklear mereka. 1 tan Thorium boleh menghasilkan tenaga seperti 200 tan Uranium dan 3.5 juta tan arang batu.

Lynas dijangka akan menjadi pengeluar 1/3 daripada keperluan ‘rare earth’ atau nadir bumi dunia selepas 2 tahun beroperasi. Lynas akan mengeluarkan ‘rare earth’ atau nadir bumi untuk keperluan global pertama diluar China.

Lynas telah menandatangi perjanjian jual beli dengan 8 pelanggannya dari pelbagai negara, iaitu 6 kontrak pembekal dan 2 ‘letter of intent’.

Keseluruhan simpanan simpanan ‘rare earth’ atau nadir bumi dunia adalah di sekitar 99 juta metrik tan. Australia mempunyai simpanan nadir bumi sebanyak 5.2 juta metrik tan manakala Malaysia hanya mempunyai simpanan sebanyak 30-35 ribu metrik tan. Kegunaan setahun keperluan nadir bumi dunia adalah di sekitar 124 ribu sehingga 180 ribu metrik tan setahun.

Perlombongan ‘rare earth’ di Mount Weld adalah di sekitar 121,000 metrik tan setahun selama 18 tahun. Boleh menampung pengeluaran sehingga 156,000 tan setahun.

Proses menghasilkan ‘rare earth’ atau nadir bumi secara umumnya:

a. ‘Ore’ atau Bijih dilombong di Mount Weld Australia.

b. Bijih tersebut kemudiannya akan dikeringkan dan proses pengasingan akan dilakukan. Di sini ‘rare earth concentrate’ akan dihasilkan. ‘rare earth concentrate’ inilah yang akan dieksport ke Gebeng Kuantan melalui pelabuhan Kuantan.

c. Di Gebeng Kuantan, proses seterusnya ialah menghasilkan ‘rare earth compounds’ dimana rawatan dengan menggunakan bahan kimia akan dilakukan untuk proses pengasingan/penulenan seterusnya.

d. ‘rare earth compounds’ tersebut akan seterusnya diproses dengan menggunakan kuantiti bahan kimia yang berbeza bergantung kepada jenis ‘rare earth’ atau nadir bumi itu, sama ada ia ringan atau berat untuk menghasilkan ‘ rare earth oxides’ di mana ia kemudiannya dihantar atau dieksport semula ke kilang pengeluar produk. Kuantiti bahan kimia yang akan digunakan boleh menjangkaui dari 50-1000 tangki bergantung sama ada elemen itu ringan atau berat.

(CAP menerbitkan buku ini yang mencatatkan perjuangan penduduk Bukit Merak, Ipoh bagi menentang kilang Rare Earth disana ssehinggalah ia ditutup)

e. Di kilang pengeluar produk berteknologi tinggi, ‘rare earth oxides’ ini akan diproses sekali lagi juga menggunakan teknik ‘solvent extraction’ untuk menghasilkan ‘rare earth metal’ yang akan digunakan secara langsung atau dicampurkan dengan bahan lain untuk menghasilkan produk berteknologi tinggi itu.

Untuk setiap proses yang dilalui di atas, bahan asid akan sentiasa digunakan.

Kesan dari bahan-bahan ini kepada persekitaran tetap ada jika tidak ditadbir selia secara baik. Antara bahan asid yang digunakan adalah asid sulfurik dan asid hidroklorik. Keperluan bahan mentah Asid Sulfurik dan Asid Hidroklorik berdekatan dengan kilang LAMP Lynas di Gebeng.

‘Light Rare Earth Elements (LREE)’ akan menggunakan 50 tanki bahan ini ketika pemprosesan manakala 1000 tanki untuk ‘Heave Rare Earth Elements (HREE)’. Ciri-ciri ketoksidan Asid Sulfurik dan Asid Hidroklorik? ‘Toxicity’ atau tahap keracunan adalah amat tinggi.

Ia juga adalah ‘corrosive’ atau amat menghakis. Boleh menyebabkan kebakaran tahap tinggi. Bahaya jika terhidu, termakan dan terkena kulit. Termakan boleh membawa maut. Pendedahan kronik boleh menyebabkan kerosakan paru-paru dan kemungkinan juga kanser.

Penggunaan Asid Sulfurik dan Asid Hidroklorik sebanyak 704 tan sehari atau 257,012 tan setahun yang diketahui umum bertoksid tinggi dan bersifat menghakis itu juga boleh mengancam keselamatan, kesihatan dan persekitaran (Safety, Health, and Environment (SHE)).

Kesan dari Gas Radon yang diketahui umum penyebab 20,000 kematian di Eropah setiap tahun yang juga boleh tersebar melalui udara jika tidak diurusselia dengan baik oleh pihak pengurusan Lynas dan dipantau secara ketat oleh agensi pihak berkuasa.

---------------------------------
Penulis adalah AJK Badan Bertindak Anti Rare Earth Rifinenary (Badar) dan juga anggota Lajnah Alam Sekitar PAS Pusat.

LAPORAN BERKAITAN

Penduduk Kuantan resah dengan Lynas

Lynas: Badar mahu jumpa Adnan

http://bm.harakahdaily.net/index.php/articles/depth/4488-lynas-apa-yang-perlu-anda-ketahui

Lynas nafi laporan NY Times

Lynas nafi laporan NY Times

Jun 30, 11 9:21pm

Syarikat perlombongan gergasi Australia, Lynas Corporation menafikan sama sekali laporan akhbar New York Times yang mendakwa loji nadir bumi syarikat itu di Gebeng, menghadapi masalah kelemahan pembinaan dan kecacatan rekabentuk.

"Laporan itu tidak benar sama sekali," kata pengerusi eksekutif Lynas, Curtis Nicholas dalam satu sidang media di Kuala Lumpur hari ini.

Beliau mengulangi bahawa keselamatan masyarakat setempat dan pekerjanya menjadi keutamaan tertinggi dalam pembinaan dan operasi loji berkenaan.

Curtis menegaskan bahawa pihaknya tidak akan berkompromi dalam standard kejuruteraan.

Laporan New York Times baru-baru ini yang memetik memo dalaman oleh jurutera sekarang mahupun yang telah meninggalkan syarikat itu bahawa pembinaan loji Lynas Advanced Material Plant (Lamp) di Gebeng, Pahang adalah 'bahaya' dan mempunyai masalah rekabentuk.

Artikel itu mendakwa memo berkenaan memaparkan beberapa kecacatan dengan jurutera menghuraikan rekahan struktur, poket udara dan kebocoran di kebanyakan 70 tangki konkritnya.

Tangki itu dijadualkan untuk menyimpan bahan radioaktif selepas nadir bumi berkenaan yang dibawa dari Australia Barat dicampur dengan asid untuk merawatnya.

Ia juga mendakwa sistem paip keluli yang dibina untuk kilang tersebut adalah menggunakan keluli standard dan tidak sesuai bagi memindahkan bahan berkenaan. Tangki simpanan pula dibina daripada konkrit konvensional yang sepatutnya didirikan dengan gentian polimer yang kurang kemungkinannya akan retak.

[Baca berita penuh]

http://malaysiakini.com/news/168539

Lynas: Kami mahu menyumbang, bukan rosakkan

Jun 25, 11 11:14am

Lynas Corporation Ltd, dari Australia, yang kini terjebak di dalam keadaan kontroversi berkaitan cadangan pembinaan kilang nadir bumi di Gebeng, Pahang, menyatakan ia mahu menjadi penyumbang positif kepada komuniti dan bukan dilihat sebagai datang ke negara ini dan merosakkannya.

Pengerusi Eksekutifnya, Nicholas Curtis (kanan), yang tidak menjangka tentangan yang dihadapi lebih besar dari jangkaan, memberitahu Bernama bahawa beliau menyambut baik teguran membina oleh pihak yang bimbang mengenai isu itu kerana terdapat terlalu banyak penyebaran maklumat yang salah.

Adalah dilaporkan bahawa kontroversi mengenai pembinaan kilang oksida nadir bumi bernilai RM700 juta oleh Lynas Malaysia Sdn Bhd di Estet Perindustrian Gebeng, itu telah mencetuskan dakwaan bahawa ia akan mengeluarkan radiasi yang membahayakan kesihatan orang ramai.

Curtis bersetuju bahawa Lynas gagal menyalurkan maklumat secara aktif kepada komuniti.

"Saya raya saya juga bertanggung jawab kerana tidak cukup menjelaskan kedudukan kami. Kami ingat kami telah melakukan yang mencukupi untuk meredakan tentangan dengan memberikan penjelasan kepada para pengawal aturan mengenai apa yang perlu kami lakukan bagi mendapatkan kelulusan apabila obligasinya lebih daripada itu terhadap komuniti," katanya.

Katanya kerajaan telah bertindak secara bertangggung jawab dengan tidak bertolak ansur mengenai isu kesihatan dan keselamatan.

"Kami tidak mahu menyebabkan kerosakan terhadap komuniti. Kami mahu memastikan industri itu selamat. Kami tidak berkomunikasi secara berkesan di dalam isu itu," katanya.

Katanya urusan nadir bumi sebenar adalah sangat baik bagi masa depan kerana ia menjuruskan kepada pengeluaran bahan bagi penggunaan sains dan teknologi, yang termasuk teknologi hijau dan adalah industri yang baik bagi Malaysia ke arah mencapai Wawasan 2020.

Adalah difahamkan bahawa nadir bumi adalah elemen utama di dalam bahan canggih di segi teknologi, di dalam pembuatan kepelbagaian produk yang meluas, yang termasuk pengubah pemangkin, turbin angin, bateri kereta hibrid, pemacu cakera, telefon mudah alih dan paparan skrin rata.

Sehubungan itu, urusannya yang sebenar mempunyai potensi yang besar untuk menjadi satu wadah bagi mewujudkan rantaian nilai masa depan bagi membina kluster industri bernilai tambah akan datang yang akan dibina di sini.

"Wujud peluang yang menerujakan bagi membina satu kluster industri berteknologi tinggi seperti automotif, elektronik yang selari dengan pelan 2020," kata Curtis.

Katanya Malaysia adalah satu tempat yang baik untuk datang melabur dan Gebeng mempunyai infrastruktur yang perlu bagi industri berat.

"Kami memilih untuk datang ke Malaysia. Kami telah membuat pilihan untuk mengkaji tapak di Australia dan juga tempat lain seperti China. Oleh kerana kami aktif dalam perniagaan global, kami memilih Malaysia kerana infrastrukturnya telah lengkap dibangunkan dan peraturannya adalah jelas," katanya.

Curtis berkata standard Malaysia dikenali sebagai paling ketat di dunia yang memerlukan satu lesen bagi sebarang bahan yang mempunyai sebarang paras radiasi.

Syarikat itu juga memilih untuk datang ke Malaysia walau pun mengetahui reaksi komunitinya terhadap insiden Asian Rare Earth (ARE) Bukit Merah pada awal 1990'an.

"Kami merasakan persekitaran pengawal atur mengetahui mengenai risiko dan paras profesional di sini adalah tinggi. Jadi, kami boleh menjelaskan secara berkesan dengan para pengawal atur. Kami juga mengetahui bahawa bahan kami secara fundamentalnya berbeza dengan yang di Bukit Merah," katanya.

Syarikat itu sebelum ini menekankan bahawa bahan mentah itu akan disumberkan dari Mount Weld di Australia tidak sama berbanding yang diproses di Bukit Merah.

Amang yang diproses di Bukit Merah mengandungi paras tinggi thorium, yang menjadi sumber radiasi, manakala Lynas menggunakan bahan mentah yang lazimnya mempunyai paras thorium yang rendah, iaitu 50 kali lebih rendah dari amang yang digunakan oleh ARE.

"Kami tidak mahu merosakkan komuniti. Kami mahu menjadi penyumbang positif kepada komuniti," kata Curtis, sambil memastikan bahawa aspek keselamatan sangat dititikberatkan oleh Lynas.

Lynas mengumumkan pada April bahawa pembinaan Lynas Advanced Materials Plant (LAMP) telah mencapai peringkat 40 peratus dan berada pada landasan disiapkan menjelang September 2011.

Bagaimana pun, kebimbangan orang ramai yang meluas mengenai keselamatan projek itu telah mendorong kepada pelantikan panel bebas pakar antarabangsa untuk menyemak semula kesemua aspek kesihatan dan keselamatan projek itu.

Panel pakar yang dilantik oleh Agensi Tenaga Atom Antarabangsa (IAEA) telah membuat lawatan tapak dari 29 Mei hingga 3 Jun dan laporannya akan dikemukakan kepada kerajaan menjelang akhir bulan ini.

Curtis berkata Lynas akan akur sepenuhnya dengan keputusan IAEA dan syarikat itu akan sentiasa menunjukkan bahawa ia bersikap jujur dengan apa yang telah dinyatakannya.

--Bernama

http://malaysiakini.com/news/167990

Menteri: Tiada pencemaran radioaktif di luar premis

Menteri: Tiada pencemaran radioaktif di luar premis

Jun 18, 11 11:18am

Tiada pencemaran radioaktif Fluorine-18 dikesan di luar premis syarikat pengeluar radio farmaseutikal di Selangor yang disita berikutan empat pekerjanya dikesan dicemari bahan radioaktif.

Menteri Sains, Teknologi dan Inovasi Datuk Seri Maximus Ongkili berkata pencemaran hanya dikesan dalam bilik penghasilan radiofarmaseutikal di premis itu dan empat pekerja terlibat.

"Tiada pencemaran radioaktif dikesan dalam pejabat am syarikat.Tiada pekerja lain juga dikesan tercemar serta tidak timbul risiko pencemaran silang bagi keempat-empat pekerja terbabit," katanya kepada pemberita di Putrajaya, semalam.

Ongkili sebelum ini berkata pencemaran radioaktif itu dikesan oleh Lembaga Pelesenan Tenaga Atom (AELB) melalui Sistem Pemonitoran Sinaran Portal (RPM) pada 11.30 pagi pada 2 Jun lepas ketika keempat-empat pekerja tersebut datang ke AELB untuk berurusan dengan Bahagian Pelesenan.

Kadar bacaan diperoleh adalah sekitar 30,000 hingga 50,000 bacaan seminit iaitu pada kadar 400 kali lebih tinggi daripada bacaan normal.

Bagaimanapun, Ongkili berkata Fluorine-18 mempunyai tempoh separuh hayat yang pendek iaitu 110 minit dan selepas 10 kali tempoh separuh hayat iaitu selepas 20 jam, bacaan sinaran akan kembali ke paras normal.

"Justeru itu, ia tidak akan menimbulkan risiko sinaran kepada pekerja tercemar, orang awam atau alam sekitar," katanya.

Beliau berkata syarikat berkenaan juga telah mengemukakan rayuan supaya sitaan dibatalkan memandangkan ia telah mematuhi semua syarat dan melaksanakan penambahbaikan daripada masa ke semasa.

Setakat ini tiada denda dikenakan kepada syarikat berkenaan memandangkan ia merupakan kesalahan pertama selain mereka telah mematuhi semua prosedur ditetapkan, kata Ongkili.

"Tindakan penyitaan ini adalah sebagai amaran kepada semua kemudahan, orang dan pemegang lesen untuk sentiasa menggunakan standard keselamatan yang tinggi seperti diperuntukkan dalam perundangan dan lain-lain peraturan berkaitan," katanya.

- Bernama

http://malaysiakini.com/news/167288

Kumpulan Anti-Lynas mahu injunksi mahkamah

Lee Long Hui
Jun 11, 11
2:10pm

Kumpulan anti-Lynas 'Save Malaysia' mempertimbangkan mendapatkan perintah injunksi untuk menghalang projek kontroversi bernilai RM700 bilion itu daripada memulakan operasinya.

Ketua perhubungan awam kumpulan itu Clement Chin (kiri) berkata, kumpulan itu kini bekerjasama dengan Majlis Peguam Pahang bagi meneliti kemungkinan mendapatkan perintah mahkamah terhadap Lynas Advance Material Plant (Lamp).

"Kami melihat daripada segenap penjuru, (dan kami) akan buat keputusannya dalam masa sebulan," katanya dalam sidang media anjuran gabungan NGO People's Green hari ini.

Lamp terletak di kawasan perindustrian Gebeng, 25km ke arah utara Kuantan, ini negeri Pahang.

Pusat nadir bumi itu akan memulakan operasi percubannya pada September depan.

[Baca berita penuh]

http://malaysiakini.com/news/166608

Company with radiation leak sealed

Wednesday June 15, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR: A radiopharmaceutical company in Selangor has been ordered to stop operation and its premises sealed for investigations after radioactive materials were detected on four of its workers.

The order came from the Atomic Energy Licensing Board (AELB), said Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Seri Dr Maximus Johnity Ongkili in a press statement yesterday.

He added that the radioactive contamination was detected by AELB through a Radiation Portal Monitor (RPM) system at 11.30am on June 2 after the four workers went to the AELB office.

“The radiation reading on one of the workers exceeded more than 400 times the normal reading (the normal reading is 0.5 micro Sievert/hour),” he said in a press statement here yesterday.

He also said the four workers had gone through the decontamination process with three of them at the National Radiological Emergency Centre at the AELB head office in Dengkil.

The other worker, who was directly involved with the radiopharmaceutical leakage, was decontaminated at the Malaysian Nuclear Agency, he added.

Ongkili said an AELB team also monitored the company premises on the same day and found the contamination there at more than 100 times the normal reading.

“The contaminated area has been cordoned off to ensure the radiation does not spread and to prevent radioactive particles from leaving the place,” he said.

The company was also ordered to review its work procedure and to submit remedial action to prevent the incident from happening again. - Bernama

http://www.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/6/15/nation/8904488&sec=nation

Japan declares no-go zone around nuclear plant

AP – Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan, in blue, is welcomed by Gov. Yuhei Sato, right, of Fukushima prefecture …

By MARI YAMAGUCHI and ELAINE KURTENBACH, Associated Press Mari Yamaguchi And Elaine Kurtenbach, Associated Press – 5 mins ago

TOKYO – Japan declared a 12-mile (20-kilometer) area evacuated around its radiation-spewing nuclear power plant a no-go zone on Thursday, urging residents to abide by the order for their own safety or possibly face fines or detention.

The order, due to take effect at midnight, angered residents who fled their homes nearly empty-handed when they were told to evacuate after last month's tsunami and earthquake wrecked the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant's power and cooling systems.

"I initially thought we would be able to return within a few days. So I brought nothing except a bank card," said Kazuko Suzuki, 49, from Futaba, just next-door to the nuclear complex.

"I really want to go back. I want to check if our house is still there," said Suzuki, who fled with her teenage son and daughter. "My patience has run out. I just want to go home."

Officials said the order was meant to limit exposure to radiation leaking from the plant and to prevent theft in the mostly deserted area.

Under a special nuclear emergency law, people who enter the zone will now be subject to fines of up to 100,000 yen ($1,200) and possible detention of up to 30 days. Up to now, defiance of the evacuation order was not punishable by law.

"We beg the understanding of residents. We really want residents not to enter the areas," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said. "Unfortunately, there are still some people in the areas."

The new ruling was not due to any particular change in conditions inside the plant, which appear to have somewhat stabilized. Even under the best-case scenario, however, the plant's operator says it will take at least six months to bring its reactors safely into a cold shutdown.

Almost all the zone's nearly 80,000 residents left when the area was evacuated on March 12, but police had not been able to legally block them from going back. Police contacted Thursday said they had no estimate of the exact number of people who have returned to the zone or who still might be living there.

Edano said authorities would arrange brief visits for residents, allowing one person per household to return by bus for a maximum of two hours to collect necessary belongings. Residents would be required to go through radiation screening, he said.

Residents chafed at the limit to just one person per household.

"It's outrageous. I can do very little within two hours. The government does not understand our needs and concerns," Suzuki said.

No visits will be allowed in a two mile (three kilometer) area closest to the plant, said Hidehiko Nishiyama of Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency, confirming reports that zone would be completely off-limits.

Details were still being worked out.

"We realize this is extremely inconvenient for residents, but we urge you to be patient," Edano told reporters in Tokyo.

Prime Minister Naoto Kan was visiting the region Thursday to meet with local officials and evacuees to discuss the plans for strict enforcement of the evacuation zone.

Kan also visited a nuclear crisis management center in Fukushima, giving a pep talk to workers there. He has been under fire from the opposition for the government's response to the nuclear crisis.

Fukushima's governor, who has also expressed frustration with the crisis, said he strongly urged Kan to ensure the government properly handles the disaster and related compensation issues.

"I told the prime minister that I strongly hope that evacuees can return home as early as possible," said the governor, Yuhei Sato.

Meanwhile, new data from Japan's National Police Agency showed that two-thirds of the victims identified so far in last month's earthquake and tsunami were elderly — and almost all of them drowned.

The agency said 65 percent of the 11,108 confirmed fatalities of known age were 60 or older. Another 1,899 victims were of unknown age.

With another 14,000 people still missing, the March 11 disaster is believed to have killed about 27,000. The police agency said nearly 93 percent of the victims had drowned. Others perished in fires, were crushed to death or died from other causes.

The northeastern coast hardest hit by the disasters had a high concentration of elderly residents.

___

Associated Press writers Eric Talmadge in Fukushima and Malcolm Foster and Shino Yuasa in Tokyo contributed to this report.

Slideshow:Japan's Fukushima Nuclear Plant

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110421/ap_on_bi_ge/as_japan_earthquake

Japan's evacuees annoyed at compensation offer

AP/Hiro Komae

Japanese police officers carry a body during a search and recovery operation in Namie, Fukushima Prefecture, northeastern Japan. More photos »

NISA via JIJI Press – Handout provided by Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA) shows engineers checking …

By SHINO YUASA and RYAN NAKASHIMA, Associated Press Shino Yuasa And Ryan Nakashima, Associated Press – Fri Apr 15, 9:52 am ET

TOKYO – The crisis at Japan's tsunami-crippled nuclear plant forced Kazuko Suzuki to flee her home without packing, ended her job at a welfare office and cost her 18-year-old son an offer for work of his own.

The plant operator's announcement Friday that it would pay $12,000 in initial compensation to each evacuated household struck her as far too little to repay her family for the economic turmoil it has already suffered.

"I'm not satisfied," said the 49-year-old single mother from Futaba, who has lived for the past month with her two teenage sons at a shelter in a high school north of Tokyo. "I feel like this is just a way to take care of this quickly."

Suzuki is among tens of thousands forced to leave their homes because of radiation leaking from the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant, unsure of when, if ever, they will be able to return. The complex's cooling systems were disabled by the March 11 tsunami, which was spawned by a magnitude 9.0 earthquake.

Some have traveled hundreds of miles (kilometers) to Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s headquarters in the capital to press their demands for compensation. Pressed by the government as well, TEPCO announced it would begin distributing money April 28.

"We have decided to pay provisional compensation to provide a little help for the people (who were affected)," TEPCO President Masataka Shimizu told a news conference.

Roughly 48,000 households living within about 20 miles (30 kilometers) of the crippled plant would be eligible for the initial payments — 1 million yen (about $12,000) for families and 750,000 yen (about $9,000) for single adults, the government said. The government said more was expected to be paid later.

TEPCO expects to pay 50 billion yen (about $600 million) in the initial round of compensation. As costs mount for the utility, Shimizu said the company would consider cutting executive salaries as well as a number of its employees.

Suzuki said the evacuation has placed a serious financial burden on her family, forcing it to buy clothes, food and other basics.

"We've had to spend money on so many extra things, and we don't know how long this could go on," she said.

Click image to see photos of quake, tsunami damage

AP/Hiro Komae

Akemi Osumi, a 48-year-old mother of three also from Futaba, said the money was a "small step" but that it didn't fairly compensate larger families. Her family is living at the same shelter but also must rent an apartment for her eldest son to go to a vocational school.

"One million yen doesn't go very far," she said. "I'm not convinced at just 1 million yen per family. If it was dependent on the size of the family I'd understand, but it's not."

In the small fishing town of Namie, about six miles (10 kilometers) from the plant, store owner Masami Watanabe hurriedly inspected his shop while scores of police searched the evacuated area for bodies of those slain by the tsunami.

Watanabe, who received special permission from the government to return for a quick survey of his shop, was also critical of TEPCO's offer.

"There is no way they can compensate us for what happened here. What they are offering isn't enough. I have a mortgage to pay. And besides, it's not all about money," he said.

Watanabe rented an apartment in the northeastern city of Sendai after the evacuation, but wants to move back home.

"Who knows how long that will take," he said, as he put a garbage can in front of his shop doorway to keep burglars out.

TEPCO is still struggling to stabilize the nuclear plant and restore cooling systems that failed after the tsunami wrecked emergency backup systems as well as much of the plant's regular equipment.

Radiation leaks from the crisis have contaminated crops and left fishermen in the region unable to sell their catches, a huge blow to an area heavily dependent on fishing and farming.

The governor of Fukushima, Yuhei Sato, has vigorously criticized both TEPCO and the government for their handling of the disaster, demanding faster action.

"This is just a beginning. The accident has not ended. We will continue to ask the government and TEPCO to fully compensate evacuees," he said.

Japan's nuclear compensation law exempts the operator from liability when the accidents are "caused by a grave natural disaster of an exceptional character, or by an insurrection." However, it would be politically untenable for TEPCO to cite the tsunami as a rationale for not paying damages, given the complex nature of the problems that have unfolded at the plant, and questions over its preparedness, among other issues.

It is unclear whether TEPCO is likely to face lawsuits going forward. Most Japanese prefer to avoid the cost and publicity of going to the courts for redress, and the country relies heavily on nonjudicial resolution of disputes.

With Tokyo still suffering a power crunch because of the loss of power generated by its stricken plants, TEPCO said it planned to install gas turbines at two thermal power plants to boost output.

TEPCO, the main power supplier to the Tokyo region, said the new turbines would raise its capacity to between 50 million and 52 million kilowatts, still well below the nearly 60 million kilowatts of power consumed during peak hot weather days last summer.

The company earlier said it would only be able to provide 46 million kilowatts of capacity.

___

Associated Press writers Elaine Kurtenbach, Mari Yamaguchi and Noriko Kitano in Tokyo contributed to this report.

Slideshow:Japan's Fukushima Nuclear Plant

Play Video Video:Japan suffers record fall in foreign visitors AFP

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110415/ap_on_bi_ge/as_japan_earthquake

Adnan 'ugut' tutup semua kilang jika tidak benar Lynas beroperasi

Khairil Abdul Rahim

KUANTAN, 15 April: Kenyataan Menteri Besar Pahang Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakub untuk menutup semua kilang di Gebeng jika Lynas Corporation yang memproses ‘rare earth’ tidak dibenarkan beroperasi disifatkan sebagai ugutan.

Pengerusi Majlis Bertindak Rakyat Negeri Pahang, Syed Ali Badaruddin Syed Othman, menganggap kenyataab bersifat ugutan tersebut dibuat setelah Kerajaan Negeri Pahang terdesak dengan bantahan rakyat dan tidak dapat menyelesaikan masalah tersebut.

Syed Ali memberi reaksi demikian kepada Harakahdaily, bagi mengulas kenyataan Adnan semalam ketika Persidangan Dewan Undangan Negeri Pahang ke 12, yang berkata kilang-kilang lain juga perlu ditutup sekali kerana mereka turut mengeluarkan bahan radioaktif.

“Jika kerajaan mengambil tindakan menghentikan projek Lynas, maka kilang-kilang lain juga perlu ditutup sekali karana mereka turut mengeluarkan bahan radioaktif.

“Kita lihat nanti reaksi keluarga serta 20,000 pekerja Gebeng sekiranya kerajaan negeri terpaksa mengambil tindakan menutup seluruh kawasan perindustrian tersebut,” kata Adnan semasa mencelah perbahasan berkaitan kilang Lynas.

Lynas Corporation Ltd (Lynas) merupakan syarikat milik penuh Australia yang memproses ‘rare earth’ bagi tujuan industri. Bahan tersebut dipunggah dari Australia manakala sisa pemprosesan iaitu bahan buangan thorium yang dikatakan mengandungi bahan radioaktif yang berbahaya kepada manusia dan alam itu, dilupuskan di Kuantan.

Mengikut kelulusan yang diberikan oleh Kerajaan Negeri Pahang, syarikat berkenaan mula beroperasi September ini.

Syed Ali berkata, walaupun kilang Lynas merupakan pelaburan kepada negeri ini tetapi sangat berisiko yang akan ditanggung rakyat dan mempunyai kesan dalam jangka panjang yang tidak terfikir pada masa akan datang.

“Jadi pelaburan ini secara tidak langsung boleh ‘menghalau’ pelabur yang lain kerana kesan jangka panjangnya iatu dari segi fizikal atau mekanikal, apabila berlaku bencana alam seperti banjir, gempa bumi dan sebagainya tidak menjamin keselamatan pelupusan radioaktif.

“Kalau kita tengok, di Jepun semuanya pakar-pakar hebat tetapi bila berlaku Tsunami semunya hancur. Ini pula negeri ini yang tidak ada kepakaran seperti negara-negara maju, satu masa kalau berlaku bencana siapa akan bertanggungjawab,” soalnya.

Syed Ali berkata, kenapa kerajaan negeri perlu memilih pelaburan berisiko sedangkan negeri ini pilihannya banyak kerana kaya dengan hasil hutan tropika, pelbagai sumber galian, hasil tanah dan produk pelancongan yang kaya.

“Jadi pada saya MB hanya mengugut apabila berkata seluruh kilang di kawasan Gebeng patut ditutup jika kilang Lynas tidak dibenarkan beroperasi kerana bantahan rakyat,” katanya.

http://bm.harakahdaily.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2818:adnan-ugut-tutup-semua-kilang-jika-tidak-benar-lynas-beroperasi&catid=81:negeri-pahang

Engineers fail to seal leak at Japan nuclear plant

AP – In this Saturday, April 2, 2011 photo released by Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) via Kyodo News, leaking …

By RYAN NAKASHIMA and MARI YAMAGUCHI, Associated Press Ryan Nakashima And Mari Yamaguchi, Associated Press – 4 mins ago

TOKYO – Engineers tried to stem a leak of highly radioactive water spilling into the Pacific with a new method Sunday after concrete failed to seal the crack at a Japanese nuclear power plant incapacitated by last month's earthquake-spawned tsunami. A search of site found no other leaks.

The wave has carved a path of destruction up and down the northeastern coast and is believed to have killed 25,000 people. The first deaths at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant itself, though, were confirmed Sunday by the operator. A 21-year-old and a 24-year-old were conducting regular checks at the complex when the 9.0-magnitude earthquake hit March 11.

"It pains us to have lost these two young workers who were trying to protect the power plant amid the earthquake and tsunami," Tokyo Electric Power Co. Chairman Tsunehisa Katsumata said in a statement.

The bodies were not discovered until Wednesday and had to be decontaminated. The announcement was delayed while authorities notified their families, TEPCO spokesman Kazufumi Suzuki said.

Since the tsunami knocked out the plant's cooling systems and reactors began to dangerously overheat, a series of almost daily problems has led to substantial amounts of radiation leaking into the atmosphere, ground and sea in the world's worst nuclear crisis since the 1986 meltdown at Chernobyl in the former Soviet Union.

On Saturday, authorities discovered a crack from which radioactive water was spilling into the Pacific — the first time they identified a direct source of sea contamination. The ultimate source of the water is believed to be the reactor cores.

A picture released by TEPCO shows water shooting some distance away from a wall and splashing into the sea, though the amount of water was not clear. The contaminated water will quickly dissipate in the ocean but could pose a danger to workers at the plant.

The 8-inch- (20-centimeter-) long crack is in a maintenance pit from which water containing levels of radioactive iodine far above the legal limit spilled into the ocean, said Hidehiko Nishiyama of Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency.

Workers filled the pit with concrete but couldn't get it to dry.

Next, they injected polymer into a pipe that connects the pit to the rest of the system. The polymer can absorb enormous amounts of water and expands 50 times its original size. It's not yet known if that stemmed the leak.

The crack is believed to have been caused by the earthquake, though that is still under investigation. The reactor buildings and other structures in more sensitive parts of the plant are build to stricter codes and thus are better able to withstand earthquakes than the pit was, according to Nishiyama.

"Even if a crack in the pit is caused by the quake, the reactors must have withstood the temblor," he said.

Over the past 10 days, pooling water at the nuclear complex has repeatedly forced technicians to pull back and suspend their work.

A search of the plant Sunday found no other similar leaks leading directly to the ocean. "We believe that's the only crack," said another TEPCO spokesman, Naoki Tsunoda.

People living within 12 miles (20 kilometers) of the plant have been evacuated, but, as with previous leaks, it could pose a danger to workers.

Radiation — as well as debris and several explosions — slowed the search for the bodies of the two workers who have been listed as missing since just after the quake struck.

The two were last seen in a control room at one of the reactors. It's not clear why they didn't evacuate.

But it was thought that following the quake, the men ran to the basement of a turbine building. Workers have been trying to get access to that area since and successfully drained enough water last week to find the bodies.

The nuclear crisis has compounded the suffering of people in the northeast and, at times, overshadowed their plight. Tens of thousands have lost their homes and are living in shelters, 200,000 households do not have water, and 170,000 do not have electricity.

Running water was just restored in the port city of Kesennuma on Saturday, and locals lined up Sunday to see a dentist who had flown in from the country's far north to offer his services. Many of the residents were elderly and complaining of problems with their dentures.

Overhead and throughout the coastal region, meanwhile, helicopters and planes roared by as U.S. and Japanese forces finished their all-out search for bodies.

The effort, which ends Sunday, is probably the final hope for retrieving the dead, though limited operations may continue. It has turned up nearly 50 bodies in the past two days.

In all, 12,000 deaths have been confirmed, and another 15,400 people are missing.

Slideshow:Japan's Fukushima Nuclear Plant

Play Video Earthquakes Video:Japan disasters wilt cherry blossom parties AFP

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Associated Press writers Mayumi Saito and Shino Yuasa in Tokyo and Jay Alabaster in Kesennuma contributed to this report.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110403/ap_on_bi_ge/as_japan_earthquake

Japan's dim capital faces further power crunch

AP – In this Saturday, April 2, 2011 photo released by Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO), the inside view of …

By RYAN NAKASHIMA, AP Business Writer Ryan Nakashima, Ap Business Writer – 1 hr 53 mins ago

TOKYO – When a boiling summer hits power-starved Tokyo, even Japan's culture of self-restraint will hit its limit.

The March 11 tsunami that smashed into Japan's northeast coast, killing as many as 25,000 people and knocking out nuclear power generation, has transformed this usually bright, bustling metropolis into a dark, humbler version of itself.

Running on eco-mode in the cool spring invites few complaints as citizens bundle up, leave work early and even go to bed around sundown. Escalators are still, trains run without air conditioning, and popular night time baseball games have been suspended. Many say any complaints are hollow compared to the deprivation and destruction further north.

"Shikata ga nai," a popular stoic phrase meaning "it can't be helped," is frequently on people's lips.

But as the sticky, hot summer with daily highs in the mid-30s Celsius (mid-90s Fahrenheit) approaches, the government is bracing for electricity demand to jump, overreaching supply, and normally persevering Japanese reach for their aircon remotes.

"I think it will be nearly impossible for Japanese people to live without air conditioning," said Atsuhiko Sudo, a 32-year-old filmmaker, walking out of a gloomy-looking Yodobashi Camera store in Tokyo's Akihabara electronics shopping district.

The government is asking industries that rely on electricity generated by Tokyo Electric Power Co. — operator of a crippled nuclear power plant in the northeast — to come up with plans by the end of April to cut energy use even more in preparation for summer.

The tsunami knocked peak power generation capacity at the utility known as TEPCO from around 52 million kilowatts down to 31 million kilowatts. About 5 million kilowatts of capacity has been restored at conventional plants, and the government estimates that restarting more of them will bring capacity to 45 million kilowatts by July. But demand from TEPCO customers is expected to rise to between 55 million and 60 million kilowatts from July to August, leaving a cavernous gap during Japan's hottest months.

About 9 million kilowatts of capacity may be gone forever as the radiation-leaking Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant is likely to be scrapped and the future of the halted Dai-ni plant is uncertain. That suggests chronic shortages until new power plants are built. A government plan for the power supply that may include new plant construction is to be announced at the end of April.

"This disaster should be called a national crisis," said Hiromasa Yonekura, chairman of business association Nippon Keidanren. "The country has to pull together to overcome it." The group has decided to coordinate power reduction among its sprawling membership, which includes the country's largest corporations.

The power usage cut expected from companies operating in and around Tokyo is likely to be large — as much as 25 percent.

Office buildings are among the largest consumers of electricity, according to the government, but the area is also home to factories run by Nissan Motor Co. Ltd., Nippon Steel Corp., and a vast array of small businesses such as pachinko slot machine parlors with blaring music and brightly flashing lights.

"If we don't have power, we can't make cars," said Nissan spokesman Mitsuru Yonekawa.

For automakers, the power crunch comes amid a severe parts shortage because many suppliers in the stricken northeast were wiped out or stopped operating as employees were killed while those who escaped focused on surviving without homes and basic amenities.

Nissan Motor Co. plans to halt operations at all seven of its factories in Japan this week because stockpiles of parts have run dry. Toyota Motor Co. Ltd. is now operating just two of its 17 assembly and engine factories, making only three models out of more than 60 that were in production.

Automakers could shift some production into the middle of the night, usually a down time, if it helps reduce peaks in demand. "We have some room to maneuver," said Toyota spokesman Paul Nolasco.

Many companies with their own power generators, such as Sumitomo Chemical Co. Ltd., have fired them up to full strength, rather than buying once-cheaper energy from TEPCO.

Other companies have fewer options, such as Nippon Steel, which has a factory in Chiba prefecture that runs 24 hours a day. One plan to rotate stoppages among businesses would definitely cut into production time. "I think there will be an impact, but how much is unclear," said spokesman Masato Suzuki.

The power rationing should cut an extra 2 percent to 4 percent from the nation's industrial production this summer, Nomura Securities estimated, based on a similar electricity shortage in 1951-52.

A wave of "jishuku," or self-restraint, has already caused car sales to plunge nearly 40 percent in March and sales at some department store chains to dive more than 30 percent. In total, the quake and its aftermath should cut 0.7 percentage point off GDP growth this year, Nomura said, further pushing back a shaky recovery.

Tokyo residents, meanwhile, are resorting to a variety of individual power-saving tactics, which the government credits with helping make up more than half the shortfall so far and has led to a temporary halt to planned blackouts.

Yuichiro Kanda, a 40-year-old system engineer, says his company is getting more firmly behind its long-standing "two up, three down" policy of taking the stairs instead of the elevator for short trips.

When power outages hit his family of five in their suburban Saitama home between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m., they ate and jumped in the bath before lights out. "Then we just went to sleep," he said.

Nonstop TV commercials, run by a consortium of private companies called AC Japan, exhort people to switch off lights and not hoard items in short supply, such as bottled water, and pull together to lift Japan out of this crisis.

Waka Imamura, a 21-year-old wedding planner, has been finishing her work early as the company has slashed overtime in part to cut power use. She sleeps by bundling up in extra layers of clothing rather than use her heater. But she worries about the mass effect of all the self-sacrifice, normally an honored trait.

"If we exercise too much self-restraint, it could really hurt Japan's economy," she said. "But we must do what we can to save electricity. I hope things will return to normal as soon as possible."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110403/ap_on_bi_ge/as_japan_earthquake_power_crunch

Krisis nuklear Jepun 100 tahun?

GAMBAR oleh Syarikat Tenaga Elektrik Tokyo (TEPCO) menunjukkan keadaan empat reaktor nuklear Fukushima Daiichi yang rosak setakat semalam.

---

TOKYO, Jepun - Seorang pakar nuklear memberi amaran pencemaran radiasi daripada loji nuklear Fukushima Daiichi akan berterusan kerana batang-batang bahan api nuklearnya mengambil masa hingga 100 tahun untuk sejuk, lapor sebuah akhbar semalam.

Bekas anggota dasar keselamatan nuklear Britain, Dr. John Price berkata, tempoh itu diperlukan sebelum batang-batang nuklear itu sejuk dan selamat untuk dipindahkan.

"Cara sekarang (untuk menyejukkan batang-batang nuklear tersebut) iaitu menyemburkan air ke dalam reaktor-reaktor itu kurang berkesan, kerana air kembali mengalir keluar akibat kebocoran dan menyebabkan pencemaran radiasi terus berlaku.

"Perlu ada cara supaya air yang dipam itu kekal di dalam reaktor-reaktor nuklear tersebut," katanya.

Komen beliau disiarkan stesen televisyen Amerika Syarikat (AS), ABC semalam selepas seorang ibu kepada pekerja-pekerja kecemasan yang bergelut untuk menghalang batang-batang nuklear di loji Fukushima Daiichi daripada mencair berkata, mereka semua akan mati akibat kesan radio aktif dalam masa beberapa minggu lagi.

"Anak lelaki saya memberitahu bahawa dia dan rakan-rakan sekerjanya sanggup berkorban demi negara," kata kata ibu berusia 32 tahun itu dalam satu wawancara telefon dengan stesen televisyenFox News.

"Mereka sedar mereka akan mati dalam masa beberapa minggu lagi kerana radiasi kerana adalah mustahil untuk mengelakkan pancaran radiasi di dalam loji tersebut," tambahnya.

Dalam perkembangan berkaitan, Jepun dilapor bersedia menimbus reaktor-reaktor nuklear itu dengan mencurahkan bertan-tan bahan konkrit sebagai jalan terakhir bagi mengatasi krisis nuklear Fukushima Daiichi sekiranya usaha yang dilaksanakan sekarang gagal.

Langkah itu dapat menghalang sinaran dan partikel radioaktif daripada tersebar.

Dalam pada itu, beribu-ribu mayat mangsa bencana gempa bumi kuat dan tsunami yang melanda Jepun pada 11 Mac lalu masih belum dipungut kerana mayat-mayat itu didapati dicemari tahap radiasi yang tinggi.

Setakat ini, 11,500 orang disahkan terkorban dengan 16,400 lagi masih hilang dan peluang untuk menemui mayat mereka amat tipis.

Tiga minggu selepas bencana itu berlaku, sejumlah 260,000 kediaman di timur laut Jepun masih terputus bekalan air manakala 170,000 rumah lagi terpaksa bergelap. - Agensi

http://www.kosmo.com.my/kosmo/content.asp?y=2011&dt=0403&pub=Kosmo&sec=Dunia&pg=du_01.htm

Hidup terseksa

MIYAGI: “Elektrik dan air hingga kini masih lagi tiada...masalah pengangkutan turut memburukkan lagi keadaan di sini, apa yang kami harap cuma penderitaan ini cepat berlalu,” kata Kishimoto Masashi, 75, nelayan di Onagawa, Sendai yang ditemui ketika mendapatkan bekalan makanan di pusat penempatan sementara.

Menurutnya, semua kenderaan milik penduduk di situ pada hari berlakunya gempa dan ombak besar rosak teruk dan lesap dihanyutkan air termasuk kereta miliknya dan keluarga.

Beliau berkata, kehidupan harian bersama anak dan cucu lelakinya kini sukar, namun masih lagi bernasib baik kerana mendapat bekalan makanan yang disediakan pihak kerajaan dan badan bukan kerajaan (NGO) yang datang dari seluruh Jepun serta beberapa negara luar.

“Makanan tiada masalah kerana kami sentiasa boleh mendapatkannya di pusat penempatan ini, apa yang menjadi masalah adalah kami sukar untuk ke luar ke tempat lain bagi menguruskan urusan lain seperti ke bank dan sebagainya.

“Kami hanya duduk dalam rumah dan keadaan bertambah teruk pada malam hari dengan cuaca yang sejuk serta ketiadaan bekalan elektrik serta air,” katanya yang diterjemahkan perantara.

Menurutnya, dia kini hanya bergantung hidup dengan duit simpanan kerja yang diperoleh setiap bulan kerana tidak dapat keluar ke laut untuk menangkap ikan ekoran bot turut musnah serta keadaan di jeti yang rosak.

Sementara itu, sukarelawan tempatan, Etomichiko, yang membantu penduduk di kawasan itu serta mangsa dari tempat lain yang ditempatkan di pusat penempatan berkata, terdapat kira-kira 700 mangsa ditempatkan di pusat itu yang kebanyakan adalah wanita, kanak-kanak dan warga tua.

Katanya, 50 ahli kumpulan sukarelawan daripada NGO iaitu The Nippon Foundation memberikan bantuan di situ setiap hari dengan mengagihkan barangan seperti makanan, pakaian dan selimut yang diterima dari seluruh jepun.

“Kami juga membantu dari segi penjagaan kesihatan dan bantuan kaunseling bagi mangsa yang masih lagi trauma dengan tragedi ngeri itu.

“Disebabkan waktu ini adalah musim sejuk dan bekalan elektrik pula tiada, kami membuat rawatan seperti urutan kaki dan badan supaya kesihatan mangsa sering terjaga,” katanya.

http://www.hmetro.com.my/myMetro/articles/Hidupterseksa/Article/index_html

AELB ambil sampel kaji kesan radiasi

KUALA LUMPUR: Kementerian Sains, Teknologi dan Inovasi (Mosti) melalui Lembaga Perlesenan Tenaga Atom (AELB) memantau secara berterusan kepekatan radionuklid Iodin 131 (I-131) dan Cesium 137 (Cs-137) dalam sampel air laut, air hujan dan tanah dari beberapa lokasi seluruh negara.

Menterinya, Datuk Seri Maximus Ongkili berkata, analisa sampel dijalankan Agensi Nuklear Malaysia ekoran sampel air laut berhampiran loji janakuasa nuklear Fukushima Daiichi di Jepun yang masih melebihi had dibenarkan pihak berkuasa negara itu.

“Laporan Agensi Tenaga Atom Antarabangsa (IAEA) pada 29 Mac lalu mengesahkan keadaan masih serius di Stesen Kuasa Nuklear Fukushima Daiichi, Jepun,” katanya dalam satu kenyataan, di sini semalam.

Beliau berkata Agensi Nuklear Malaysia mengeluarkan keputusan analisa sampel itu secara berkala bermula jam 3, petang semalam.

“Bacaan untuk I-131 pada 26 Mac lepas adalah 74 Bq/cm3 iaitu 1,875 kali ganda had dibenarkan pihak berkuasa Jepun, namun ia menurun pada hari berikutnya kepada 11 Bq/cm3 iaitu 275 kali ganda had dibenarkan.

“Bacaan kepekatan radionuklid I-131 terus menurun pada 28 Mac lalu kepada 2 Bq/cm3 iaitu 50 kali ganda had yang dibenarkan, tetapi ia meningkat semula pada hari berikutnya kepada 130 Bq/cm3 iaitu 3,250 kali ganda had dibenarkan,” katanya.

http://www.hmetro.com.my/myMetro/articles/AELBambilsampelkajikesanradiasi/Article/index_html

50 pekerja nuklear sanggup mati

GAMBAR yang disiarkan pada 24 April lalu menunjukkan kemusnahan loji nuklear Fukushima Daiichi di timur laut Jepun yang rosak akibat gegaran gempa bumi.

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TOKYO - Ibu salah seorang pekerja loji nuklear Fukushima Daiichi yang rosak akibat gegaran gempa bumi kuat menyatakan anaknya dan pekerja lain menjangkakan mereka akan meninggal dunia akibat terkena radiasi tinggi, lapor sebuah akhbar semalam.

Anaknya itu merupakan antara 50 pekerja loji jana kuasa nuklear tersebut yang terdedah pada kadar radioaktif yang tinggi semasa melakukan kerja-kerja untuk menyejukkan reaktor selepas rosak akibat gegaran kuat hempa bumi pada 11 Mac lalu.

Gegaran kuat itu berlaku akibat gempa bumi yang berlaku di timur laut Jepun dekat dengan loji nuklear tersebut yang mencetuskan ombak tsunami.

Menurut ibu tersebut, semua pekerja yang berhempas-pulas menyelamatkan loji tersebut daripada menyebarkan radiasi menjangkakan mereka akan meninggal dunia dalam tempoh beberapa minggu lagi.

Ibu itu yang bercakap menerusi jurubahasa melalui telefon berkata kepada stesen televisyen Fox News: "Anak lelaki saya dan rakan-rakannya telah membincangkan dengan panjang lebar dan mereka komited untuk mati jika ia perlu untuk menyelamatkan negara.

"Dia (anak lelakinya) telah menerima sepenuh hati bahawa mereka kemungkinan akan mati akibat sakit disebabkan radiasi dalam tempoh jangka pendek atau kanser dalam tempoh jangka panjang."

Sementara itu, Perdana Menteri Jepun, Naoto Kan semalam berkata, kebocoran radiasi daripada loji Fukushima Daiichi tidak membawa kesan terhadap kesihatan awam kecuali rakyat mematuhi nasihat kerajaan pada setiap masa.

"Jepun membuat keputusan bertindak di kawasan (pemindahan sekitar loji) berdasarkan nasihat dan cadangan pakar. Di Jepun, kita meminta penduduk supaya mematuhi peraturan kerana ia akan menjamin keselamatan dan kesihatan mereka," katanya. Negara itu juga buat kali telah menemui tahap radiasi melebihi paras selamat dalam daging-daging lembu berhampiran kawasan larangan loji nuklear.

Kementerian Kesihatan Jepun menjelaskan bahawa 510 becquerels sesium radioaktif dikesan dalam daging lembu dari Tenei, wilayah Fukushima, kira-kira 70 kilometer dari loji nuklear tersebut, menurut agensi berita Kyodo.

Dalam kejadian gempa bumi dan tsunami itu, lebih 28,000 orang didapati terbunuh dan hilang. - Agensi

http://www.kosmo.com.my/kosmo/content.asp?y=2011&dt=0402&pub=Kosmo&sec=Dunia&pg=du_02.htm

Japan's PM vows to win battle against nuke plant

AP – In this Thursday, March 24, 2011, photo available Friday, April 1, 2011, inside of the Unit 4 at the …

By RYAN NAKASHIMA and MARI YAMAGUCHI, Associated Press Ryan Nakashima And Mari Yamaguchi, Associated Press – 31 mins ago

TOKYO – Japan's prime minister sounded a resolute note Friday, promising to win the battle against an overheating nuclear plant even as atomic safety officials raised questions about the accuracy of radiation measurements at the complex.

Naoto Kan was grave a week ago when he addressed this nation rattled by fears of radiation that has contaminated food, milk and tap water. But three weeks after a massive tsunami disabled a nuclear power plant's cooling systems, Kan vowed that Japan would create the safest system anywhere.

Japan will "do whatever it takes to win the battle" at Fukushima Dai-ichi, Kan said in a televised news conference. And when the crisis ends: "We will establish a system that could respond to any situation based on an assumption that anything could happen."

While a massive earthquake and tsunami set off a series of events that disabled the plant, the accident has been exacerbated by several missteps along the way. Apparently spotting another mistake Friday, the nuclear safety agency ordered the Tokyo Electric Power Co. to review its recent radiation figures, saying they seemed suspiciously high.

TEPCO has repeatedly been forced to retract such figures, fueling fears over health risks and eroding confidence in the company's ability to respond effectively to the crisis.

Among the measurements called into question was one from Thursday that TEPCO said showed groundwater under one of the reactors contained iodine concentrations that were 10,000 times the government's standard for the plant, the safety agency's spokesman Hidehiko Nishiyama said. Seawater and air concentrations from this week also are under review.

"We have suspected their isotope analysis, and we will wait for the new results," Nishiyama said, adding that the agency thinks the numbers may be too high.

TEPCO has conceded that there appears to be an error in the computer program used to analyze the data, but spokesman Junichi Matsumoto insisted that the glitch only affected readings for two radioactive isotopes, neither of which was iodine or other readings that have raised recent radiation concerns.

The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency has held out the possibility that a complete review of all radiation data collected since the tsunami might eventually be ordered.

In any case, it appears radiation is still streaming out of the plant, underscoring TEPCO's inability to get it under control. The company has increasingly asked for international help in its uphill battle, most recently ordering giant pumps from the U.S. that were to arrive later this month to spray water on the reactors.

Though experts have said radiation seeping into the ground under the plant is unlikely to reach drinking supplies, there are two ways that could happen.

One is if it were to seep into wells in the area. For now, a 12-mile (20-kilometer) radius around the plant has been cleared, though residents of the area are growing increasingly frustrated with evacuation orders and have been sneaking back to check on their homes.

The other concern is that contaminated water from the plant could eventually make its way into rivers used for drinking water. Tomohiro Mogamiya, an official with the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare's water supply division, said that was "extremely unlikely" since groundwater would flow toward the ocean, and the plant is right on the coast.

The two closest filtration plants for drinking water have both been shut down because they are just inside the exclusion zone.

"When people return to the area we will test the water to make sure it is safe," said Masato Ishikawa, an official with the Fukushima prefecture's food and sanitation division.

Radiation concerns have rattled the Japanese public, already struggling to return to normal life after the earthquake-borne tsunami pulverized hundreds of miles (kilometers) of the northeastern coast. Three weeks after the disaster in one of the most connected countries in the world, 260,000 households still do no have running water and 170,000 do not have electricity. Officials fear up to 25,000 people may have been killed.

In the latest report of food becoming tainted, the government said Friday that a cow slaughtered for beef had slightly elevated levels of cesium, another radioactive particle. Officials stressed that the meat was never put on the market.

Contamination has also affected work at the plant itself, where radioactive water has been pooling, often thwarting the vital work of powering up the complex's cooling systems.

Despite the leaks, TEPCO hasn't had enough dosimeters to provide one for each employee since many were destroyed in the earthquake. Under normal circumstances, the gauges, which measure radiation, would be worn at all times.

Officials said Friday that more meters had arrived and there are now enough for everyone.

"We must ensure safety and health of the workers, but we also face a pressing need to get the work done as quickly as possible," said nuclear safety agency spokesman Hidehiko Nishiyama. Until now, sharing meters "has been an unavoidable choice."

TEPCO has repeatedly relaxed safety standards during the crisis in order to prevent frequent violations. That is not uncommon during emergencies.

Though the company has acknowledged that it was initially slow to ask for help in dealing with the nuclear crisis, experts from around the world are now flooding in. And two giant pumps, typically used for spraying concrete, will soon arrive from the U.S. They are being retrofitted to spray water first, according to Kelly Blickle, a spokeswoman at Putzmeister America Inc. in Wisconsin. At least one similar pump is already in operation at the plant.

U.S. troops also are involved in the search for the dead. Japan's defense ministry said that, starting Friday, the two militaries will create joint teams to look for bodies from the air. So far 11,500 people have been confirmed dead. Of those, more than 9,000 have been identifed. Another 16,400 are missing, and many may never be found.

Hundreds of thousands more people are living in evacuation centers, some forced to leave their houses near the plant because of radiation concerns.

Some residents are growing angry and frustrated with the government and are increasingly violating the bans to return to their homes to gather whatever they can find.

"There is no doubt in my mind that it is dangerous in there," said Kazuko Hirohara, a 52-year-old nurse from Minami Soma. "I just wish they would have thought about safety before they ruined our lives."

Play Video AFP – Pressure on Japan to widen nuclear evacuation zone

• Slideshow:Japan's Fukushima Nuclear Plant
• Play Video Video:Japan's nuclear plant neighbours face tsunami cleanup AFP

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Associated Press writers Eric Talmadge in Fukushima, Shino Yuasa and Mayumi Saito in Tokyo, and Jeff Martin in Atlanta, Georgia, contributed to this report.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110401/ap_on_bi_ge/as_japan_earthquake