STORY: Indonesian civil group protests against Japan's discharge of nuclear-contaminated water into sea
SHOOTING TIME: Jan. 15, 2024
DATELINE: Jan. 16, 2024
LENGTH: 00:01:04
LOCATION: Jakarta
CATEGORY: SOCIETY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of protests in front of the Embassy of Japan in Jakarta
2. SOUNDBITE (Indonesian): MARTHIN HADIWINATA, Member of Anti-Toxic Waters Community Advocacy Team (Tampar)
3. various of Japan

STORYLINE:

An Indonesian civil group on Monday held a demonstration in front of the Japanese embassy in the Indonesian capital Jakarta to protest against Japan's discharge of nuclear-contaminated wastewater from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the Pacific Ocean.

"We warn the Japanese government to stop dumping the nuclear wastewater which has bad impact on the Pacific water and marine biota, including fish that migrate to Indonesia such as yellowfin tuna," said Julius Ibrani, a member of the civil group, which calls itself the Anti-Toxic Waters Community Advocacy Team (Tampar).
   
The disposal of nuclear-contaminated water violates Indonesian and international laws as Japan didn't consult countries affected by the Pacific Ocean currents, including Indonesia, before the discharge, Ibrani noted, who is also chairperson of the Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights Association.

Another Tampar member, Marthin Hadiwinata, national coordinator of Indonesia's non-governmental organization Maritime Ecology, said that Indonesian civil groups urged the Japanese government to stop discharging nuclear wastewater into the ocean and examine the environmental impacts thoroughly.

SOUNDBITE (Indonesian): MARTHIN HADIWINATA, Member of Anti-Toxic Waters Community Advocacy Team (Tampar)
"The losses could be long-term because when nuclear wastewater enters the food chain, it can affect us for 10-20 years. Maybe you have heard of the Minamata Convention on Mercury. The pollution occurred in Japan and the problem did not occur in 1-2 years but in the next 10 years. This is what happened. Our concern is the long-term impact."

They also urged Japan to ban the export of its seafood to Indonesia, and to announce the names of restaurants, in both Japan and Indonesia, that provide seafood affected by the discharge.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Jakarta.
(XHTV)