The Honorable Prime Minister of India, Dr.\u00a0Manmohan Singh<\/p>\n
The Honorable Chief Minister, Government of Tamil Nadu, Dr. Selvi J. Jayalalithaa<\/p>\n
The Honorable Minister of Home Affairs, Dr. Chidambaram Palanniappan<\/p>\n
Honorable Madam and Gentlemen,<\/p>\n
We the undersigned are very concerned over the heavy-handed manner in which the governments of India and Tamil Nadu have treated the non-violent struggle against Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant.\u00a0 We understand that just between September and December 2011, complaints were registered against more than 55,000 people in just one police station \u2013 the Koodankulam police station.<\/p>\n
Residents of the Idinthakarai fishing village, who have been at the forefront of the non-violent struggle, and who continue to demonstrate against the project are afraid to leave their village for fear of being arrested and jailed.\u00a0 Two activists have been languishing in jail, and bail is being delayed or denied.\u00a0 In the entire district of Tirunelveli, we understand that no event critical of nuclear energy is permitted. Printing presses have been warned by the police against printing wall posters or other material critical of nuclear energy.<\/p>\n
India has strived hard to maintain its democratic credentials and spirit. But the manner in which voices critical of nuclear power are being silenced in Tamil Nadu poses a serious threat to democracy.<\/p>\n
We understand that the grass roots people\u2019s movement against the plant started in the late 1980s when the plan was disclosed. Since then it has grown into a non-violent mass movement of 10,000 people strong, centered in Idihthakarai and adjacent villages. This is a \u201cgenuine people\u2019s movement\u201d with principled non-violent and democratic means of protest such as hunger strikes, relay-fasts, and road blockades.<\/p>\n
The proposed Koondankulam plant is located in a tsunami and earthquake prone area, as evidenced by the 2004 tsunami that claimed 8,000 people\u2019s lives in Tamil Nadu.\u00a0 The most recent Indonesian earthquake on April 11th<\/sup> produced significant tremors across Tamil Nadu. The parallel with Fukushima is too striking to be ignored. Under the circumstances, the way in which the project is being pushed through, even without conducting mandatory emergency drills is extremely worrisome.<\/p>\n The government needs to engage with people and address their concerns scientifically and honestly. People’s fears about the dangers of nuclear power cannot be silenced by police power.<\/p>\n We call upon the Tamil Nadu and the Indian governments to meet the following demands of the people:<\/p>\n In addition, we also request that all restrictions on free speech, including the free movement of people in and out of Idinthakarai village be lifted; and that both the regional and national governments ensure the villagers\u2019 access to essential resources and services such as food, water, medicine, and hospitals.<\/p>\n Despite the physical distance, we stand with the people gathered in Idithakarai, and their right to speak out freely and non-violently. We are hopeful that India will live up to its reputation as the world’s largest democracy<\/p>\n Sincerely,<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Johan Galtung, dr hc mult, Professor of Peace Studies, Founder TRANSCEND: A Peace Development Environment Network<\/em><\/p>\n Glenn Paige, Chair of Governing Council, Global Institute of Non-Killing, Emeritus Professor of Political Science, University of Hawai\u2019i at M\u0101noa, Honolulu, Hawai\u2019i<\/em><\/p>\n Mairead Maguire, Nobel Peace Laureate, Co-founder of Peace People, N. Ireland<\/em><\/p>\n Fritjof Capra, founding director, Center for Ecoliteracy, professor of physics, author of \u2018The Tao of Physics\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Dr. Federico Mayor Zaragoza, Professor of the Autonomous University of Madrid. Former Director General of UNESCO<\/em><\/p>\n Michael J. Shapiro, Professor of Political Science, University of Hawai\u2019i at M\u0101noa, Honolulu, Hawai\u2019i<\/em><\/p>\n George Kent, Emeritus Professor of Political Science, University of Hawaii at M\u0101noa, Honolulu, Hawai\u2019i<\/em><\/p>\n Peter Manicas, Emeritus Professor of Sociology, University of Hawai\u2019i at M\u0101noa, Honolulu, Hawai\u2019i<\/em><\/p>\n Prof. Dr. Dietrich Fischer, Academic Director, World Peace Academy – Basel, Switzerland<\/em><\/p>\n Louis Herman, Professor of Political Science, University of Hawaii at West Oahu – Honolulu, Hawai\u2019i<\/em><\/p>\n Bishnu Pathak, PhD – Executive Director, Peace and Conflict Studies Center, Kathmandu\u00a0– Nepal<\/em><\/p>\n Michael True, Emeritus Professor, Assumption College, Massachusetts, USA<\/em><\/p>\n Kathy E. Ferguson, Professor of Political Science and Women Studies, University of Hawai\u2019i at M\u0101noa, Honolulu, Hawai\u2019i<\/em><\/p>\n Gayle McLaughlin, Mayor of Richmond, California ,USA<\/em><\/p>\n Jacques Depelchin, Visiting Professor of African History at Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana, Bahia, Brazil<\/em><\/p>\n Manfred Henningsen, Professor of Political Science, University of Hawai\u2019i at M\u0101noa, Honolulu, Hawai\u2019i<\/em><\/p>\n Lester R. Kurtz, Professor of Public Sociology, George Mason University, VA-USA<\/em><\/p>\n John Scales Avery – Professor Emeritus of physics and chemistry University of Copenhagen-Denmark and Chairman, Danish National Group, Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs<\/em><\/p>\n Farai Maguwu \u2013 Director, Center for Research and Development, Mutare, Zimbabwe<\/em><\/p>\n Michaela Birk, Executive Director, Transform: Centre for Conflict Analysis, Political Development and World Society Research, Berlin-Germany<\/em><\/p>\n Ahmed Badawi, Research Associate, Zentrum Moderner Orient \u2013 Berlin, Germany<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0Ajay Skaria, Professor in Global Studies and History, University of Minnesota, USA<\/em><\/p>\n Kyoko Okumoto, Professor at Osaka Jogakuin University, TRANSCEND Japan, TRANSCEND North East Asia, TRANSCEND Global<\/em><\/p>\n Akifumi Fujita, M.A., Lecturer in Peace Studies, Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto, Japan<\/em><\/p>\n Jovanka Beckles, City Council member, Richmond California, USA<\/em><\/p>\n Raj Patel, Visiting Scholar at the Center for African Studies at the University of California Berkeley, and Research Associate at the School of Development Studies at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.<\/em><\/p>\n Paul Ropp, Research Professor, Clark University, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA<\/em><\/p>\n Andrew Hoffman, Ph.D. in political science, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii<\/em><\/p>\n\n