A-Infos (en) Indian nuclear tests

[Paul Canning <canning@rainbow.net.au>]

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PLEASE FORWARD

PLEASE FORWARD

From: Zohl de Ishtar <pacific@rainbow.net.au>
Organization: Women for a Nuclear Free and Independent Pacific,
Australia. International Peace Bureau, Oceania Rep (Female).


SEND PROTEST EMAILS TO INDIAN HIGH COMMISSION - AUSTRALIA, INDIAN
GOVERNMENT, and INDIAN MEDIA.

On 11th May India detonated 3 nuclear devices. Today they added another
2 to that total. If you would like to protest please read on.

Zohl de Ishtar
International Peace Bureau, Oceania Representative (Female)
Women for a Nuclear Free and Independent Pacific, Australia

-----

Fax or email the following letter, or write your own, to the Indian High
Commission in Australia, Indian Government and Indian Media (addresses
follow). 

(Taken from Bruce Hall of Peace Action - National Office
<panukes@igc.apc.org> and Flick of WILPF at <wilpf@iprolink.ch> with
additions by Rob Green and with adaption to suit Australia.)
 
Your Excellency:
 
*  As a non-governmental group in Australia with a long-standing
commitment to the total elimination of nuclear weapons, we strongly
condemn India's decision to resume nuclear testing.
 
*  We have worked hard over the years to halt the global nuclear testing
programs and continue urge international community to live up to its
obligations under Article VI of the Non-Proliferation Treaty
which obligates them to pursue in good faith obligations toward nuclear
disarmament.
 
*  We have and continue to oppose and protest nuclear testing by any
member of the international community anywhere in the world.

* we support the initiative of Abolition 2000, a global network to
eliminate nuclear weapons, made up of over 1000 church, union, women's,
lawyers & physicians organisations, which calls for  the complete
elimination of nuclear weapons - nuclear weapons states should initiate
immediately and conclude
by the year 2000 negotiations on a nuclear weapons abolition convention
that requires the phased elimination of all nuclear weapons within a
timebound framework, with provisions for effective verification and
enforcement.

* Abolition 2000 joins the voices of General Lee Butler USAF (Ret), in
charge of all strategic US nuclear forces from 1991-94, 60 other
Generals and Admirals from 17 countries, over 120 civilian leaders, the
Canberra Commission on Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, and the US
National Academy of Sciences.

*  Equally, we protest uranium mining by Australia which directly fuels
the nuclear arms industry.

*  We have appreciated India's historic leadership for a Comprehensive
Test Ban Treaty and for a world without nuclear weapons.  We can only
look upon these nuclear tests in Rajasthan with regret.  They have
tarnished your country's past leadership. 
 
*  Worse, nuclear testing may ignite a dangerous nuclear arms race on
the Asian subcontinent at a time when the world is waking up finally to
the futility of nuclear weapons.
 
*  We strongly urge you renounce further nuclear testing and sign the
Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.
 
*  We strongly urge you to join the growing diplomatic movement aimed at
accelerating the nuclear disarmament process. 
 
Sincerely,
 
----------------------------------------------------------------
ADDRESSES AND EMAILS

INDIAN HIGH COMMISSION AND CONSULATES IN AUSTRALIA

Indian High Commission: 3-5 Moonah Place, Yarralumla, Canberra, ACT 2600
                                         Tel: 02-62733999  fax:
02-62733328  
                            <hicanb@ozemail.com.au>  and 
<hciisi@cyberone.com.au> (do both!)
             

INDIAN GOVERNMENT

Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee: A-302, Laplaz, Lucknow,
Uttar Pradesh
                                                                    Tel:
0522 220909

Indian Government (this is a feedback form) can be found at :
                                 <http://alfa.nic.in/feedback.html>

National Capital Territory of Delhi, Honorable Chief Minister, Shri
Sahib Singh Verma
                             (a feedback form can be found at
<feedback@delhigovt.com>

INDIAN MEDIA
(also useful for one the ground news, you can subscribe to daily news)

Hindustan Times <htedo@nda.vsnl.net.in> <http://www.hindustantimes.com/
India Today <itoday@india-today.com> <http://www.india-today.com>
India World <info@indiaworld.com> <http://www.indiaworld.com>
The Times of India <editor@timesofindia.com>
<http://www.timesofindia.com/>
All India Radio: (feedback form) <http://www.allindiaradio.com/fd.htm>


……………

BACKGROUND INFORMATION


Taken from email by Edwina, Peace Movement Aotearoa <pma@xtra.co.nz>

By now you may have heard the reports that India conducted three nuclear
weapons tests at their nuclear test site near the border with Pakistan
yesterday. The PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee announced that the tests were of
a fission device, a low-yield device and a thermonuclear device; and
that they did not result in the release of any radioactivity into the
atmosphere. These are the first nuclear weapons tests explosions by
India since 1974.

These tests have taken place in the context of increased concern that
the new BJP government in India is committed to further developing
India’s nuclear weapons arsenal, and fears that this will prompt a
nuclear arms race between India and Pakistan / China.  As you may also
be aware, the Preparatory Committee meeting for the 2000 Review
Conference of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) is currently
underway in Geneva - the PrepCom is currently in disarray as agreement
cannot be reached on three areas - the Middle East, security assurances
and nuclear disarmament. 

On nuclear disarmament, there is a proposal to include a reference to
the International Court of Justice opinion ... "to pursue in good faith
and bring to a conclusion negotiations leading to nuclear disarmament in
all its aspects". Some of the nuclear weapons states, perhaps
unsurprisingly,
wish to dilute this reference.

Just to remind you, Article VI of the 1968 NPT itself states that
parties to it ..." undertake to
pursue negotiations in good faith on effective measures relating to the
cessation of the nuclear arms race at an early date and to nuclear
disarmament". 

In addition, these tests take places at a time when the US government is
partway through its own nuclear weapons tests programme for 1998, and as
we refer back to some of our Action Alerts regarding the US test series
last year we note that the one sent out on 17 September 1997 pointed out
... "Furthermore, the new Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty is breached at
least in spirit by this test series (and some argue it is breached in
fact); continuing with these tests may stop the CTBT entering into force
as non-nuclear weapons and threshold nuclear weapons states perceive
them to
be an indication of the US government’s lack of commitment to nuclear
disarmament; and it may encourage other nuclear weapons states to begin
their own sub-critical nuclear weapons tests."

Well, we wish we hadn’t been right about that. 

Reports received this morning suggest that the US government will now be
considering trade sanctions against India as a result of yesterday’s
nuclear weapons tests - well, what can we say except the hypocrisy
levels are going up again !

……………………………
MORE BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Taken and adapted from email by Bruce Hall of Peace Action - National
Office <panukes@igc.apc.org>

It is not absolutely clear what India did today, but based on a
statement by Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, weapons
scientists conducted simultaneous experiments on a thermonuclear
device (hydrogen bomb), fission device, and a low-yield device.  India
last conducted a nuclear test in 1974, but has tried to maintain a sort
of nuclear ambiguity since then.
 
Based on what I know about India's nuclear weapons program, I would say
that some of these experiments may have been to develop smaller nuclear
warheads for the long-range Agni and the medium-range Pritvhi missiles. 
India claims to have the capability to strike any target in Pakistan. 
With development of the Agni II, they are working on the capability to
strike targets in large parts of China. 
 
In addition, I would bet that the fission device was an experiment in
"boosting."  Boosting describes the process in which tritium is injected
into the center of the weapons plutonium core to provide
more loose neutrons during the initial stages of a nuclear explosion. 
More loose neutrons means more fissioning atoms and therefore more bang
for less buck in terms of explosive power. 
Almost all U.S. nuclear weapons use this boosting process which is why
the United States Department of Energy wants to resume the production of
tritium.  Boosting is an essential concept for a
nation that wants to develop lighter, more efficient nuclear weapons and
was one of the major objectives of the early U.S. testing program.
 
WHAT THIS MEANS
 
We still need more information.  The key question right now is, "Is this
the beginning of a series of Indian nuclear tests or an isolated
incident."  
 
Under a worst case scenario, expect a Pakistani nuclear test in the
coming weeks or months and a miniature nuclear arms race on the Asian
Subcontinent.  
 
Expect Republicans to use India's nuclear missile program to bolster
their case for the ballistic missile defense program here in the United
States.
 
Expect Republicans (Senator Kyl from Arizona comes to mind) to begin
discussions or even introduce legislation on the need for the United
States to resume nuclear testing.  Under the 1992 nuclear
moratorium the United States is prohibited from conducting a nuclear
test after 1996 unless another country first conducts a test.  As you
remember Kyl tried to undo that moratorium in the
summer of 1996.  Of course our signature on CTBT commits the United
States to maintain its moratorium but that fact may not  […] Obviously,
this is very bad news for efforts to get the CTBT ratified in the United
States Senate.
 
The Silver Lining
 
Yes, there is a potential silver lining in this scenario.  India's test
might serve as a bit of a wake-up call to a public and administration
largely complacent on nuclear disarmament matters. 
In this sense, India's test might provide us with an organizing
opportunity similar to, although smaller than, the opportunity given to
us by French President Jacques Chirac when he resumed
nuclear testing in the South Pacific.  The repercussions of that
decision ultimately included the Canberra Commission, the zero- yield
CTBT, the South Pacific Nuclear Weapons Free Zone, and General Lee
Butler's decision to come out publicly in favor of nuclear abolition. 
I'm sure it also had a major impact on the World Court decision.


-- 
.......................
 :|:  Paul Canning     
 :|:  canning@rainbow.net.au
 :|:  http://www.rainbow.net.au/~canning
......................
Queers for reconciliation http://reconciliation.queer.org.au/
......................
"The current IMF 'rescue package' for Indonesia approximates the
estimated wealth of the Suharto family."
Noam Chomsky

-- 
......................
 :|:  Paul Canning     
 :|:  canning@rainbow.net.au
 :|:  http://www.rainbow.net.au/~canning
......................
Queers for reconciliation http://reconciliation.queer.org.au/
......................
"The current IMF 'rescue package' for Indonesia approximates the
estimated wealth of the Suharto family."
Noam Chomsky


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