A-Infos (en) nuclear transport ban in germany

[Radix <da1004@hugo.fen.baynet.de>]

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head of german police union calls germany a dictatorship, env. 
minister and nuke bosses charged with GBH

well, kak is flying everywhere here in germany, and all nuclear 
transports have been banned. There are at least two charges 
against the ministry for environment and reactor safety and the 
nuclear power station bosses for causing bodily harm to 10000s of
police, railworkers (and maybe even protesters...) by allowing
radioactive waste to leak out of castors... The police aren't happy
either, with the chairman of the police union saying that:  "this
level of contempt [from the govt] could only happen in a
dictatorship"! (true honest!)

The castors shipped by germany to la hague fast breeder in france have
been failing the so called "wipe test" (see below) for at least the
last 10 years. First of all the Env. ministry stopped international
transports 2 weeks ago, and then on thursday (21.5) transports within
germany were banned, depite the "fact" that  "there are no indications
that there has been any contamination". The transportation ban is
meant to be until the ministry can be sure that the "contaminations
won't be repeated".

 They maintain that there was never any danger for police, 
railworkers or the population. Nevertheless, they've found "a 
slightly higher level of radiation in the vicinity of a screwhole" on
one of the castors just sent to ahaus. This follows on from the news a
few weeks ago that the smaller castors (V11?) used to transport waste
to sellafield shouldn't be used because of dodgy fittings, which fail
even the nuclear industry's own crap safety guidelines. (The small
castors had never actually been tested, only modelled on computers).

the nuclear companies aren't saying much. so far it's been "but they
were ok when they left us!" and the ministry for environment and
nuclear safety says "we didn't know, honest. the nuclear power
companies didn't tell us about these reports." That was, until today
(sunday 24 may) when a ministry spokesman said," theoretically, we
could have known. but if we did then it was the scientists in the
ministry who would have noted it."

(makes you feel safe doesn't it....)

The official "informed" opinion is that if they just wash the castors
better before they leave the power plant, then the problem will be
solved...

the best bit is, that the chair of the police union, hermann lutz,
said that "this level of contempt [from the govt] can only happen in a
dictatorship"! An MP from the FDP (middle party in coalition with the
ruling CDU)  said the nuclear power companies should be charged with
injury. This is exactly what the ODP (dodgy right wing ecology party)
are doing, only they're including angela merkel (env. minister) in the
charge.

the nuke power companies remain unimpressed, and said a few days ago,
that they want to transport the next 6 castors in autumn (to gorleben,
i think). In the meantime tho,  a transport from the shut down east
german reactor rheinsberg (nw of berlin) would have been due in the
next few weeks, heading towards greifswald in the far north east
corner fo the country. This gives the campaigners a breathing space,
to try and get badly needed support.

(the wipe test is basically rubbing down the castors with a rag, and
measuring how radioactive the rag is...)

____________________     ___________________________
____________________RadiX___________________________

RadiX 
c/o KuNo
Wurzelbauerstr. 29
90409 Nuernberg
radix@pathfindermail.com

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