17 October 2012
ABC Radio Australia
Cambodia denies it plans to build a nuclear power plant (Credit: ABC)
A report originating in the Bangkok Post newspaper has been replicated internationally.
It says the Prime Minister Hun Sen told an ASEAN energy ministers meeting in September a power plant would be built near the Thai border.
The reaction from Thailand was not positive.
Correspondent: Karon Snowdon
Speaker: Ith Praing, Cambodia's state secretary at the Ministry of Mines and Energy
SNOWDON: It's reportedly got the Thai government worried and anti-nuclear activists in a sweat. But comments attributed to the Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen have been refuted by Ith Praing, a state secretary at the ministry of mines and energy. Because of the poor quality phone line, his comments are being read.
PRAING: We checked and checked, double checked, triple checked the speech of our Prime Minister to see if there is some word about a nuclear plan.
SNOWDON: The Bangkok Post article of the 10th October said Hun Sen had announced Cambodia's plan for a nuclear power plant in Koh Kong province. Its an underdeveloped remote south western area that abuts Thailand's Trat province. The Bangkok Post added that Thai army chief and energy minister Arak Chonlatanon who were at the same meeting both expressed concern.
They weren't contactable but Ith Praing is certain.
PRAING: There's no one word that our Prime Minister said about this kind of project. The Bangkok Post is mis-reporting or mis-writing or misleading the public.
SNOWDON: Back in 2010 Cambodia said it was looking into nuclear power as a future energy source to meet rising domestic demand, Ith Praing was the spokesman then too. But while Cambodian scientists might be studying nuclear technology, any plans are possibly decades away and the focus remains on new hydro electric power plants. Following Japan's Fukushima nuclear disaster, Thailand last year temporarily shelved its plans for four nuclear energy plants one of them in Trat province, because of safety concerns.
But just this month the energy minister announced nuclear power would be the subject of a new study but the idea faces strong public opposition in Thailand.
Cambodia's other neighbour, Vietnam is building two nuclear power plants with Russian help and Indonesia is keen to add it to its energy mix. Cambodia's Ith Praing says his country has to be prepared for a regional nuclear future
PRAING: This strategy of Cambodia is to consider the possibility, I don't know when. But we have only incorporated in our strategy just one word because in ASEAN we've never created sustainability for nuclear. So as a member of ASEAN we are just considering nuclear energy for therapy, for medical care and the possibility of a power plant but not now!! there's no project at all.
SNOWDON: What is happening now is Cambodia is being helped by the Australian government's Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, ANSTO. Since 2005 ANSTO has been training South East Asian nations in improving the safety of high risk radioactive sources and dealing with emergencies. Radioactive material was found buried in the grounds of the old Khmer Soviet Friendship Hospital in Phnom Penh.
PRAING: Yes we received some training from ANSTO, and good cooperation with ANSTO and the US energy department in research in one hospital in Phnom Penh where radiation was found. The Khmer Rouge regime threw away radioactive material which ANSTO and the US department found and they took measures to protect it.
SNOWDON: In its report ANSTO concluded the situation highlights the need for long term international cooperation especially following periods of conflict or societal breakdown. While the rest of the world is rethinking its nuclear strategy post Fukushima, South East Asia still sees nuclear power as a viable means of solving its energy problems. As the fuss over Cambodia's plans shows, there's a some way to go to avoid potential conflicts over regional cooperation and the siting of power plants.
1 comment:
If Cambodian to modernize to the height of developing nations Cambodia must build hydro power plant, coal power plant including nuclear power plant to meet the demand of small, medium, and heavy industries! As for Thailand and their thuggish leaders have no right to interfere with Cambodian ambition to see that Cambodia will have equal footing in energy market in Southeast Asia and meet the need of Cambodian people demand and the market demand!
It is funny when these Siem thuggish leaders pretend to worry and their so called anti-nuclear activists pretend to sweat but they are secretly drafting a plan for nuclear facility go into operation in Nakhon Si Thammarat, Surat Thani, Trat, Nakhon Sawan, Ubon Ratchathani by 2026!
Tell me why AH HUN SEN need to listen to the Siem thugs? Any stupid Cambodian listen to the Siem thugs and they will be condemned to be dirt poor for eternity!
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