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Nuclear Option Should Be Last Resort, Muslim Intellectuals Say
March 18, 2011

Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is pictured before helicopters dump water on the stricken reactor to cool overheated fuel rods inside the core on Thursday. Plans to build a reactor in Indonesia have come under fire following the nuclear crisis in Japan. (AP Photo/Kyodo News) Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is pictured before helicopters dump water on the stricken reactor to cool overheated fuel rods inside the core on Thursday. Plans to build a reactor in Indonesia have come under fire following the nuclear crisis in Japan. (AP Photo/Kyodo News)
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The Indonesian Muslim Intellectuals Association added its voice on Thursday to those raising questions over whether Indonesia should continue with its nuclear plans.

The group said the nation should only consider building a nuclear reactor as a last resort. 

“We have to observe the situation in Japan. Nuclear power should only be considered when there are no other alternatives,” said Ilham Akbar Habibie, the president of the group, also known as the ICMI. 

The government should prioritize research on geothermal and wind energy to generate electricity, he said. 

Plans to build a reactor in Bangka-Belitung have come under fire following the nuclear crisis in Japan’s Fukushima prefecture.  

Sony Keraf, a former environment minister and member of the opposition Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), said the unfolding nuclear crisis in Fukushima was sufficient reason to end all talk of building a similar plant in Indonesia.

“This debate is over. I’m not talking about the scientific reasons but simply using common sense here,” he said. 

“Developed countries like Germany and Russia, which are known for their high level of technology, have stated they will review their nuclear power plants, so why is the Indonesian government acting otherwise? It’s strange.”

The fears are exacerbated by the knowledge that the country sits in one of the most volatile seismic areas on the planet, at the meeting point of several continental plates. 

But nuclear experts have maintained that not all parts of the country are quake-prone.

The proposed site for two nuclear plants in Bangka-Belitung province — in Muntok, West Bangka, and Permis, South Bangka — were not prone to earthquakes nor at risk of a tsunami, said Natio Lasman, chairman of the Nuclear Energy Regulatory Agency (Bapeten). 

“Bapeten would definitely not recommend the establishment of a nuclear plant on the western part of Sumatra or the southern part of Java close to the border of tectonic plates,” he said, adding that the Bangka-Belitung area had a stable record of seismic and volcanic activity.   

Antara, JG