GP condemns Taiwan Rad Waste Shipment

["Greenbase" <greenbas@gb.greenpeace.org>]

GREENPEACE CONDEMNS TAIWAN RADIOACTIVE WASTE SHIPMENT 
 
HONG KONG, January 31, 1997 -- Greenpeace today condemned
Taiwan's plan to ship  up to 200,000 barrels of radioactive
waste to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).  The
first 6,000 barrels of waste from the government-owned Taiwan
Power Company (Taipower) nuclear reactors are scheduled to be
shipped by the end of  February to an abandoned coal mine 90
kilometres north of Seoul.  

Strong local opposition to dumping of nuclear waste in shallow
trenches on Lan Yu (Orchid Island), 65 kilometres off Taiwan's
south-east coast, forced Taipower to search abroad, where they
failed in attempts to finalise plans to dump the waste in the
Marshall Islands and Russia.  North Korea, stricken with
economic problems, signed the contract earlier this month.  They
could receive up to USD 230,000,000 to store the waste. 
 
"Taiwan is blatantly exploiting North Korea", said Ho Wai Chi,
Greenpeace spokesman.  "North Korea is in desperate need of
funds to purchase food and other essentials for their 
people.  But when the land and water in Korea become
contaminated with radioactive waste, who will help?" 
 
"Greenpeace strongly opposes the reckless transport of dangerous
radioactive waste on the seas, whether by Taiwan or any other
country.  The responsibility for this waste rests with Taiwanese
authorities and the waste should stay in Taiwan.  The contract
between Taipower and the DPRK must be cancelled immediately,"
added Ho.  "Greenpeace  stands in solidarity with environmental
groups in Taiwan and Korea which are working hard to stop this
crazy deal." 
 
On January 30, the Directors of Greenpeace International,
Greenpeace China and  Greenpeace Japan sent a letter to the
secretary general of the Korean Federation for Environmental
Movement (KFEM) expressing opposition to the waste proposal, and 
draws the link between the nuclear waste crisis in Taiwan and
similar situations throughout northeast Asia.  Both South Korea
and Japan are embroiled in their own crises over storage of the
dangerous material.  
 
For example, Japan is currently shipping 40 glass blocks of
highly radioactive waste from France to Japan, via the Cape of
Good Hope (South Africa).  The waste, expected to arrive in
Japan in mid-March, is a by-product of Japanese spent nuclear
fuel exported for reprocessing in Europe.  Reprocessing is a
dirty chemical process which results in separated weapon-usable
plutonium and discharge of radioactive waste into the
environment.  Despite condemnation from coastal nations in the
Caribbean, Latin  America, and the Pacific, the Japanese
government has ignored their legitimate concerns and plans for
many more shipments in the next years.  Greenpeace believes that
Prime Minister Hashimoto of Japan, who has expressed concern
over the shipment of Taiwan waste to the Korean Peninsula,
should now pledge that Japan will itself no longer export 
nuclear waste for reprocessing. 
 
END
 
A copy of the Greenpeace letter to Secretary General Choi Yul of
KFEM available on request.
 
 
Note to editors:  Taiwan, like South Korea and Japan, also has
no long-term plan to deal with its high-level nuclear waste
(irradiated nuclear fuel).  The US supplies enriched 
uranium for Taiwan's six nuclear reactors and retains control
over the discharged irradiated nuclear fuel as it contains
weapon-usable plutonium.  The US has so far disallowed Taiwan to
engage in reprocessing either on the island or in Europe and the
spent fuel is stored at reactor sites.  South Korea and Japan
also receive enriched uranium from the US, but South Korea has
likewise been prohibited from reprocessing.  Even though the
low- and intermediate-level nuclear waste planned to be dumped
in North Korea comes from uranium originally supplied by the US,
the US retains no rights over disposal of that material.
 
For further information contact Ho Wai Chi or Anne Dingwall 
+852 2854 8300 or +852 9027 2081
 
END