12 Countries Take Part In Asian Nuclear Forum In Jakarta

Jakarta - Twelve countries have participated in the Forum for Nuclear Cooperation in Asia held here on November 23-24 to discuss the use of nuclear technology in many industries, ranging from electricity generation, agriculture to health care. "We have shared experiences and achievements in the fields we are developing," the chief of the National Nuclear Energy Agency (Batan), Djarot Wisnubroto, said on the sidelines of the 13th FNCA Ministerial Level Meeting here on Saturday. The forum, initiated by Japan, was attended by 70 representatives from 12 countries, including Indonesia, Japan, Australia, Bangladesh, China, Kazakhstan, South Korea, Malaysia, Mongolia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. Djarot said during the meeting that Indonesia presented the results of research it has used in agriculture, such as in creating supreme seeds, and in animal husbandry focusing on fattening animals and boosting milk production. "Through the research reactor network that has been set up we could communicate with each other and share problems. For example, countries that are short of radio isotopes for health purposes could receive help from us and Batan. So far, Batan has exported radio isotopes to a number of countries, such as Bangladesh and Thailand," he said. Japan, meanwhile, emphasized how it had dealt with its nuclear power plant disaster in Fukushima from both technical and social perspectives, he said. "From a technical point of view, Japan shared how it had dealt with the leakages in the plant and cleaned up the areas contaminated by radioactivity, and from a social point of view on how it restored public confidence after the incident," he said. Among the officials attending the forum were Indonesia's minister of research and technology Gusti Muhammad Hatta, Japan's deputy senior minister of education, culture, sports, science and technology Shinkun Haku, Bangladesh's minister of science and technology Yeafesh Osman, Malaysia's minister of science, technology and innovation Maximus Johnity Ongkili, heads of nuclear energy agencies and assistant ministers from eight other countries. Speaking at the forum, Minister Gusti M Hatta said nuclear technology in Indonesia has been proven to contribute to the nation's development and through FNCA it is hoped the contribution would increase. He noted that according to 2012 survey results on the country's plan to set up a nuclear power plant, 52.8 percent of the country's population agree with moving ahead while 24.3 percent are opposed to the proposal, while 22.9 percent remain undecided.(*)