From: hughes@rkna50.riken.go.jp (Martin Hughes)
Subject: Greenpeace
Organization: Institute of Physical & Chemical Research (RIKEN) Saitama,Japan
Date: Fri, 20 Nov 1992 01:21:26 GMT


>Q. H. Shah (shah@orange.tutee.tut.ac.jp) writes

.....just a bit of flame bait, I suspect.  But OK - I'll bite.  I should
point out though, that what I say is my thoughts, opinions or
memories - I do not have facts to back many of these statements
up, largely because I am not involved with (or ever have been
involved with) Greenpeace.

>Why green peace is so much concerned about plutonium shipment to Japan
>where it is going to be used for peaceful purposes?

Because (a) it is one of the more (note, I do not say most) 
dangereous substances known to man, and any mid-ocean accident
could result in thousands + of deaths, plus considerable pollution. 
(b) despite the fact that the
plutonium being shipped is not of weapons grade, it could, if
hi-jacked, be made into such - especially by certain extreme 
 governments. (c) Plutonium is used to fuel fast-breeder
reactors.  As far as I am aware, most other countries with a fast-
breeder Program have dropped it, due to  safety factors (U.S, France,
U.K.).  (d) It has to be said that Japans existing nuclear power
program has proved to be less than 100% safe.  I understand that
an accident with a fast-breeder type reactor would be a lot more
serious than with a conventional nuclear reactor.
I could name other reasons, but for the moment, these will
suffice, I think.


>Where was this GP when US forces bombed Iraq and Kuwait destroying
>those two countries and causing fire to so many oil wells?

If my memory serves, they WERE protesting this behavoir.
However, there is a limit to what a small environmental group
can do vs. the combined iraqui+ US backed coelition forces.  Somehow,
I don't think a Greenpeace ship sailing up the persian gulf would
really have stopped the forces involved from destroying the wells.

>What about French nuclear experiments and what about US's nuclear >armament?

Yes, theyt are dead against this as well.  ESPECIALLY french
nuclear testing.  One of the most famous recent moments in French 
naval history came when french divers blew up the Greenpeace
ship "Rainbow Warrior", in a harbour in New Zealand, whilst
it was protesting French Nuclear testing.

>They protest so much about this shipment only because Japan is not
>a western country. 

I can assure you that the protests if the shipment would be made
from (say) France to the US, or even UK would be probably
greater, due to the large number of Greanpeace activists in these
countries.

>They are (GP) extremely irresponsible people when
>they collided their ship with the Japanese ship. Was it safe and secure
>action if there had an large scale accident due to this collision?

Greenpeace claim that it was the MSDF ship which rammed their
vessel, after dissobaying sea conventions.  Thus it may have been the
MSDF ship which was extremely irresponsible.

>Why GP isn't doing anything for the thousands of children dying in the
>world because of hypocritical policies of western governments?

If they are not, then I guess it is because Greenpeace is an environmental
pressure group.  There are many other pressure groups who perform
excellent work in trying to aleviate the problems of the third world,
eg. Save the Children, Red Cross, Red Crescent, Christian Aid etc. etc.
etc.

>There are many more questions but green peacers may answer only these
>for the time being so that we can judge their sincerity.

As I said, I am not a member of Greenpeace, but I hope that some of 
these answers indicate that they are pretty sincere about what 
they are doing.

--

>        Shah


 >        Every time I did it, I thought I wouldn't do it again.

Martin Hughes
Lab. Photoperceptions & Signal Transduction
Frontier Research Program
RIKEN
Wako-Shi