Protests outside nuke conference venue in Manila

Manila, Aug 30 (IANS) Around a dozen protesters gathered outside the venue of an international conference on nuclear power in this capital city on Tuesday, denouncing the development of atomic power in the Philippines.

The conference on the prospects of nuclear power in the Asia Pacific region hosted by the Philippines Department of Energy (DOE) brought together representatives from 18 countries who are members of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to discuss the issues and challenges of nuclear power, reports Efe news .

The Philippine Movement for Climate Justice (PMCJ) organised the protest where the group members held up red placards that read "No To Nukes" and seven white umbrellas which together spelt out "No to another Fukushima" and "No to nukes".

They also shouted slogans warning of the dangers of nuclear power and the threat of meltdowns, like the one at the Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan.

The protest was motivated by fears that the government is using the conference to revive the dormant Bataan Nuclear Power Plant, about 100 km west of Manila, which was built during the time of late Philippines dictator Ferdinand Marcos but has never launched.

The conference will run until Thursday.