The ‘Koodankulam’ Conflict Map

KUDANKULAM ANTI-NUCLEAR SATYAGRAHA, INDIA, 8 Oct 2012

S.P. Udayakumar, Ph.D. – TRANSCEND Media Service

Idinthakarai-Tamil Nadu, India – October 2, 2012

 The ‘Koodankulam Conflict’ Map

                       US              THEM

ACTORS

 

Fisherfolk, farmers, workers, Dalits, Muslims, women, children etc.

Supporters in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and rest of India.

Supporting political parties,

Social movements, Human rights groups etc.

Some sections of Media

Some international friends

 

Government of India

Government of Tamil Nadu

Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, CISF, Tamil Nadu Police, Central and State intelligence agencies etc.

Atomic Energy Commission, DAE, NPCIL, AERB etc.

Political parties such as Congress, BJP, DMK, AIADMK etc.

Indian Bureaucracy

Much of Indian Media

US, Russia, France governments

MNCs of these countries

Spy agencies of these counties

IAEA etc.

 

POSITIONS

 

Nuclear power is bad, ugly and expensive.

Nuclear power plant is dangerous and unwanted.

Let us think like a creative leader and look beyond thermal and nuclear energy.

Let’s consider ‘New Energies’.

Let’s put Indian citizens’ interests first.

 

Nuclear power is good, clean and cheap.

Nuclear power plant is safe and badly needed.

Let us continue our colonized thinking and persist with thermal and nuclear energy.

Let’s consider nuclear energy.

Let’s put foreign countries’ and their MNCs’  interests first.

 

INTERESTS

 

Safeguarding India’s natural resources such as sea, seafood, land, ground water, air etc.

Protecting ordinary people’s livelihood and sustainable development.

Ensuring everyone’s food security, nutrition security, water security etc.

Avoiding health problems of ordinary people; and protecting the progeny.

Protecting Nature, Life, Future

 

Producing more electricity and ensuring energy security and national security.

Promoting the development agenda of the rich and famous and powerful.

Ensuring the power brokers’ profits, commissions and kickbacks.

Ignoring such hidden costs and persisting with short-term gains.

Money, Money, Money

 

GAIN

 

A few menial jobs

Low income from shops, services

 

Lots of good jobs

Lots of contracts, sub-contracts

Money, Power, Prominence

Electricity

Good life

 

LOSS

 

350+ serious cases and legal hassles

Police action and harassment

Loss of income and wealth

Natural resources

Livelihood

Health

Wellbeing of children and grandchildren

Future

None
 

ATTACKS FACED

 

Dangerous false cases such as sedition, waging war on the State etc.

Arrests, imprisonment, torture.

Imprisoning women, juveniles, and children.

Legal hassles, refusing bail.

Police searches, attacks and harassment.

Having anti-social elements vandalize private properties and homes with police connivance.

Attack on negotiating team.

Intelligence departments’ psychological warfare.

Tear gas attack, lathi charge, firing.

Murder by police.

Aerial harassment of Coast Guard planes.

Death threats.

 

Nonviolent and peaceful siege, processions and agitations (for a few hours).

 

SLANDERS FACED

 

Instigated by opposition parties.

Small group’s protest.

Fishermen struggle.

Christian struggle.

Foreign countries’ and agencies’ plot.

NGO-funded struggle.

Missionaries’ and priests’ protest.

Struggle promotes smuggling in the sea and coasts.

Undertaken to harass governments.

Struggle promoted by incentives such as Rs. 500, biriyani and alcohol.

Misguiding innocent people.

Stubborn and unwilling to listen.

Receiving foreign money.

Using human shield.

Character assassination of leaders, casting aspersions on leaders’ integrity etc.

Accusing of using violence.

Publishing leaders’ addresses, contact numbers, emails in a newspaper.

Doubting people’s sanity and sending psychiatrists.

Arresting foreigners and connecting with struggle.

Linking us with Naxalites, terrorists, ISI spies etc.

Insulting women and questioning their morality.

None
 

MACHINATIONS

None

 

 

 

Telling half-truths and non-truths to people.

Dividing people with the help of immoral media persons.

Setting up corrupt media persons against the struggle.

Spreading rumors and  harassing people.

Dividing people along caste and religious lines.

Trying to instigate violence in the protest programs.

Trying to ‘buy’ weak protestors.

Splitting people by creating gangs and planting goons.

‘Buying’ media and media persons.

Instigating businessmen and industrialists against people.

Using scientists and experts to confuse people.

Setting up proxy protesters against the struggle.

Setting up religious leaders to influence people’s opinion.

Distributing freebies.

Canvassing students and youth in colleges with government influence.

Doing campaigns with government influence.

Creating artificial power cuts.

Sending in spies and agents to endanger peace.

Promising houses, roads and other “development” projects.

Promising crores of rupees and wooing panchayat leaders and local leaders to the government side.

 

FAVORED SOLUTIONS

 

Abandon all NPPs

Focus on ‘New Energies’

 

Start more NPPs

Produce nuclear energy

 

THE WAY OUT

·  Announce a moratorium on all nuclear activities all over the country.

·  Present a Cost-Benefit-Procedural Impact analysis of NPPs.

·  Do financial, energy, environmental, social audit of the existing NPPs.

·  Set up an “empowered and independent” regulatory authority.

·  Ensure transparency, accountability, and popular participation in nuclear installations.

·  Facilitate a national debate on nuclear deals, Uranium mines, reactors, waste dumps, and nuclear bombs.

·  Let people decide what they need!

____________________________

S.P. Udayakumar, Ph.D. – Tamil Nadu, India:
* SACCER-South Asian Community Center for Education and Research (promoting life-long, life-wide and life-deep education)
* TRANSCEND Network, South Asia Convener (TSA) (For Rethinking South Asia)
* People’s Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE)
* National Alliance of Anti-nuclear Movements (NAAM) (For a Nuclear-Free India that has No Deals, No Mines, No Reactors, No Dumps, and No Bombs).

This article originally appeared on Transcend Media Service (TMS) on 8 Oct 2012.

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