The North East Dialogue Forum (NEDF) expressed their solidarity with all those calling for a Nuclear Free World, i.e. whether as a weapon or nuclear energy for peaceful purposes to generate electricity and right from the mining process.
A release stated that NEDF calls for immediate stoppage of uranium (including all other atomic minerals) mining anywhere and everywhere. Uranium mining is taking place in complete disregard of native/indigenous people’s /tribal land thereby taking away aboriginal/indigenous people’s rights and livelihoods, it added.
They urged upon one all, irrespective of ethnicity, culture, nationality, faith/religious belief, colour, gender, to be resolute for a Nuclear Free World, it added.
All governments, irrespective of ideology, form and type to sign and ratify the UN Treaty on Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) so that their dream becomes a reality, it added.
Moreover, uranium is used for making nuclear bombs by converting it to plutonium in the nuclear reactors, it stated. Uranium mining rapidly produces large volumes of liquid and solid waste, which remains hazardous ad infinitum, pollutes the air around thereby has a catastrophic environmental effect on the immediate surrounding and also contaminates the downstream area, it added.
Radioactivity in the form of radon gas permeates and accumulates in solids, liquids, gases and finds its way to human beings directly and indirectly, it stated. Health hazards are stupendous and deadly and continue through generations even causing genetic mutation, it stated. There is no method or strategy to stop radiation - contamination from uranium mining waste and its spread, it added.
They also called for freedom from human rights violation in the form of rape, murder, torture, harassment, exploitation and from gender, ethnic, racial, cultural, religious discrimination, it stated. It further called for freedom of speech and expression with the democratic right to dissent and to exercise the human right to life in letter and spirit, it added.