Category:Protest Postcards Against Uranium Mining in Finland

Starting in August 2009 some 100 protest postcards have been created by people in Germany to make their stance against uranium activities in Finland. These are the backpages of those protest postcards. Much more have been or will be sent by people directly to the Minister of Economy of Finland. He is the responsible person to decide about the applications to start uranium mines in Finland from companies like Areva.

As we learned in some areas the mining companies have already got permissions for exploration - to search for uranium or to find the best places for later mining. In the most municipalities this decision hasn't been made yet - so there is a chance to stop them at a very early point. The best-known place is Ranua, a community in Southern Lapland. Some residents visited the "Nuclear Climate Camp" in Tervola in July 2009 and asked for support of the Finnish and international anti-nuclear movement. Eventually the "Ranua Rescue group had been founded to put pressure on the authorities, inform the public and support the resistance against the uranium drilling and mining plans in Ranua (and elsewhere).

The first postcards were handed over to the Finnish Minister of Economy Mauri Pekkarinen, which will decide about the uranium mining applications. Much more protest postcards will be sent directly from people to the Ministry.

Short Info: Handing Over German Protest to Finnish Minister of Economy
Falk Beyer, environmental campaigner from the German youth organization 'Greenkids' was in Helsinki to hand over German protests against the plans to mine uranium in Finland to the Finnish minister of economy. Worried by the proposed drillings in the region of Ranua in Finnish Lapland concerned people have started activities to inform the public in Germany. They cooperate with Finnish citizens and call for a stopp of all exploration activities and a permanent moratorium on uranium mining in Finland.

The protest postcards German citizens filled out and added with their creative personal messages are only the starting of an international information campaign. The threat by uranium mining for local citizens and the environment are not acceptable. It is a challenge concerning people not only in Finland as the uranium will be used to produce nuclear fuel elements which will cause more dangers by NPPs: permanent low-level radioation, unsolved nuclear waste problems and the risk of nuclear accidents. By the way nuclear power has a worse climate balance than e.g. modern gas fired power stations and many renewable energy sources, and hinders the development of an ecological responsible supply of energy.

Press Release: Protests Handed Over to Minister Pekkarinen
'''Nuclear Heritage Network tiedottaa 30.11.2009 Huolestuneiden saksalaisten vetoomus luovutettiin ministeri Pekkariselle'''

Falk Beyer Nuclear Heritage Networkista luovutti elinkeinoministeri Mauri Pekkariselle kansiollisen saksalaisten allekirjoittamia postikortteja, joissa vaaditaan uraanikaivoksien sulkemista. "Saksalaiset ovat huolestuneita suunnitelmista, joilla Lapin puhdas luonto tuhotaan uraanikaivostoiminnalla. Uraanikaivos tarkoitaa aina laajojen alueiden tuhoamista ja radioaktiivisen jätekiven levittämistä ympäristöön.", sanoo Falk Beyer Nuclear Heritage Networkista.

Ministeri Pekkarinen totesi että on mukava että tilanteesta ja olosuhteista ollaan kiinnostuneita. Hän tiedusteli ovatko saksalaiset huolestuneita uraanikaivostoiminnasta myös esimerkiksi Namibiassa ja Australiassa. Falk Beyer vastasi että kaikki uraanikaivostoiminta on erittäin huolestuttavaa.

"Suomen uraanikaivoshankkeet ovat rippeitä vanhentuneesta kaivoslaista, joka mahdollistaa kansainvälisten kaivosyhtiöiden ympäristölle tuhoisan toiminnan Suomen maaperällä. Kaikki Länsi-Euroopan uraanikaivokset on suljettu ympäristöongelmien vuoksi.", toteaa luovutuksessa mukana ollut Janne Björklund luonnonsuojeluliitosta.

Nuclear Heritage Network on kansainvälinen yhteisö joka koostuu uraanivoimaa vastustavista ihmisistä ja järjestöistä. Yhteisön tarkoitus on levittää tietoa, järjestää tapahtumia ja yhdistää uraanivoimaa vastustavia tahoja.

Lisätietoja:
 * Falk Beyer, Nuclear Heritage Network, puh. +447624194877 (englanniksi ja saksaksi), [mailto:contactATnuclear-heritage.net contact AT nuclear-heritage.net]
 * Janne Björklund, ydinvoimakampanjavastaava Suomen luonnonsuojeluliitto ry puh. 050-5353205, [mailto:janne.bjorklundATsll.fi janne.bjorklund AT sll.fi]

Julkaisuvapaa valokuva: http://www.ydinvoima.net/archive/luovutus.JPG Kuvassa: Falk Beyer Nuclear Heritage Networkista, Riku Eskelinen luonnonsuojeluliitosta ja ministeri Mauri Pekkarinen. (kuvaaja: Janne Björklund)