JAPAN's QUAKE & NUCLEAR DISASTER !!!

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Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ Analysis: Japan Disaster costs seen at least $180 billion

On Tuesday 15 March 2011, 4:39 SGT

By Natsuko Waki

LONDON (Reuters) - Quake-hit Japan faces a recovery and reconstruction bill of at least $180 billion, or 3 percent of its annual economic output, or more than 50 percent higher than the total cost of 1995's earthquake in Kobe.

Even though some extreme projections of the longer-term costs project figures closer to $1 trillion over several years, standard tallies akin to those used after the Kobe quake hover around this level.

The world's third-largest economy, already saddled with public debt double the size of its $5 trillion output, must rebuild its infrastructure -- from roads and rail to power and ports -- on a scale not seen since World War Two.

Moody's Investors Service warned on Monday the huge financing needs Japan faces may erode investor confidence in the country's ability to repay its debts, forcing up borrowing costs.

"The earthquake may have shifted such a potential tipping point a bit forward, unless Japan's political parties are galvanized by the crisis to also address the country's long-term fiscal challenges," Moody's lead analyst Tom Byrne said in a statement.

The quake and tsunami have killed at least 10,000 people, officials estimate, striking a northeastern region that accounts for an estimated 6-8 percent of gross domestic product, compared with around 12.4 percent from the areas affected by the Kobe quake in 1995.

However, the loss of fixed assets and human capital from Friday's quake, which also triggered several explosions at a nuclear power plant north of Tokyo, looks to be far greater. It comes at a time when oil is hovering near a 2-1/2-year peak and other commodity prices remain elevated.

The economic damage is likely only to shave a sliver off global growth and the tens of billions of dollars spent on the reconstruction bill should eventually boost Japan's economy and the Asian construction sector.

But analysts also say costs could overshoot initial estimates.

"From the experiences, there is a tendency to underestimate," said Brendan Brown, head of economic research at Mitsubishi UFJ Securities.

"There are many uncertainties -- we don't know how long power outages will last and that's an ongoing cost in addition to reconstruction. There is a loss of output from dislocation. If that goes on for two months, that may dwarf the cost of reconstruction," he added.

ROLLING BLACKOUTS

The Kobe earthquake is estimated to have cost $115 billion to $118 billion, or 2 percent of GDP in 1995 terms. This time -- in a still unfolding disaster -- initial estimates from Credit Suisse and Barclays have put the cost at $180 billion.

Mitsubishi UFJ Securities and Sarasin expect the cost could run as high as 5 percent of GDP.

Mitsubishi's estimates take into account a wider economic cost including a loss of tax revenues, subsidies to various industries of the affected area, a loss of productivity following rolling blackouts on top of straight reconstruction costs.

Rough estimates show that replacing a nuclear power plant alone may cost $5 billion. Desperate to avert a nuclear meltdown, Japan was forced to sacrifice three of its reactors by pumping seawater to cool reactor cores.

Insured losses from Japan's earthquake could be as high as $35 billion, even without tsunami- and nuclear-related losses.

Mitsubishi UFJ's Brown says historical estimates of the Tokyo earthquake of 1923 put destruction as equivalent to 50 percent of annual economic output at the time, but the economic context was so different as to not make a direct comparison very fruitful.

Fitch Ratings said in a statement it believes that while the earthquake will be among the largest insured losses in history, the losses can be absorbed by the insurance and reinsurance industries without widespread solvency problems or undue financial strain.

CAPITAL STOCK CALCULATIONS

But some estimates of the reconstruction costs shoot far higher than these consensus forecasts as economists take into account the potential need to replace the country's devastated capital stock over a longer timeframe.

Vanessa Rossi, senior research fellow at London-based think-tank Chatham House, estimates that 10 percent of Japan's capital stock was lost in the earthquake, which equates to around 20 percent of the country's GDP, or $1 trillion.

"The bigger cost is rebuilding of capital stock. This type of problem really causes damage to capital stock. There's enormous damage to infrastructure -- installations, power plants, housing, factories, ports, coastline," Rossi said. "You couldn't possibly rebuild so extensively in the period of 1-2 years. I expect it would be 4-5 years of work."

She also said Japan's rich private sector was likely to supplement the debt-ridden government by selling its overseas assets and possibly using foreign exchange reserves, which could weigh on international markets.

Paul Newton, auto industry analyst for IHS Global, speaking of the damage to the auto sector, said the rebuilding had to encompass much more than just the country's production facilities to get the economy back on its feet.

"The tragic loss of life and homes across the region means that even if infrastructure and facilities can be repaired, whole communities that have supported many of these plants have been uprooted or are still unaccounted for," he said.

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Japan Radioactivity could enter Food Chain

By Tan Ee Lyn – Tue, Mar 15, 2011 9:48 PM SGT

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Radioactive materials spewed into the air by Japan's earthquake-crippled nuclear plant may contaminate food and water resources, with children and unborn babies most at risk of possibly developing cancer.

Experts said exposure to radioactive materials has the potential to cause various kinds of cancers and abnormalities to fetuses, with higher levels of radiation seen as more dangerous.

But they said they needed more accurate measurements for the level of radioactivity in Japan, and the region, to give a proper risk assessment.

"The explosions could expose the population to longer-term radiation, which can raise the risk of cancer. These are thyroid cancer, bone cancer and leukaemia. Children and foetuses are especially vulnerable," said Lam Ching-wan, chemical pathologist at the University of Hong Kong.

"For some individuals even a small amount of radiation can raise the risk of cancer. The higher the radiation, the higher the risk of cancer," said Lam, who is also a member on the American Board of Toxicologists.

Radioactive material is carried by minute moisture droplets in the air. It can then be directly inhaled into the lungs, get washed down by rain into the sea and onto soil, and eventually contaminate crops, marine life and drinking water.

Cow's milk was also especially vulnerable, experts said, if cows graze on grass exposed to radiation.

Lee Tin-lap, toxicologist and associate professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong's School of Medical Sciences, said waters around Japan must be measured for radioactivity.

"No one is measuring the levels of radiation in the sea," Lee told Reuters.

"Steam that is released into the air will eventually get back into the water and sea life will be affected ... once there is rain, drinking water will also be contaminated."

Emily Chan, a frontline emergency relief expert and public health assistant professor at the Chinese University, said radiation exposure has also been linked to miscarriage and infertility to both men and women.

CHILDREN AT RISK

Radiation is dangerous because it can cause changes or mutations in DNA, which may then go on to cause cancer. While the human body can repair DNA changes or damage, a person is only safe if the repair process happens faster than the time it takes for the damaged or mutated DNA material to replicate.

Experts agree that growing children and foetuses are most at risk because their cells divide at a faster rate than adults.

They also consume more cow's milk than adults, putting them at further risk, said a Japanese scientist who treated victims of the atom bomb explosion in Hiroshima.

"Cows are like vacuum cleaners, picking up radioactive iodine that lands over a wide area of pasture, and then those particles very easily are concentrated and pass into the milk," said the expert, who declined to be identified.

"This was what happened in Chernobyl, and unfortunately, information about the risk had not been supplied to parents."

Asian countries like Thailand, South Korea and Singapore have begun checking Japanese food products for traces of radiation.

In Hong Kong, authorities began monitoring radiation levels from 10 air monitoring stations able to detect radioactive isotopes such as iodine 131 and caesium 137, characteristic of nuclear power station leaks.

Leung Wing-mo, assistant director of the Hong Kong Observatory, said the risk of radiation to Hong Kong was "very, very low" as wind and weather patterns would help disperse any radiation eastwards.

However, he warned that radiation could be concentrated in liquid or solid form, so people should avoid rain or snow in the affected areas if at all possible.

(Additional reporting by Mayumi Negishi in Japan and James Pomfret in Hong Kong, editing by Miral Fahmy)

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Japan PM to nuclear power firm: "What the hell's going on?" - Kyodo

By Jonathan Thatcher | Reuters – Tue, Mar 15, 2011 7:38 PM SGT

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's prime minister was furious with executives at a power company at the centre of the nuclear crisis for taking so long to inform his office about a blast at its stricken reactor complex, demanding "what the hell is going on?".

Kyodo news agency reported that Naoto Kan also ordered Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) on Tuesday not to pull employees out of the Fukushima plant, which was badly damaged by last week's earthquake and has been leaking radiation.

"The TV reported an explosion. But nothing was said to the premier's office for about an hour," a Kyodo reporter quoted Kan telling power company executives.

TEPCO has been struggling for days to prevent a catastrophic meltdown at several reactors at the 40-year-old Fukushima plant, 240 km (150 miles) north of Tokyo, where there have already been four explosions and the release of high levels of radiation, some of it being blown towards the capital.

Fukushima Governor Yuhei Sato phoned Kan to tell him that "the fear and anger of residents in the prefecture are reaching the limit", Kyodo said.

The power company, Japan's biggest, has been plagued for years by scandal over its role in the nuclear industry.

In 2002, the company's president and four of his top executives were forced to resign after TEPCO was suspected of falsifying nuclear plant safety records.

A few years later it ran into trouble again over accusations of altering data.

In late 2006, the government told TEPCO to check historical data after the company reported that it had found falsification of coolant water temperatures at its Fukushima Daiichi plant in 1985 and 1988.

And in 2007, TEPCO reported that it had found more past data falsifications.

(Writing by Jonathan Thatcher; Editing by John Chalmers)

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SM Goh to S’poreans: Learn from Japan Disaster

By Ewen Boey – March 13th, 2011

Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong has urged Singaporeans to learn from Japan’s example in dealing with nationwide catastrophes.

Speaking to local media at the annual REACH Contributors Forum on Saturday, he encouraged Singaporeans to consider the flash floods that plagued Singapore last year and put them into proper context.

Mr Goh said, “How many of you followed the latest tragic events in Japan with the tsunami… and then put into context our floods in Singapore against that kind of disaster.”

“I am not saying we shouldn’t do anything about the flood. But the amount of noise you made with just sporadic flood compared to the Japanese. I saw them on TV. Very stoic-looking. You don’t see them crying. This has happened, just get on, that’s the kind of spirit you want to have and you call it nation-building.”

His comments have since triggered a flurry of comments from Singaporeans online. Most criticised the Minister for comparing the Japan tsunami, a natural disaster, to Singapore’s flash floods.

Yahoo Fit to Post user yummygd commented, “Tsunami and the flood… it’s two totally different things. Tsunami can’t be prevented. Flooding… I think YES IT CAN BE. I’m not complaining and I’m saddened by Japan’s suffering but how can SM Goh even think of comparing?”

Influential blogger Benjamin Lee, also known as Mr Miyagi, tweeted in reply, “SM Goh sir, they are not ‘stoic’, they are in shock.”

Another FTP user Mark added, “One is something that you can’t control; the forces are too great… the other you can, with good planning and infrastructure”.

Yet another user collin_tn also questioned if Singapore’s leaders would accept responsibility for failures.

He said, ”We will follow them (the Japanese) if… Japanese minister step down if they made blunders… but our ministers never?? How to follow them?”

Some like FTP user y t p said SM Goh’s comments had to be taken in the proper context.

He said, ”I do agree that we should learn from the Japanese and be calm, civilised and carry on with our lives if something so unfortunate should ever happen to compare between the Japan tsunami and Singapore floods.”

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S’pore faces minimal risk of Nuclear Radiation: Gov’t

By Faris – March 16th, 2011

The government said there was minimal risk of Singapore being affected by the radiological plume by the Fukushima nuclear incident and called on the public not to be unduly alarmed.

In an inter-ministry statement on Tuesday, it said that the government has been closely monitoring the situation in Japan and assessing its possible impact here.

It added that the various agencies were monitoring radiation levels and food imports from Japan, and that there was currently no need for aircraft and passenger screening.

But as a precaution, returning Singaporeans who were within the evacuation zones on or after last Saturday should go for a medical consultation.

The National Environment Agency (NEA) is in contact with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and other overseas experts to get the latest information available.

The IAEA currently categorises the nuclear incident in Fukushima as a Level 4 accident – on a scale that goes up in severity to 7. According to the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale, this means that it is an “accident with local consequences”.

“Although the current situation remains serious in Japan, the incident site is more than 5,000km away,” the statement said. It added that NEA was conducting daily modelling studies.

Its simulations, and those carried out by the World Meteorological Organisation-designated Regional Specialised Meteorological Centres for Environmental Emergency Response in Tokyo and Melbourne, have shown that “at such a distance, there is minimal risk of Singapore being affected by the radiological plume”.

“The public is advised therefore not to be unduly alarmed about exposure to radiation in Singapore arising from the Fukushima accident,” the statement said.

Nevertheless, the NEA has been tracking the impact on Singapore’s radiation levels through its radiation monitoring stations, and “no abnormal changes in Singapore’s radiation levels have been detected so far”.

Surveillance of food imports

The inter-ministry statement said the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) is working with its counterparts in Japan and continues to keep a close watch as well as increased its surveillance of food imports from Japan to ensure that they are safe for consumption.

It added that as a precautionary measure, samples of fresh produce exported from Japan after 11 Mar 2011, such as seafood, fruits, vegetables and meat, are being tested for radioactive contaminants.

On its part, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) has been monitoring the potential impact of the incident on flights and airport operations. “Developments so far do not necessitate the screening of aircraft or passengers for radiation,” it said.

But Changi Airport has in place contingency plans to deal with radioactive contamination, and developments are being monitored and reviewed on an ongoing basis.

The Ministry of Health (MOH) assesses that it is “highly unlikely” that any Singaporean who was outside the evacuation zones – currently a 20km radius from the Fukushima Daiichi plant and a 10km radius from the Fukushima Daini plant – will need any form of medical assessment “as there is negligible risk, if any, of impact on health”.

However, any returning Singaporean who was within the evacuation zones on or after last Saturday should visit the emergency department of a public restructured hospital for a medical consultation when he arrives.

Travel advisory

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) also reiterated its earlier advisory strongly urging Singaporeans to defer non-essential travel to Japan. Those who must travel there should register with the MFA at www.mfa.gov.sg

Singaporeans in Japan should also take precautions, monitor the local news and take heed of the Japanese government’s advice. Those wishing to leave Japan should closely monitor the situation, check with the local authorities as the main access roads to airports may be closed and trains may not be running on schedule, and reconfirm their flights.

Energy expert says

Dr Hooman Peimani echoed the views by the government, saying that should there be a nuclear meltdown in Japan, the radiation will take years to reach Singapore and the impact should be minimal.

He said that if the release of radiation is phenomenal and if the natural means of transportation of radiation, such as wind and water, are strong enough to carry the radiation, then it is possible that radiation could reach Singapore in the future.

But he added that “the radiation strength would be insignificant to cause any damage by the time it reaches us.”

Dr Peimani heads the Energy Security Division at the National University of Singapore’s Energy Studies Institute. Last August, he presented a paper on the viability of underground nuclear reactors in Singapore at the Nuclear Power conference.

The MFA said it has also dispatched additional staff to its embassy in Tokyo. Consular assistance is available round the clock and the embassy number is

+81 90-3208-4122 or +81 90-2435-5543, or e-mail: singemb_tyo@sgmfa.gov.sg

The public can also get the latest updates from www.gov.sg the NEA website at www.nea.gov.sg or contact the NEA Call Centre at 1800-225-5632.

For health-related queries, call the MOH hotline at 1800-333-9999.

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Sombre Japan Emperor makes unprecedented address to Nation

By Shinichi Saoshiro | Reuters – 1 hour 15 minutes ago

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Emperor Akihito made an unprecedented televised address to his disaster-stricken nation on Wednesday, expressing deep worry about the crisis at damaged nuclear reactors and urging people to lend each other a helping hand in difficult times.

Looking sombre and stoic, the 77-year-old Akihito said the problems at Japan's nuclear-power reactors, where authorities are battling to prevent a catastrophe, were unpredictable after an earthquake he described as "unprecedented in scale".

TV stations interrupted coverage to carry the emperor's first public appearance since last week's massive earthquake and tsunami that killed thousands of people.

"I am deeply hurt by the grievous situation in the affected areas. The number of deceased and missing increases by the day and we cannot know how many victims there will be. My hope is that as many people possible are found safe," Akihito said.

"I hope from the bottom of my heart that the people will, hand in hand, treat each other with compassion and overcome these difficult times," he said, urging survivors not to "abandon hope".

Japan is reeling from what Prime Minister Naoto Kan has called its worst crisis since the end of World War Two, when the country had to rebuild from its devastating defeat.

For elderly Japanese at least, the sudden message from the emperor doubtless called to mind the Aug. 15, 1945, radio broadcast by his father, Emperor Hirohito, announcing the country's surrender in World War Two.

That was the first time the emperor's voice had been heard on radio and his use of formal court language meant most of those listening could not understand what he was saying.

CONSOLING THE PUBLIC

"This earthquake was worse than the Great Kanto Earthquake (in 1923) ... It's never been experienced before," said Miiko Kodama, an expert in media studies. "This is a symbol of that."

She added: "Of course, nothing changes as a result of his message, but for those who believe in the emperor, they will be encouraged."

Conservative Japanese revere the emperor, others feel a fond affection, and still others find the royal family irrelevant.

The plight of hundreds of thousands left homeless by the quake and tsunami that followed worsened overnight after a cold snap brought snow to some of the worst-stricken areas. The death toll stands at 4,000, but more than 7,000 are listed as missing and the figure is expected to rise.

Akihito said he was "deeply worried" about the situation at the Daiichi nuclear plant in Fukushima, 240 km (150 miles) north of Tokyo, where workers were trying to contain the world's worst nuclear crisis since the Chernobyl disaster in Ukraine in 1986.

The emperor and Empress Michiko have long played a role comforting the public in tough times, visiting the survivors of the massive quake that killed 6,400 people in the western port of Kobe in 1995.

Akihito, who ascended the throne after the death of his father in 1989, has striven to draw the imperial family closer to the people in image, if not in fact.

In a sharp break with tradition, he was the first heir to marry a commoner.

Akihito gives pre-recorded news conferences on set occasions such as his birthday and before overseas trips, but the suddenness of the message, its simultaneous airing on nationwide TV and its content were unprecedented.

The Imperial Household Agency, which manages the royals' affairs, said in a statement on Monday that the royal couple wanted to visit the quake-hit sites but felt that efforts should focus on rescue for now.

(Additional reporting by Chisa Fujioka, Writing by Linda Sieg; Editing by Nick Macfie)

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Thousands flee Tokyo as Radiation Fears mount

By ANI | ANI – Wed, Mar 16, 2011 4:47 PM SGT

Tokyo, Mar.16 (ANI): Thousands of tourists and residents left Tokyo and fled to safer areas on wednesday, despite official reassurances that radiation levels in the capital were negligible and posed no threat to health, after an explosion in reactor no 2 of the Fukushima nuclear plant, threatened to send radiation levels soaring.

The explosion is believed to have caused a crack in the chamber of reactor no 2 and steam and radioactive substances are reportedly pouring out through it, raising the contamination levels.

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary, Yukio Edano, said that the levels quickly fell again, but refused to rule out further leaks.

Japan's Prime Minister Naoto Kan has warned that the risk of further contamination from the Fukushima complex was 'still high'.

Experts and government ministers have warned that contamination in the areas around the plant, about 300 km north east of Tokyo, was dangerous to human health, and told the people living there to evacuate or stay indoors.

Several airlines, including Air China and Lufthansa, have also stopped services into the city's airports, The Independent reports.

However, experts have tried to dampen down fears of a catastrophe.

Masako Sawai, an expert from the Citizens' Nuclear Information Centre said: "We don't believe it is necessary to evacuate Tokyo, even though the radioactivity is certainly out there. However, there is a possibility that our view may change depending on how the reactor activity progresses."

Ryousuke Sanada, who works for a food distribution company said: "We're being sent west by our company, to Osaka. They say it's just a normal transfer, but they're worried about the radiation."

Experts have repeatedly cautioned against over- reaction, saying that a Chernobyl-style catastrophe is unlikely. They said modern nuclear plants are built better, and the Fukushima complex has been shut down since last Friday. But such reassurances have not been able to calm the people who fear that the worst is yet to come.

The shops in the area have started running out of water, toilet rolls and rice as people are stocking up on necessities in case things got worse.

Candles, facemasks and umbrellas have sold out, after government officials advised using them for protection against the radiation.

(ANI)

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S’porean donates S$1 million for Japan Relief Efforts

By Angela Lim | 1 hour 46 minutes ago

Touched by the news about Japan's earthquake and tsunami disaster, one Singaporean decided she wanted to do more.

24-year-old Elaine Low presented her contribution to Japanese Ambassador to Singapore Yoichi Suzuki on Wednesday -- a cheque for S$1 million.

Ms Low is the daughter of Datuk Low Tuck Kwong, 63, founder of Bayan Resources, an Indonesia-based coal-mining company. She is in charge of business development at the company.

Ambassador Suzuki said Low's donation was the largest the embassy had received so far for the tsunami victims, and it would boost the morale of those affected by the disaster.

Low, who is leaving it to the Japanese to decide how best to use her donation to help victims, said, "My family and I feel that it's an unfortunate disaster and wanted to offer our help."

The cheque presentation was held at the Japanese Embassy in Nassim Road.

Low's father, who was present at the ceremony, was clearly proud of his daughter's generosity -- the S$1 million comes out of her own pocket.

He said the family has friends in Japan and the company also has business ties there. It imports equipment from Japan and supplies coal to Japanese power plants.

The family had previously donated to disaster victims in China and Indonesia, he added.

Low, who lives in Singapore, did not want to answer more questions about herself or her gift, saying her family preferred to keep a low profile.

According to The Straits Times, all she would say was: "We sincerely just want to help the people affected by this unfortunate event."

Ambassador Suzuki revealed that the money would probably go to the Japanese Red Cross Society to decide how to use it for disaster victims.

Kazuo Shibata, president of The Japanese Association, Singapore, who also attended the cheque presentation ceremony, said he was surprised an individual had given so much.

"I was really glad to know that a Singaporean would pay so much attention to what's happening in Japan. I do not know of any Japanese who has donated such a huge amount so far," he said.

In the meantime, Singapore Red Cross Society has collected S$235,000, excluding the S$500,000 pledged so far by the Singapore Government.

The Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis) said it will be collecting donations at all mosques starting tomorrow.

Humanitarian group World Vision Singapore has received more than S$190,000 in donations, while Mercy Relief has collected S$43,282.

Swissotel the Stamford and Fairmont Singapore aim to raise S$25,000 through a charity dinner on Sunday. All revenue will go to disaster victims.

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How you can help Japan

By Alicia Wong – March 14th, 2011

Japan was hit by one of the largest earthquakes ever recorded on Friday, 11 March. The 8.9-magnitude quake triggered a massive 10-metre tsunami that swept away entire towns, ships and even fighter planes. Hundreds of people are dead, many more are missing or injured. Officials have predicted the death toll could top 10,000.

Millions of survivors are left without drinking water, food and electricity. They are taking shelter in schools and stadiums to escape near-freezing temperatures.

Major aftershocks are expected in the coming days.

Japan has often donated when other countries have experienced disasters. Here’s how you can help them now.

Mercy Relief: The organisation is accepting donations to procure relief supplies. It has deployed a two-man preliminary disaster response team to Japan to ascertain ground needs and procure relief supplies.

The MR team will help distribute supplies with UN agencies. It will also collaborate with local non-governmental organisations to support their relief efforts. With an initial tranche of USD $20,000 provided by SAP Asia Pacific Japan, the team will help address the pressing needs for food, water and quilts.

For cheque donations, please make the cheque payable to Mercy Relief Limited and send it to the Mercy Relief office at Blk 160 Lorong 1 Toa Payoh #01-1568 Singapore 310160. On the back of the cheque, indicate ‘Japan Quake and Tsunami Relief’’.

Cash donations can also be made at the Mercy Relief office. Office hours are Monday-Friday, 9am - 7pm.

For ATM transfers/internet banking, Mercy Relief’s DBS Current Account is 054-900493-6

Credit card donations can be made via eNets at www.mercyrelief.org

Singapore Red Cross: The organisation has started a hotline (6334-9152 / 6334-9153 / 6334-9154) to help those in Singapore get in touch with relatives in Japan. The SRC will take down details of the missing person and forward the information on to its sister national society, the Japanese Red Cross Society and the International Committee of Red Cross. It is also working with the Japanese Association to raise funds.

For cheque donations, please make the cheque payable to Singapore Red Cross and mail to the SRC office at Red Cross House, 15 Penang Lane Singapore 238486. On the back of the cheque, indicate ‘Japan disaster 2011′.

Cash donations can also be made at the SRC office during office hours.

The public can also SMS “Red Cross” to 75772. Each message will cost $50. The SRC is also working with banks like DBS, OCBC and UOB, to allow donations through ATMs and the Internet.

World Vision Singapore: A World Vision assessment team has arrived in the quake zone to assess the needs of the survivors and prepare supplies and programmes for the homeless. The team brought baby supplies, warm clothing, food and daily necessities for distribution.

World Vision also plans to establish child-friendly spaces so children affected by the disasters can resume normal childhood activities and experience structure and security.

For cheque donations, please make the cheque payable to World Vision International and mail to the World Vision office at 750B Chai Chee Road, #03-02, Technopark @ Chai Chee, Singapore 469002. On the back of the cheque, indicate ‘Japan disaster’.

Cash donations can also be made at the World Vision office. Office hours are Monday-Friday, 9am – 5pm.

You can donate online at http://www.worldvision.org.sg/japandisaster/

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Singapore, how will you react?

By Jeffrey Oon | Yahoo Newsroom – Wed, Mar 16, 2011 4:21 PM SGT

COMMENT

As I watch the dramatic events unfold in Japan and marvel at the way its people -- bruised, beaten but undefeated -- struggle to comprehend their new reality, I wonder how Singapore would react if a similar disaster were to engulf our island.

By now, you must have read about how hundreds of thousands of Japanese face a dire struggle for survival with quiet dignity and gaman (stoicism). Of how, despite the desperate conditions they face, the Japanese still wait in orderly queues to cross the road, of how they patiently wait in line for food and water rations to be distributed.

It is a marvel to behold, and so unlike the stories of looting and violence that emerged from the aftermaths of the Haiti earthquake and Hurricane Katrina.

But what about us, how would we react as a nation and as a people? Will qualities such as dignity and pride and a quiet determination that we can overcome adversity shine through or will our famously kiasu (scared-to-lose) attitude rise to the fore in times of panic and self-preservation?

Because when we have lost everything that in Singapore is deemed important -- the cars we drive, the watches we wear or the balances in our bank accounts -- then we become indistinguishable from our fellow Singaporeans, save for our individual character and qualities.

Where you stay, whether Sentosa Cove or Sembawang, Bukit Timah or Balestier, won't make one bit of difference. Condo or bungalow or not, what will matter, foremost, is if your husband or wife, mother, father and siblings, or your friends and other relatives are still alive and accounted for, and that you are lucky enough to still be able to feel the warmth of their touch and hear their voices.

But beyond that, when the realisation of all that is important takes on a new meaning, will you still extend a helping hand to your fellow man? When food and water are in short supply -- be it a half bowl of rice, a left-over packet of instant noodles or a cup of muddy water -- will you still happily give it to those in greater need?

Will our leaders come out of their million-dollar homes, roll up their sleeves, pick up a shovel or pail and lead by example, or will they shirk responsibilty and hide behind a curtain of finger-pointing and blame?

Will they come out looking like Japan's chief cabinet secretary Yukio Edano, who has been the tireless face of the Japanese government's response to the crisis, or will they come out looking like the unpopular Prime Minister Naoto Kan, criticised for his slow response to the nuclear emergency?

What about the foreigners in Singapore? Will they in the thousands who have been lured, given citizenship and PR status join their adopted nation and its people and stay to fight the good fight -- or will they, in the face of impending disaster, radiation or worse, take the first flight out of the country, back to the welcoming arms of their home nation. Only then will we know if the government's relentless preaching about the need to integrate and embed with the rest of Singapore society has paid off -- but by then, it may be too late.

How will our big businesses -- the SIAs, SingTels and SMRTs react? Will they follow in the footsteps of Japanese noodle maker Nissin, who contributed a million cups of instant noodles to relief efforts, or will they seek to profit from the disaster like the recent example of a local media broadcaster?

And what about our overseas Singaporeans, who represent the best and brightest the nation has to offer -- will they return from far and wide to help or will they view the crisis unfold from a distance with ready chequebook in hand?

What about our highly trained 3G Singapore Armed Forces? Will we even respond to the call to report for duty in the first place or will our first instinct be to protect and preserve our loved ones and possessions first? Will our training, untested as it has been, have come to nought at the first sign of danger or, like the 50 Japanese emergency workers toiling heroically at the Fukushima nuclear plant, will we be ready to lay down our lives for our fellow Singaporean?

Singapore's similarities with Japan are remarkable. Both our societies are highly modernised, efficient and advanced. But it is only in time of crisis that true character is revealed. Only then will we discover if the common ties that bind us are strengthened or if they come loose in the face of desperation and panic. Let us hope we react like how our Asian neighbours have, with quiet dignity, pride and respect for one another.

In the words of Yuta Saga, a survivor from the tiny Japanese fishing town of Yuriage that was wiped out by the tsunami, said, "I saw the ugly side of people, and then I saw the good side. Some people only thought of themselves. Others stopped to help."

Singapore, which side will we see?

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Health Impact of Radiation Exposure

Nuclear accident in Japan raises spectre of Chernobyl

Wed 16 Mar, 2011 01:00 pm GMT

The nuclear crisis in Japan following last week's earthquake and tsunami continues, raising the spectre of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, when a large plume of radioactive fallout drifted across Europe.

On Tuesday, the Japanese government said radiation from the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant was at levels harmful to human health. Radiation levels in parts of the plant briefly reached 400 millisieverts per hour, though they later fell. An average chest X-ray usually gives a dose of about 0.1 millisieverts of radiation.

The rise in radiation prompted the plant operator to briefly evacuate the emergency staff working on the stricken reactors. At the radiation levels recorded, 75 minutes exposure would lead to acute radiation sickness.

Several explosions have damaged the outer structures housing the nuclear reactors, and fires have broken out in the plant's fuel storage tanks. There are also fears that the containment vessels of two plant reactors have been damaged. The function of the steel vessel is to protect the nuclear reactor and fuel and prevent the spread of radioactivity into the atmosphere.

In the worst case scenario, the nuclear fuel melts inside the reactor and damage to the containment vessel allows large amounts of radiation to be released into the atmosphere through the breach.

In Tokyo, 170 miles south of the stricken plant, radiation levels on Tuesday briefly rose to 20 times normal levels, though this is not thought to pose an immediate health threat.

While the Japanese government has evacuated people living within 12 miles of the plant, the health impact of the radioactive emissions will depend on the type of radioactive isotope released, how long it remains radioactive and the degree of environmental contamination.

So far, radioactive iodine-131 and caesium-137 have been detected around the nuclear plant. Although radioactive iodine has a half-life of only eight days, it is readily taken up by the thyroid gland and can lead to cancer.

Radioactive caesium, with a half life of 30 years, can cause long term environmental contamination.

Consequences of radiation exposure

The immediate consequence of significant exposure is radiation sickness, which can include nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and fatigue.

Later these symptoms may be followed by headaches, mouth and throat inflammation, hair loss, chest pain, skin darkening and bleeding spots under the skin, haemorrhage and anaemia.

In the case of extreme radiation exposure - suffered by those in the immediate vicinity of a radioactive release, such as plant workers - death can occur in weeks.

Immediate measures

Those residing near the plant have been told to remove and dispose of clothes and to wash with soap and water to minimise additional contamination.

The Japanese government has also distributed 230,000 doses of iodine tablets to those living near the plant. The iodine saturates the thyroid gland, preventing the gland from storing radioactive iodine, which can later develop into thyroid cancer.

A range of other treatments, from drugs that counter bone marrow damage to those minimising the impact on internal organs, could also be used.

Long term impact

The long term impact of radiation may not reveal itself until years after the accident.

In Chernobyl, those most affected were emergency workers, with 47 dying from acute radiation. About 4,000 children from the area developed thyroid cancer, and 9 died.

A 2005 consensus report of eight United Nations agencies and the governments of Belarus, Ukraine and Russia predicted that 4,000 emergency workers and residents of the most contaminated areas may die from radiation-induced cancer in the long term.

The authorities in Japan are aware of the risks and have reduced the size of the emergency team working at the damaged nuclear plant to a minimum.

Those living within 12 miles of the plant have been evacuated, while those between 12 and 18 miles from the plant were told to stay inside their homes, with windows closed and ventilators off.

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Hope and Loss in Japan's search for 8,000 Missing

By FOSTER KLUG - Associated Press,JAY ALABASTER - Associated Press | AP – Thu, Mar 17, 2011 5:20 AM SGT

Line after line, a list on the wall of city hall reveals the dead. Some are named. Others are identified only by a short description.

Female. About 50. Peanuts in left chest pocket. Large mole. Seiko watch.

Male. 70-80 years old. Wearing an apron that says "Rentacom."

One set catches the eye of Hideki Kano, a man who appears to be in his 30s.

"I think that's my mom!" he says. He rushes out into the snow, headed for a makeshift morgue.

The list in Natori, and others along Japan's northeast coast, will only get longer.

Five days after the 9.0-magnitude earthquake and tsunami, the official death toll is more than 4,300. More than 8,000 people are still missing, and hundreds of national and international rescue teams are looking for them.

In the industrial town of Kamaishi, 70 British firefighters in bright orange uniforms clamber over piles of upturned cars to search a narrow row of pulverized homes. They wear personal radiation detectors amid fears of leaks from damaged nuclear plants far to the south.

One woman's body is found wedged beneath a refrigerator in a two-story home pushed onto its side.

"Today and tomorrow there is still hope that we will find survivors," says Pete Stevenson, head of the British rescue crews. "We'll just keep on carrying out the searches."

Those seeking loved ones have posted hopeful notes in temporary shelters and other public places. They cover the front windows of Natori City Hall, blocking the view inside:

"I'm looking for an old man, 75 years old, please call if you find him."

"Kento Shibayama is in the health center in front of the public gym."

"To Miyuki Nakayama: Everyone in your family is OK! We can't use our mobile phones, so you can't call us, but we're all here. If you can come home, please come! We're praying for you."

City officials have posted a list of 5,000 people staying at shelters. Yu Sato, 28, snapped photos of the names.

"I'll post them on the Internet so people living far away can check," he says.

In Otsuchi town, Reiko Miura conducts her own search.

She's looking for a 50-year-old nephew who couldn't flee the tsunami because of a work injury that had phyiscally disabled him. His mother — Miura's sister — asked her to look for her son.

But for the 68-year-old woman, it is a struggle just to recognize the neighborhood, now a sea of mud punctuated by tossed cars and mounds of debris.

"I'm pretty sure that my family home is here. It was a big house," she says upon reaching a pile of rubble in a location that feels familiar. But there's no sign of her nephew, and she trudges back across the mud, unsure what to tell her sister.

The devastation is of such magnitude that it is hard to imagine some of the communities ever being rebuilt. Town after town has been wiped away.

Each curve in the road opens onto a new scene of destruction — a van balanced precariously on the railing of a Buddhist temple, a handbag inside an overturned washing machine.

Kesen is virtually a ghost town.

Miyuki Kanno, who lives a few miles (kilometers) away, rode his bicycle down a mud- and water-choked section of road looking for information about missing relatives. He guessed it would take 20 years for Kesen to come back.

"Your hometown is your hometown. They'll rebuild. I don't know if the young people will come back, but they'll rebuild," he says.

Farther north in Ofunato, 72-year-old Keiichi Nagai is less sure.

He stands on the edge of a huge wasteland that used to be the low-lying part of the city. He shakes his head and repeats, "There's nothing left, there's nothing left."

He points at a washed-up fishing boat that he said destroyed his house. All he managed to salvage was a small brown wallet with a hospital card.

"There's nothing left of this place," he says. "The population is going to be half what it was. It's scary to live here now. People will think it's dangerous. There's a chance another tsunami will come. I won't live here. Maybe on the hill but not here."

Some 430,000 people are in temporary shelters, too worried about daily survival to think of the future.

Some 350 in the gym and theater of an Ofunato middle school have fashioned beds from cardboard mats and blankets. Elderly residents huddle around gas heaters, and youths kick a soccer ball on a snow-laced baseball field.

Japanese military officers stock vats of water in a parking lot and ferry in bananas, rice balls and miso paste.

In Kesennuma, another coastal city, Kayoko Watabe arrives at a shelter after trudging through mud and thick snow. The 58-year-old woman is wearing the same clothes she had on when the tsunami struck.

She is staying with relatives who lack electricity, heat and water, and she's come to the shelter — a junior high school — to get food and other necessities. There, she finds survivors living in classrooms. Most lie on the floor, wrapped in blankets. The stench of unflushed urinals fills the hallway.

"We've never seen or experienced suffering like this," she says. "All I can think about is where to get food and stay warm."

Klug reported from Kesen, Kesennuma and Ofunato, Japan. Associated Press writer David Stringer in Kamaishi, Japan, and AP videojournalist Koji Ueda in Otsuchi, Japan, contributed to this report.

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20 S’poreans in Quake-hit Sendai: We’re not leaving

By Ewen Boey | What’s buzzing? – Sat, Mar 19, 2011 11:55 AM SGT

Twenty Singaporeans are still in Sendai, Japan, which is located 90 kilometres from the troubled Fukushima nuclear power reactors.

This is despite advice by Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), which called for all Singaporeans currently in Fukushima and Miyagi prefectures to leave immediately.

The evacuation advice was also extended to the neighbouring prefectures such as Yamagata and Niigata, as well as in the Kanto region (Tokyo, Chiba, Kanagawa, Saitama, Gunma, Ibaraki, Tochigi) -- that Singaporeans should consider leaving if there is no pressing reason to remain there.

A Singaporean in her early 30s who only wanted to be known as "Mary" told Channel NewsAsia that she is not worried as Sendai is not within the 20-kilometre exclusion zone established by Japanese authorities.

The Singapore Embassy has been in constant touch with her.

"They call me every day, at least once a day,(asking) 'Are you ok? Have you got food? Do you have the same address? Are you home now? Do you wish to leave? Do you wish for us to arrange something for you?'"

The public school English teacher added that the people in Sendai were calm and high radiation levels were not an immediate threat.

Mary admitted that she has been in constant contact with her family and friends, who are worried about her safety, but she wants to remain in Sendai because of her work.

"Most people have been saying, 'come home', and I'm saying 'I'm not coming home'. I would tell them 'it's ok, the media is exaggerating it'. I don't see anything to run away from. For many people, (they) like to play safe... when you're unsure, just move. But I've got work here," she said.

"The Japanese government is very conservative in their warnings. I think it's the international media who are more skeptical and more worried," she said.

The Singapore Embassy in Tokyo has been helping Singaporeans living within a 100km radius from the nuclear plants to move to safe locations.

MFA has also advised Singaporeans in Japan to pay close attention to and heed instructions of the Japanese government.

Meanwhile, a shipment of supplies, weighing 60 tonnes, was scheduled to have been sent to Miyagi Prefecture early Saturday.

The supplies consisted of blankets, mattresses, bottled water, water containers and foodstuff made up of contributions from the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) and the Singapore Red Cross Society.

A backlog at Narita airport caused the aid shipment from Singapore to be delayed over the past few days.

The SAF's contribution is worth about S$300,000. Further shipments from the SAF, the Singapore Red Cross Society and Mercy Relief will be despatched over the next few days.

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Opinions split on Nuclear Energy for S’pore

By Angela Lim | What’s buzzing? – Thu, Mar 17, 2011 5:45 PM SGT

In light of the disturbing developments in Japan after last week's tragic earthquake, we asked Singaporeans what they thought of the government's decision to consider building a nuclear plant in the country.

Out of 267 responses to our question posted on Yahoo! Answers, it appears opinions are split on the issue.

On one hand, many Singaporeans cite the current nuclear situation in Japan as proof of the dangers of harnessing nuclear energy.

User Edwin Cheng was among those who protested the building of nuclear plants here.

He wrote, "No way. It is like putting a bomb at your own door step. We do not have vast lands or space to escape and for the nuclear fallout to clear if there is any disaster."

Another concerned user, SomeH0w, agreed, saying, "Singapore is a small country with a large population. If we were to have a radiation leak, we will be badly affected."

Leora Xiphos questioned the dangers involved, asking, "Would you rather take the risk of having more energy and be more self-sustainable, in exchange for the safety of Singaporeans, or just forget about building the nuclear plant and focus on keeping Singaporeans safe and sound?"

On the other hand, some Singaporeans see the harnessing of nuclear power as a viable option for Singapore.

User Luke79 thinks nuclear energy might be worth the risks.

He said, "Nuclear might be the answer to the next generation's hope... Natural resources are depleting as we speak."

"There is risk in everything we do. Sometimes it's a small price to pay for the benefits you might get," he said.

Others like giginotgigi are similarly optimistic.

She said, "Yes, there will be no problems if the design is properly done and strict monitoring on the plants and the companies running that plant."

Some Singaporeans, however, raised the possibility of other alternatives to nuclear energy.

The Patriot said, "That depends on whether Singapore feels that other low carbon forms of energy can not be used."

He cited solar and wind power as alternative energy sources that Singapore could consider investing in.

Another user, Legendary_Slacker added, "The issue isn't about whether or not Singapore can afford to have a nuclear power plant, but more of whether it is good for the environment or humans in the long term, and how it is going to be "safely" disposed of and stored."

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SAF officer flamed for remarks on JapanBy Angela Lim | What’s buzzing? – Fri, Mar 18, 2011 11:53 AM SGTShareretweetEmailPrint

The S'pore army officer has since issued an apology on his Facebook page (Yahoo! Photo).

An army officer in Singapore, who posted controversial remarks on the developments in Japan, has apologised for being insensitive to the grief of victims after netizens slammed him for his comments.

Calling himself Shahril Beckham on social networking site Facebook, the former OCS instructor had posted as his status, "There is a reason why God chose Japan..."

A friend of his replied to his comment saying, "Extreme dislike. This comment is in bad taste. Are they not human?"

To which the officer responded with a slew of vulgarities, calling him an "idiot". With support from others, he then went on to viciously attack the friend for "preaching" to him.

After receiving negative feedback for his insensitivity, the army officer eventually publicly apologised for his comments on his Facebook profile.

"To those who may be affected (with) my comments on "why god chose japan", I sincerely apologise. I admit (that) my following comments thereafter has been rather insensitive and unethical causing grief to others (sic). I've acted on impulse and once again, I am truly sorry," he wrote.

As Japan struggles to recover from the tragedy, netizens have taken up arms against those making similar comments online.

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IAEA: Japan halts Sale of Fukushima Area Food Products

By Fredrik Dahl | Reuters – 1 hour 19 minutes ago

VIENNA (Reuters) - Japan confirmed the presence of radioactive iodine contamination in food products from near a crippled nuclear plant and ordered a halt to the sale of such products from the area, the U.N. nuclear body said on Saturday.

In what it called another "critical" measure to counter the contamination of food products, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said Japanese authorities on March 16 recommended that people leaving the area should ingest stable iodine.

Taken as pills or syrup, stable iodine can be used to help protect against thyroid cancer in the case of radioactive exposure in a nuclear accident.

"Though radioactive iodine has a short half-life of about 8 days and decays naturally within a matter of weeks, there is a short-term risk to human health if radioactive iodine in food is absorbed into the human body," the IAEA said in a statement.

Japan's top government spokesman earlier on Satursday said tests detected radiation above the national safety level in spinach and milk produced near the Fukushima nuclear plant.

It was the first known case of contamination since the March 11 earthquake and tsunami that touched off the crisis.

Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said radiation levels in milk from a Fukushima farm about 30 km (18 miles) from the plant, and spinach grown in Ibaraki, a neighbouring prefecture, exceeded limits set by the government.

He said these higher radiation levels still posed no risk to human health.

But the IAEA said radioactive iodine if ingested "can accumulate in and cause damage to the thyroid. Children and young people are particularly at risk of thyroid damage due to the ingestion of radioactive iodine."

(Reporting by Fredrik Dahl; editing by David Cowell)

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4,000 Thais still MISSING in Japan

By Pongphon Sarnsamak and Nantida Puangthong in Bangkok/The Nation (Thailand) | ANN – Sat, Mar 19, 2011 4:00 PM SGT

Bangkok (The Nation-Thailand/ANN) - Thai authorities are still unable to locate about 4,000 of its citizens who were living in northeastern Japan when the massive earthquake and tsunami hit the country last week. Problems with communication systems there have made it hard to check their whereabouts.

"Of 5,000 Thais there, we have found only 1,000," foreign affairs ministry spokesman Thani Thongphakdi said. He said all those contacted were safe.

Thani also said the number of Thais living in the area could in fact be much higher than 4,000 because at least 6,000 Thais were believed to be living in Japan illegally.

"But we would like to help them too," Thani said.

However, he also pointed out that some Thais might have left Japan without telling the Thai embassy.

Thani said a C130 plane from Thailand arrived in Japan last night to deliver relief items - including those from the Friends in Need of ("Pa") Volunteers Foundation - to disaster victims. Another plane carrying relif items will land in Japan on Saturday (March 19). After the deliveries, the planes will carry about 240 Thais back to Thailand.

Currently, Thais are advised to defer nonessential trips to Japan.

Because the disasters have caused a radiation leak from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, the Office of Atoms for Peace (OAP) is offering free tests for radioactive exposure to people arriving from Japan.

The tests are available at Suvarnabhumi Airport and OAP headquarters in Bangkok.

Public Health Ministry permanent secretary Dr Paijit Warachit said about 80 of 400 people coming from Japan had sought medical advice at the airport.

Twenty-seven people planning travel to Japan have asked for medical advice regarding taking potassium iodide, he said.

Despite the radiation threat, not every Thai has rushed to return to the homeland. Five Thai monks at Pak Nam Temple in Tokyo intended to stay there to offer moral support to the remaining Thais in the country.

The temple, which is just 10 minutes from Narita Airport, has been a centre for distribution of food and relief items.

Princess Ubolratana Rajakanya Friday donated 2 million baht (US$66,100) and blankets to disaster victims in Japan via the foreign affairs ministry.

Thais and private companies have raised funds for people hit by Japan's disasters too.

Meanwhile, the Public Health Ministry is preparing to send a team of psychologists to help shaken Thais there.

The ministry's deputy permanent secretary, Dr Narong Sahamethapat, said a team of psychiatrists and medical workers would travel to Japan on Saturday.

He added that a team of doctors, that travelled to Japan to provide medical assistance to 30 Thai people living within 55 kilometres of Fukushima nuclear plant, was now safe from radiation contamination.

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Singapore's SUSHI Restaurants say may replace Japanese Imports

By Eveline Danubrata | Reuters – Thu, Mar 17, 2011 2:44 PM

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - As worries grow about radiation from an earthquake-damaged nuclear plant in Japan entering the food chain, restaurants in Singapore are considering importing sushi, sashimi and other Japanese ingredients from elsewhere.

Customers are flocking as usual to the dozens of sushi bars and upscale Japanese restaurants in Singapore, which have a large number of Japanese expatriates and afficionados of the cuisine, but news that food imports from Japan will be tested for radiation has caused concern.

"At present we do not foresee an issue, but if the situation in Japan continues to drag on with no improvement, then in a couple of months we would have to look for alternative sources of supplies," said a spokeswoman for sushi chain Sakae Holdings.

South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore and the Philippines have said they will test Japanese food imports for radiation. No cases of contaminated food have yet been reported.

Sakae Holdings said it imports about three-quarter of its supplies, including seafood and sauces, from Japan, but has suppliers in different parts of the country. The killer March 11 earthquake in Japan damaged nuclear reactors in the northeast, with reports of local radiation leaks at a plant 240 km (150 miles) north of Tokyo.

"We will be looking for seafood either through local suppliers or countries like Australia," the spokeswoman said.

Japan Foods Holding, which also operates a chain of restaurants in Singapore, said most of its food imports came from the western and southern parts of Japan, which have not been affected.

But spokeswoman Keiko Nakamura said a shortage of power and gas in Japan might affect the cost of materials and transport charges.

In 2010, Japan exported about 170 billion yen worth of seafood, almost half of its total food exports. Asian nations took up about two-thirds of the shipments.

Anastasia Goh, a spokeswoman for Singapore restaurant chain Shin Kushiya, said there has been no drop in the number of customers partly due to public confidence in the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA), which monitors food safety in the city state.

"Everyone knows that the supplies into Singapore are very tightly controlled by AVA," she said, adding that Shin Kushiya is looking at getting supplies such as sashimi and noodles from other countries like the United States and Europe.

AVA said on Wednesday that so far laboratory results show no radioactive contamination has been detected in imported Japanese produce.

It said in a previously released statement that the impact of the earthquake on Singapore's food supply is minimal.

"In 2010, seafood imported from Japan constituted less than 2 percent of our total seafood imports by quantity. The import of other food products from Japan is negligible (less than 0.5 percent)."

Reporting by Eveline Danubrata; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan

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PHEW !!!

No FOOD Imports from affected regions in Japan: AVA

By Ion Danker | SingaporeScene – 1 hour 18 minutes ago

By Fann Sim

Singapore's Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) says there are no food imports from the affected areas in Japan since the start of the Fukushima nuclear plant incident.

It added that surveillance of food imports from Japan have been stepped up to ensure they are safe for consumption.

In the joint statement from several government agencies, AVA stressed that all exports from Japan after 11 March are tested for radioactive contaminants.

No radioactive contamination have been detected on the more than 120 samples of fresh produce such as seafood, fruits, vegetables and meat.

However, the likelihood of any radioactive plume reaching Singapore remains very low, the National Environment Agency (NEA) said on Tuesday.

Radiation levels, which have been monitored since the start of the accident, shows an average reading of about 0.08 micro-Sieverts per hour. This is safe and is within the normal range of Singapore's natural background level.

In contrast, radiation is potentially harmful when it reaches 50 millisieverts, about 50,000 times more than Singapore's current radiation level.

For Singaporeans returning from the Japanese evacuation zone and feel unwell, they can seek medical advice at the Emergency Department of one of the local hospitals (Singapore General Hospital, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, National University Hospital, Changi General Hospital, and Khoo Teck Puat Hospital. Children and pregnant women are advised to go to KK Women's and Children's Hospital).

The joint statement by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), on behalf of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), International Maritime Organization (IMO), World Health Organization (WHO) and World Meteorological Organization (WMO), reported that there are no health reasons that would require the screening of passengers from Japan, and there is no health risk associated with increased levels of radiation that have been detected at some airports.

However, developments will continue to be monitored, and measures introduced should the need arise.

The government has also set up a micro-site, for the public to get updates on the Fukushima situation.

MICA has established a micro-site on www.gov.sg on the Government response to the Fukushima situation as a one-stop information portal for the public.

The site contains links to FAQs, the joint statement, hotlines and useful links to relevant ministries and agencies.

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No Quick FIX seen at Japan's Nuclear Plan

By ERIC TALMADGE - Associated Press,MARI YAMAGUCHI - Associated Press | AP – Tue, Mar 22, 2011 9:51 AM SGT

Officials are racing to restore electricity to Japan's leaking nuclear plant, but getting the power flowing will hardly be the end of their battle: With its mangled machinery and partly melted reactor cores, bringing the complex under control is a monstrous job.

Restoring the power to all six units at the tsunami-damaged complex is key, because it will, in theory, drive the maze of motors, valves and switches that help deliver cooling water to the overheated reactor cores and spent fuel pools that are leaking radiation.

Ideally, officials believe it should only take a day to get the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear under control once the cooling systems are up and running. But it could take days or weeks to get those systems working.

"We have experienced a very huge disaster that has caused very large damage at a nuclear power generation plant on a scale that we had not expected," Hidehiko Nishiyama, deputy director general of Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency, told reporters late Monday.

The nuclear plant's cooling systems were wrecked by the massive earthquake and tsunami that devastated northeastern Japan on March 11. Since then, conditions at the plant have been volatile; plumes of smoke rose from two reactor units Monday, prompting workers to evacuate units 1-4.

The crews resumed the work early Tuesday, plant spokesman Motoyasu Tamaki said.

In another setback, the plant's operator said Monday it had just discovered that some of the cooling system's key pumps at the complex's troubled Unit 2 are no longer functional — meaning replacements have to be brought in. Tokyo Electric Power Co. said it placed emergency orders for new pumps, but it was unclear how long it would take for them to arrive.

If officials can get the power turned on, get the replacement pumps working and get enough seawater into the reactors and spent fuel pools, it would only take a day to bring the temperatures back to a safe, cooling stage, said Ryohei Shiomi, an official with the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency.

And if not?

"There is nothing else we can do but keep doing what we've been doing," Shiomi said.

In other words, officials would continue dousing the plant in seawater — and hope for the best.

An official of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission said in Washington that Units 1, 2 and 3 have all seen damage to their reactor cores, but that containment is intact. The assessment dispels some concerns about Unit 2, where an explosion damaged a pressure-reducing chamber around the bottom of the reactor core.

"I would say optimistically that things appear to be on the verge of stabilizing," said Bill Borchardt, the commission's executive director for operations.

What caused the smoke to billow first from Unit 3 and then from Unit 2 on Monday was under investigation, nuclear safety agency officials said. In the days since the earthquake and tsunami, both units have overheated and seen explosions outside their reactor cores.

Workers were evacuated from the area to buildings nearby, though radiation levels remained steady, the officials said. It was a setback in efforts to rewire the plant, where officials had hoped to finish connecting all six reactor units to the grid on Tuesday.

Problems set off by the disasters have ranged far beyond the shattered northeast coast and the wrecked nuclear plant, handing the government what it has called Japan's worst crisis since World War II. Rebuilding may cost as much as $235 billion. Police estimate the death toll will surpass 18,000.

Traces of radiation are tainting vegetables and some water supplies, although in amounts the government and health experts say do not pose a risk to human health in the short term. That has caused the government to ban sale of raw milk, spinach and canola from prefectures over a swath from the plant toward Tokyo. The government has just started to test fish and shellfish.

Tokyo Electric said radioactive iodine about 127 times normal levels and radioactive cesium about 25 times above the norm were detected in seawater 100 yards (meters) off the Fukushima nuclear plant.

Despite that concentration, a senior official at the International Atomic Energy Agency said the ocean was capable of absorbing vast amounts of radiation with no effect and that — comparatively — the radioactivity released so far by the plant was minor.

"The quantities are tiny compared to the reservoir of natural radioactivity in the oceans," said Graham Andrew, senior adviser to IAEA chief Yukiya Amano.

The Health Ministry has advised Iitate, a village of 6,000 people about 19 miles (30 kilometers) northwest of the plant, not to drink tap water due to elevated levels of iodine. Ministry spokesman Takayuki Matsuda said iodine three times the normal level was detected there — about one twenty-sixth of the level of a chest X-ray in one liter of water.

"Please do not overreact, and act calmly," Chief Cabinet spokesman Yukio Edano said in the government's latest appeal to ease public concerns. "Even if you eat contaminated vegetables several times, it will not harm your health at all."

Edano said Tokyo Electric would compensate farmers affected by the bans on milk, spinach and canola.

The World Health Organization said Japan will have to do more to reassure the public about food safety.

"Walking outside for a day and eating food repeatedly are two different things. This is why they're going to have to take some decisions quickly in Japan to shut down and stop food being used completely from zones which they feel might be affected," WHO spokesman Gregory Hartl said.

The troubles at Fukushima have in some ways overshadowed the natural catastrophe.

The World Bank said Monday that Japan may need five years to rebuild from the disasters, which caused up to $235 billion in damage, saying the cost to private insurers will be up to $33 billion and that the government will spend $12 billion on reconstruction in the current national budget and much more later.

All told, police estimate around 18,400 people died from the 9.0-magnitude quake and tsunami. More than 15,000 deaths are likely in Miyagi, the prefecture that took the full impact of the wave, said a police spokesman.

Police in other affected prefectures declined to provide estimates, but confirmed about 3,400 deaths. Nationwide, official figures show the disasters killed more than 8,900 people and left more than 12,600 missing, but those two lists may have some overlap.

The disasters have displaced another 452,000, who are in shelters.

Yamaguchi reported from Tokyo. Associated Press writers Jeff Donn, Shino Yuasa, Mayami Saito and Elaine Kurtenbach in Tokyo, and Matthew Daly in Rockville, Md., contributed to this story.

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Japan QUAKE may hit Singapore’s Investment$$$

By Elena Torrijos | SingaporeScene – Tue, Mar 22, 2011 10:01 AM SGT

By Seah Chiang Nee

As Singaporeans' concern mount over the safety of millions of Japanese, a small group of state investors are probably burning the midnight oil in Singapore.

These people, who manage the two sovereign state funds with assets and investments worth in excess of US$200 billion are likely to be poring over possible future options.

They are not only keeping watch on the nuclear drama unfolding in Japan, but also on the spreading violent upheavals in the Middle East, where the republic has high stakes.

Recently, Foreign Minister George Yeo told Parliament that Singapore had to "adjust to changes" taking place there.

In 1999, the government began a strategy of investing heavily in overseas markets to get a higher return for the state funds.

Calling it "a second external pair of wings", the city pushed massive investments abroad.

It was a good concept that was soon adopted by other countries.

The two sovereign funds are Temasek Holdings, which operates a portfolio of US$142 billion, and GIC, or Government of Singapore Investment Corp, which manages foreign reserves of well over US$100 billion.

With the local market too small for such a huge amount of funds, and competition rising from countries like China and India, the leaders turned to the outside world to find new income sources.

Besides, the world was in good shape, and emerging Asia was offering terrific new growth opportunities.

However, the foreign foray has been pushed back now and then by bad luck and a few bad investment decisions.

In the past decade, these investment wings have flapped from one air pocket to another.

The latest — a devastated Japan — is probably the worst.

Its nuclear crisis is spewing serious fallouts towards Singapore's recovering economy.

It had been one crisis after another for Singapore, from the 9/11 terrorist attacks on America in 2001 to the 2007 global financial crisis and recession and now the Middle East upheavals.

All these have wreaked various degrees of damage on Singapore's ambitious overseas investments.

People are hoping Saudi Arabia — the most important country in the Middle East — remains safe.

During the financial crisis, Temasek Holdings reported that its assets had plunged by S$55 billion. Only in July last year had it recovered 40 percent of that.

Even discounting a nuclear nightmare, Japan — which is the world's third biggest economy and one of Singapore's top trading partners — faces years of economic struggle.

It will have to divert hundreds of billions of dollars to rebuilding shattered infrastructure by using its reserves, selling bonds or by reducing overseas spending.

"Knowing their nationalistic fervour, it will not be a surprise if Japanese corporations worldwide start soon to divert funds back home," said a stock researcher.

The Japanese will likely buy or invest less in Singapore and the number of tourists will likely drop.

Japan ranks as one of the five economic pillars that sustain Singapore's prosperity, next to the United States, Europe, China and South-East Asia.

According to statistics, it is the republic's sixth largest trading partner in 2009 with total trade amounting to S$44 billion (RM105 billion), and the third largest investor with S$51 billion.

All these crises serve a lesson for Singapore.

The sanguine environment which existed before, favouring smooth foreign profits, may no longer be around.

Recent history has shown that it now calls for more than just business acumen and investment timing.

There must also be the ability to analyse international affairs.

From 1999, Singapore's billions of state funds began travelling around the world.

It went into buying local companies, which makes the government the biggest single shareholder of a long list of major companies.

After the turn of the century, the foreign investments grew in number and size.

The buzzword then was "global strategic investments".

This involved banks, telcos, airlines and companies that were considered crown jewels by the host countries.

Singapore wanted them for long-term global tie-ups.

"Big-time investment calls for big bucks and bullet-biting because it can be very risky," an experienced market researcher said.

"Even the most experienced would need luck.

"People pray that after putting their money in, there will be no sudden political upheaval or natural calamity that could blow away their investments."

Other worries include terrorist attacks, currency changes, market turmoil and unpredictable policy changes — any one of which can overturn a billion-dollar investment.

The Singapore Government's large-scale investments — and recent losses abroad — have run into public criticism on two grounds.

Firstly, many Singaporeans believe that the investment money comes from indirect taxes and a high imposition of fees "squeezed" from the citizenry. All these seem to be rising.

Secondly, a persistent economic gap between rich and poor that seems to be widening and fast becoming a source of public unhappiness.

It is popularly felt that a portion of the billions should be used to provide a safety net for the poor, the aged and the unemployed.

With so many needy people around, it makes no sense losing billions by investing in a risky world that could be put to better use helping the poorer class.

Another popular viewpoint is that the sovereign wealth funds may not have the best people to handle so big a task.

Their performance has so far not been brilliant.

Morgan Stanley said in a report that their investment decisions were poor.

"The sheer domination of the government in the external economy means that responsibility for the poor returns must lie with the government to a large degree," it added.

A former Reuters correspondent and newspaper editor, the writer is now a freelance columnist writing on general trends in Singapore. This post first appeared on his blog, www.littlespeck.com on 20 March 2011.

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Tokyo says Radiation in TAP WATER above Limit

AP – Wed, Mar 23, 2011 1:46 PM SGT

Tokyo Water Bureau officials say levels of radioactive iodine in some city tap water is two times the recommended limit for infants.

The officials told reporters Wednesday that a water treatment center in downtown Tokyo that supplies much of the city's tap water found that some water contained 210 becquerels per liter of iodine 131.

They said the limit for consumption of iodine 131 for infants is 100 becquerels per liter. They recommended that babies not be given tap water, although they said the water is not an immediate health risk for adults.

HIGASHIMATSUSHIMA, Japan (AP) — Crows cawed overhead as tsunami survivors in devastated towns along Japan's northeast coast buried their dead in makeshift graves en masse Wednesday as workers at Fukushima's overheated nuclear plant struggled to cool down the crippled facility.

With supplies of fuel and ice dwindling, officials have abandoned cremation in favor of quick, simple burials in a show of pragmatism over tradition. Some are buried in bare plywood caskets and others in blue plastic tarps, with no time to build proper coffins. The bodies will be dug up and cremated once crematoriums catch up with the glut, officials assured the families.

In Higashimatsushima in Miyagi prefecture, about 200 miles (320 kilometers) northeast of Tokyo, soldiers lowered bare plywood coffins into the ground, saluting each casket, as families watched from a distance and helicopters occasionally clattered overhead.

Some relatives placed flowers on the graves. Most remained stoic, folding hands in prayer. Two young girls wept inconsolably, hugged tightly by their father.

"I hope their spirits will rest in peace here at this temporary place," said Katsuko Oguni, 42, a relative of the dead.

In Fukushima, the struggle to stabilize the plant suffered another setback Wednesday after a spike in radiation levels forced officials to pull workers and suspend restoring power to the Unit 2 reactor, a Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency official said in Tokyo.

The setback showed how tenuous the situation remains nearly two weeks after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami knocked out power to the Fukushima complex, allowing radiation leaks that have seeped into vegetables, raw milk, the water supply and even seawater.

Broccoli was added early Wednesday to a list of tainted vegetables that already includes spinach, canola and chrysanthemum greens.

The nuclear crisis has complicated the government's response to the catastrophic earthquake and tsunami that swallowed up villages along the coast. The number of bodies collected stood at more than 9,400, with more than 14,700 people listed as missing. Those tallies may overlap.

Hundreds of thousands remain homeless. Schools, gymnasiums and other community buildings in the northeast are still packed with survivors, many of them elderly suffering after days without heat, medicine and hot meals.

In Fukushima, relief after the lights went on late Tuesday in the control room of Unit 3 made way hours later for concern over radiation levels in Unit 2, putting on hold plans to try restarting the plant's crucial cooling system. The sprawling nuclear complex has six units.

In the first five days after the disasters struck, the Fukushima complex saw explosions and fires in four of the plant's six reactors, and the leaking of radioactive steam into the air. Since then, progress continued intermittently as efforts to splash seawater on the reactors and rewire the complex were disrupted by rises in radiation, elevated pressure in reactors and overheated storage pools.

Missions to dump seawater into one storage pool holding spent nuclear fuel went well, and firefighters continue to spray water on spent fuel pools in two other units, NISA said. Temperature at a seventh, joint spent fuel pool have stabilized, they said Wednesday.

Two workers were slightly injured trying to restore electric cables, neither from radiation, Tokyo Electric Power Co. spokesman Kaoru Yoshida said Wednesday.

Tokyo Electric warned that time is needed to replace damaged equipment and vent any volatile gas to make sure the restored electricity does not spark an explosion.

"You're going to get fires now as they energize equipment," said Arnold Gundersen, the chief engineer at the U.S.-based environmental consulting company Fairewinds Associates. "It's going to be a long slog."

Radiation continues to leak from the site, though the main barriers appear intact, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission said.

The operator suspects some damage to an inner containment structure at Unit 2 as a result of an earlier explosion there. Also, spent fuel pools in damaged buildings could be releasing some radioactivity into the air.

"I think we have enough information to determine that there's not large holes or excessive releases from those containments, but we continue to see radiation coming from the site ... and the question is where exactly is that coming from," nuclear safety expert James Lyons said at a briefing Tuesday by the International Atomic Energy Agency.

The Health Ministry ordered officials in the area of the stricken plant to increase monitoring of seawater and seafood after elevated levels of radioactive iodine and cesium were found in ocean water near the complex. Education Ministry official Shigeharu Kato said a research vessel had been dispatched to collect and analyze samples.

Doses detected so far are low and not a threat to human health unless the tainted products are consumed in abnormally excessive quantities, government officials and health experts said.

Radiation levels in the air in Tokyo have been well below the global average for naturally occurring background radiation.

Yamaguchi reported from Tokyo. Associated Press writers Eric Talmadge in Fukushima, and Yuri Kageyama, Jeff Donn, Tomoko Hokasa, Shino Yuasa and Elaine Kurtenbach in Tokyo, also contributed to this report.

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Japan Nuclear FOOD Scare spreads to US, Europe

By John Saeki | AFP News Wed, Mar 23, 2011 1:16 PM SGT

Japan's radiation food scare rippled around the world Wednesday as the United States blocked imports of dairy and other produce from areas near a disaster-hit nuclear power plant.

Emergency crews again battled to stabilise reactors at the charred Fukushima Daiichi (No. 1) plant, which was shattered on March 11 by Japan's worst natural disaster in nearly a century, to prevent a full reactor meltdown.

Japan ordered a halt to consumption and shipments of a range of farm products grown near the quake- and tsunami-hit facility after health ministry tests found vastly elevated levels of iodine and caesium.

Japan nuke plant 'was crippled by 14-metre tsunami'

The United States restricted dairy and vegetable imports from several prefectures, and France called on the European Union to do the same, while Japan was also testing seawater to measure the impact on marine life.

Prime Minister Naoto Kan ordered a stop of shipments of untreated milk and vegetables including broccoli, cabbage and parsley from areas near the Pacific coast plant, about 250 kilometres (155 miles) northeast of Tokyo.

Farm produce shipments were halted from Fukushima and three nearby prefectures -- Ibaraki, Tochigi and Gunma -- while radiation monitoring of farm and seafood products was stepped up in six others, officials said.

The new inspection zone extends from Yamagata in the northwest to Saitama and Chiba, which both border Tokyo and are part of the megacity's vast urban sprawl.

The health ministry said radioactivity drastically exceeding legal limits had been found in 11 kinds of vegetable grown in Fukushima prefecture.

Radioactive caesium at 82,000 becquerels -- 164 times the legal limit -- was detected in one type of leaf vegetable, along with 15,000 becquerels of radioactive iodine, more than seven times the limit.

Fukushima: Japan faces a lasting nuclear headache

The ministry said that if people eat 100 grams (four ounces) a day of the vegetable for about 10 days, they would ingest half the amount of radiation typically received from the natural environment in a year.

"Even if these foods are temporarily eaten, there is no health hazard," said top government spokesman Yukio Edano, following reports that some products may have already entered the market.

"But unfortunately, as the situation is expected to last for the long term, we are asking that shipments stop at an early stage, and it is desirable to avoid intake of the foods as much as possible."

Even if the short-term risk is limited for now, scientists pointing to the 1986 Chernobyl disaster warn that some radioactive particles concentrate as they travel up the food chain and stay in the environment for decades.

The US Food and Drug Administration said it had placed an import alert on all milk, dairy products, fresh vegetables and fruits from four prefectures.

"In addition, FDA will continue to flag all entries from Japan in order to determine whether they originated from the affected area," it said. "FDA will test all food and feed shipments from the affected area."

France urged the European Commission to impose "systematic controls for all fresh produce reaching Europe's borders" from Japan, while stressing that it was not calling for a total embargo on Japanese food products "at this stage".

Around Asia, many Japanese restaurants and shops are reporting a decline in business and governments have stepped up radiation checks on the country's goods. Tainted fava beans from Japan have already cropped up in Taiwan.

Radioactive materials in broccoli, milk

Japan -- a highly industrialised and mostly mountainous island nation -- is a net food importer. According to the European Commission, the EU imported 9,000 tonnes of fruits and vegetables from Japan in 2010.

In Japan, any further food shortages threaten to compound the misery for hundreds of thousands made homeless by the 9.0-magnitude quake and the jet-speed tsunami it spawned.

The giant wave crashed into the northeast coast and erased entire communities. The confirmed death toll from the disaster rose Wednesday to 9,408, and Japan holds out little hope for 14,716 officially listed as missing.

With the bodies piling up and acute fuel shortages preventing the customary cremations, the town of Higashimatsushima in Miyagi prefecture has started burying identified bodies, some wrapped in sheets, in mass graves.

As grieving survivors huddled in evacuation shelters amid the rubble of their former lives, their fate was overshadowed by the struggle to avert another massive catastrophe -- a full nuclear meltdown at Fukushima.

Fire engines and giant concrete pumps have poured thousands of tonnes of seawater onto its reactors and into spent fuel rod pools, to cool them and stop fuel from being exposed to the air and releasing large-scale radiation.

Engineers hope to restart the cooling systems of all six reactors which were knocked out by the 14-metre (46-foot) tsunami, and they have already reconnected the wider facility to the national power grid.

Tsunami disruption spreads deep into Japan

They partially restored power overnight to the control room of reactor three -- a special focus because it contains volatile uranium-plutonium fuel rods.

As the engineers forged on with their dangerous and complex task at the 1970s-era plant, two strong quakes struck nearby, one of them with a magnitude of 6.0 -- just the latest of hundreds of nerve-jarring aftershocks.

In Vienna, the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency said radiation continues to leak from the site.

"The question is, where exactly is it coming from: from the primary containment vessels or from the spent fuel ponds," said James Lyons, IAEA head of nuclear installations safety.

"Without the ability to go up there and actually poke around, it's hard to determine."

[kueytoc]

Over 60 killed in Myanmar QUAKE

By Hla Hla Htay | AFP News – Fri, Mar 25, 2011 1:09 PM SGT

More than 60 people were killed and 90 injured after a strong earthquake struck Myanmar near its border with Thailand, an official said Friday, as some affected areas remained cut off.

The earthquake on Thursday, which the US Geological Survey (USGS) measured at magnitude 6.8, was felt as far away as Bangkok, almost 800 kilometres (500 miles) from the epicentre, Hanoi and parts of China.

A Myanmar official said dozens of people were killed in areas close to the epicentre and more than 240 buildings had collapsed.

"The death toll has increased to more than 60 now from those areas including Tarlay, Mine Lin and Tachileik townships," said the official.

"About 90 people were injured from those areas. The officials are still trying to reach some more affected areas. There are some places we cannot reach yet."

Tremors were felt as far away as Bangkok, almost 800 kilometres (500 miles) from the epicentre, Hanoi and parts of China.

Just across the border from Tachileik, Thai authorities said a 52-year-old woman was killed in Mae Sai district after a wall of her house collapsed.

Terrified residents across the region fled their homes, tall buildings swayed and hospitals and schools were evacuated during the tremors.

The quake struck 90 kilometres (60 miles) north of Chiang Rai and 235 kilometres (150 miles) north-northeast of Chiang Mai, Thailand's second city and a popular tourist destination. Tall buildings shuddered in Bangkok during the tremor.

Its epicentre was close to the borders with Thailand and Laos and was just 10 kilometres (six miles) deep.

Thailand's meteorological department on Friday said it had registered six large aftershocks following the initial quake.

Chiang Rai governor Somchai Hatayatanti told AFP late Thursday that efforts were made to evacuate people from tall buildings and he had ordered all patients from Mae Sai District Hospital to be taken to Chiang Rai.

The shaking was felt throughout China's southwest province of Yunnan, according to state-run China National Radio, but no casualties or structural collapses had been reported as of Friday morning.

However, the earthquake reportedly caused cracks in some homes and schools in and around the rugged Xishuangbanna region which borders Myanmar, and fear of aftershocks forced many people in the area to spend the night outdoors.

Some residents of the Vietnamese capital Hanoi fled their homes in panic when the quake shook the city.

Nguyen Thi Hong Hanh, 36, who lives on the 10th floor of a highrise, said her husband noticed their pet fish shaking in their tank.

"We all rushed to the street. All the other people in the apartments also rushed out," she said.

Hanoi felt the tremor at about magnitude 5.0, according to Dinh Quoc Van, deputy head of the earthquake monitoring department.

The quake comes two weeks after Japan was hit by a monster earthquake, which unleashed a devastating tsunami that left around 27,000 people dead or missing and triggered a crisis at its Fukushima nuclear plant.

No tsunami warning was issued after the Myanmar quake as US seismologists said it was too far inland to generate a devastating wave in the Indian Ocean.

The USGS initially recorded the quake as magnitude 7.0, but later revised it down to 6.8.

[kueytoc]

Japan says Nuclear Plant situation not getting worse, Vigilance needed

By John Chalmers | Reuters – Sat, Mar 26, 2011 3:45 PM SGT

.TOKYO (Reuters) - The situation at the earthquake-stricken nuclear power plant in northern Japan is not getting worse but vigilance is needed, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said on Saturday.

The operator of the Fukushima plant north of Tokyo has been trying since March 11's devastating earthquake and tsunami to prevent a catastrophic meltdown.

More than 700 engineers have been working in shifts to stabilise the facility and work has been advancing to restart water pumps to cool their fuel rods.

Two of the six reactors are now seen as safe but the other four are volatile, occasionally emitting steam and smoke. However, the nuclear safety agency said on Saturday that temperature and pressure in all reactors had stabilised.

(Writing by John Chalmers)