Sit-in Protest against India's nuclear tests
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    • (May 12, 1998, The Chugoku Shimbun)

    The sit-in protest took place at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park in the city's Naka-ward on May 12, 1998. It was against underground nuclear tests which India pushed ahead a day before. Groups of survivors and peace activists made a strong protest by holding a sit-in and making a statement in front of the memorial cenotaph. The park was filled with voices of protest.

    Hiroshima Prefectural Confederation of A-bomb Sufferers Organizations (President Kazushi Kaneko), Hiroshima Council Against A and H Bombs and a total of 8 groups observed a minutes of silence from 12:15 at the memorial cenotaph and sat in. Approximately 60 people were gathered there to protest, they put up a rather large cloth on which they wrote a slogan. The slogan said, "We protest against India's underground nuclear tests". They continued to protest in the rain until a little before one o'clock in the afternoon.

    India has been restraining other nuclear states and strengthening their criticism against the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) and the Non Proliferation Treaty (NPT). President Kaneko commented on India's self-declaration of becoming a nuclear state. "Their action might reverse the trend and renew resumption of a nuclear arms race in the world. As a survivor, I can't forgive what they have done what so ever." He said in a harsh tone. After the sit-in, they decided to send a letter of protest to Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee through Indian Embassy in Tokyo.

    Five members of the citizen's group "Hiroshima Peace Ribbon Group" (Representative Miyoko Watanabe) got together in front of the cenotaph around twelve o'clock. They, along with students on a school excursion, made a long line of ribbon and held it as they guarded the cenotaph. "Hiroshima's true wish, the elimination of nuclear weapons will go beyond our hands." She condemned India's violent act which ignored world opinion.

    Picture: Groups of survivors and peace activists protesting India's underground nuclear tests (12:20 PM, Peace Memorial Park, Naka-ward, Hiroshima)


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