(JP)Okinawa allows boring in dugong's habitat

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http://www.japan-press.co.jp/2379/usforces.html

 

Okinawa allows boring in dugong's habitat

 

The Okinawa prefectural government on April 7 accepted

the central government's request concerning the

planned boring in the coral reef off Henoko, Nago

City. The boring has been proposed by the Defense

Facilities Administration Agency that is aiming to

construct a state-of-the-art on-sea base to relocate

the U.S. Marine Corps Futenma Air Station in Okinawa.

 

The Naha DFAA last November requested the prefecture

to accept the boring plan at 63 sites on the coral

reef on which the new U.S. base is planned to be

constructed.

 

Nago citizens and environmentalists have been opposed

to this plan and the new base plan, saying that they

will damage the habitat of dugong, a natural treasure.

 

The prefecture in reply to the agency requested that

the boring be temporarily stopped whenever damage on

dugongs and coral reefs are confirmed and that the

boring site itself be reduced in size.

 

Aragaki Shigenobu, representative of the Okinawan

Liaison Council against the Security Treaty, in a

statement said, " The boring, if started, will be a

signal to construct an on-sea military base. The

Okinawan government ignored the Environmental Impact

Assessment Law and accepted the arbitrary plans of the

U.S. and Japanese governments. We will further push

the anti-base campaign. "

 

Higashionna Takuma, Dugong's environment watch team

chair, said, " Both the central and prefectural

governments failed to show us the reason why boring is

necessary. We'll raise protest actions against

Okinawan Governor Inamine Keiichi. " (end)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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