Australia Wants to Help Indonesia Build Nuclear Reactors

Seriously, I think there's got to be kangaroos loose in heads of certain decision makers Down Under. Thai Business Day reported today that the Russians are slated to build Indonesia's first nuclear reactor. The Indonesian News Agency examines the issue in depth, and it explains why Greenpeace and other environmental groups are opposed. One Indonesian government minister interviewed for the article offers this reassurance: "The process in a nuclear power plant will automatically stop if terrorists attack."

Speranza Nuova published a thoughtful piece at Singapore Angle considering the question as to whether Singapore should build nuclear reactors. Nuova suggests that should Indonesia decide to build reactors, this move might cancel out any reservations that prevent Singapore from going down that road:

...if Indonesia built a reactor first, it would dilute the opprobrium against Singapore building one as well. And one might argue that if the risk of nuclear fallout haze exists (e.g. accident, terrorist strike, earthquake), one might as well have a nuclear plant on domestic soil anyway.

Thailand and Malaysia might well be thinking the same way. And why shouldn't Burma follow their lead?