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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40013515

Cambodia is resuming its visa on arrival programme and scrapping both PCR and rapid tests for fully vaccinated passengers to attract more visitors and investors.

The Ministry of Health on March 17 announced that fully vaccinated inbound passengers will no longer be required to show a PCR test result proving that they are negative for the coronavirus 72 hours prior to their arrival in Cambodia.

According to the notice signed by health minister Mam Bun Heng, inbound passengers are also exempted from Covid-19 rapid antigen tests upon arrival although they are “encouraged” to do so on their own.

The notice said that visa on arrival for passengers arriving by land, air and waterway has now resumed.

All passengers are required to show proof of Covid-19 vaccination upon arrival and those who have not been fully vaccinated are required to undergo a 14-day quarantine as designated by the health ministry or relevant authories.

The exemptions apparently come as the Covid-19 situation in Cambodia has been largely brought under control, with cases of the highly contagious Omicron variant remaining below 200 over the past week.

As the restrictions are eased, Prime Minister Hun Sen appealed to the public to continue adhering to the preventive measure of three dos and three dont’s.

Speaking at the inauguration of SOS Children’s Village in Prey Veng province on March 17, Hun Sen said: “Passengers from any country are not required to get a visa. They can apply for visa on arrival. This is the request of our tourism minister. Previously, before they arrived in Cambodia, they needed to get a visa, but now we will resume visa on arrival.”

According to the premier, every day Cambodia spends a lot of money on rapid tests kits and personal protective equipment (PPE). He said rapid testing had interrupted daily work activities. Also, the lifting of the restrictions came because of the fact that the airlines already had similar requirements.

“We will ease these requirements to attract more investors and to facilitate the travel of business people coming to Cambodia. All of these are what we need to do for development as we live with Covid-19,” he said.

Separately, the health ministry has issued an instruction to begin the new anti-Covid-19 campaign on March 22. Bun Heng said the campaign will have the theme “Covid-19’s new variant Omicron is more transmissible and is a risk to you and your family”.

The ministry said the campaign is being held because it has noted that the some members of the public have become complacent and drop their guard down, especially at large gatherings, which it said are high risk for the spread of the virus.

The ministry said all individuals, families, communities, institutions and authorities have to be highly responsible to cut the spread of Omicron in a sustainable way and to live in the new normal.

By Mom Kunthear

Published : March 18, 2022

By : The Phnom Penh Post

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40013514

General secretary stresses importance of perseverance in tackling pandemic

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, has underlined the need to put the people’s lives first and stick to the dynamic zero-COVID strategy with scientific and targeted measures, in order to speedily curb the spread of the virus nationwide.

Xi made the remark on Thursday while presiding over a meeting of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee. During the meeting, the top CPC leadership analyzed the current COVID-19 situation in the country and urged stringent measures to respond to the virus.

While addressing the meeting, Xi highlighted the measures the nation has taken to effectively control the virus since it started implementing the regular epidemic prevention and control policy, saying that the nation’s COVID-19 response strategy has, to a maximum extent, protected people’s lives, safety and health.

The fact that the country takes the lead in the world in economic development and pandemic response fully demonstrates the nation’s strength and capability in the prevention and control of the disease as well as the marked advantages of the CPC’s leadership and the socialist system, Xi said.

He stressed the importance of perseverance in fighting the pandemic, and urged all-out efforts to take substantial and targeted steps in response to COVID-19.

Xi called for raising the level of virus prevention and control through scientific and precise approaches, constantly optimizing COVID response measures, and stepping up scientific and technological progress in vaccines, rapid testing kits and medicine research and development.

He urged coordinated efforts to promote socioeconomic development and respond to the pandemic, saying effective measures must be taken to strive for the best results in virus prevention and control at the lowest cost in order to reduce the impact of the pandemic on socioeconomic development with maximum efforts.

The meeting came amid an increase in locally transmitted cases around the country in the past week. As of Wednesday, there were 1,317 confirmed cases on the Chinese mainland, including 1,226 locally transmitted cases.

The participants at the meeting emphasized the importance of implementing “early detection, early reporting, early isolation and early treatment” measures, and called for stringent measures in the prevention and control of the virus, according to the statement released after the meeting.

While strengthening guidance in reporting cases in key areas, they urged speedy measures to control local clusters of cases, the statement said.

The meeting’s participants stressed the importance of ensuring the production and supply of the people’s daily necessities as well as meeting their needs for medical services to enable them to have normal and orderly lives.

They underlined the need to speed up reform of disease control systems and called for comprehensively raising the capacity of epidemic monitoring, early warning and emergency response, the statement said.

Efforts should be strengthened in border areas, schools and universities in epidemic prevention and control, they added.

The meeting’s participants also underscored the importance of vaccinations and urged raising the vaccination rate by expanding publicity work.

Efforts should be made to guide public opinion about the overall situation of the pandemic’s development by publicizing related information in a timely manner as well as the progress of the government’s measures in COVID-19 response, and actively addressing the public’s concerns, they said.

The meeting’s participants also urged Party and government officials at various levels to fulfill their responsibilities in pandemic control and give priority to virus prevention in their work. Those who neglect their duty in pandemic control should be held accountable, they added.

Published : March 18, 2022

By : China Daily

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40013513

Pompeo says Kim is aware that Xi “threatens his sovereignty”

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un views US forces stationed in South Korea as a counterweight and “bulwark” against China’s “real threat” to his sovereignty, former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Wednesday.

The former top US diplomat underscored that a critical lesson he learned from nuclear talks with Pyongyang is Kim’s perception of the United States Forces Korea, although the Trump administration “didn’t get all the way to try to convince Chairman Kim that his nuclear weapons pose more of a threat to him than they did a security blanket.”

Pompeo, who also previously served as the director of the CIA and visited Pyongyang multiple times, said Kim declined to give an explicit answer when asked about the implications of the withdrawal of US forces on the Korean Peninsula for his regime, recalling his in-person meetings with Kim.

“Chairman Kim, I would say, tell me what it would look like if America pulled its troops from South Korea. … He would smile and say, ‘I’m not particularly interested in that,’ suggesting somehow that he didn’t want to tell me how important it really was,” Pompeo said in an annual B.C. Lee Lecture on US policy in the Indo-Pacific hosted by the Washington-based Heritage Foundation.

But Pompeo said the North Korean leader’s stance on US forces came to the fore as the Trump administration proceeded with nuclear negotiations.

“As we developed our relationship more fully, what became very clear is he (Kim Jong-un) views the United States of America on the Korean Peninsula as a bulwark against his real threat, which came from Xi Jinping,” Pompeo said. 

“He knew that having American troops … (was) the counterbalance not only for the South Koreans, not only for the Japanese, not only for the United States and our Western interests, but for him as well.”

Pompeo went on to say that the summits between Kim and Chinese leader Xi Jinping, which were held in the run-up to three Trump-Kim meetings, do not necessarily evince their close coordination.

“I think a more nuanced, better analysis is that Chairman Kim knows, just like the rest of us in the world now, that Xi Jinping threatens his sovereignty as well,” Pompeo told participants at the event.

The former US secretary of state warned that China would be the one that could topple the Kim Jong-un regime.

“If he is to lose power, it is most likely not to come from the United States, not likely to come from South Korea, but because Xi concludes that a little more territory, a little more real estate, and a little less freedom on the Chinese border is something that the Chinese Communist Party needs,” Pompeo said.

“We need to look no further than Hong Kong or Tibet or Xinjiang to know that what Xi Jinping will demand of Chairman Kim is total and complete subservience.”

But it is also crucial to note that there have been discrepancies between the North Korean leader’s stance on the USFK indirectly conveyed by South Korean and US officials and the country’s position on the matter in public statements.

After his visit to Pyongyang, then-national security adviser Chung Eui-yong in September 2018 said Kim viewed there was no correlation between an end-of-war declaration and the withdrawal of the US forces.

North Korea’s pronouncements have, on the other hand, shown different opinions on the matter. A North Korean government spokesperson’s statement, which was issued in July 2016, elucidated that pulling out US troops from South Korea was one of the five major preconditions for achieving “denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.”

The party regulations, which were revised in January 2021 at the Eighth Party Congress, still stipulate its goal to make “aggressive forces of US imperialism withdraw from South Korea and eventually terminate the US political and military domination over South Korea.”

The most recent example is another press statement released last August under the Party Central Committee’s Vice Department Director Kim Yo-jong, with authorization from the North Korean leader.

Kim Yo-jong explicitly said the “root cause that periodically aggravates the situation on the Korean Peninsula will never be eliminated as long as US forces are stationed in South Korea.”

By Ji Da-gyum

Published : March 18, 2022

By : The Korea Herald

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40013512

The magnitude-7.4 earthquake that struck off Fukushima Prefecture on Wednesday night occurred within the Pacific Plate, the Japan Meteorological Agency has said.

Measuring a maximum of upper 6 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale, the quake was a different type from the Great East Japan Earthquake, which occurred at the boundary of the oceanic Pacific Plate and a continental plate. The Pacific Plate subducts under a continental plate.

Strong tremors were felt over a wide area on Wednesday night, including Fukushima and Miyagi prefectures.

“There have been many earthquakes inside a plate that had a deep focus, and in which seismic tremors were felt widely, because they’re easily transmitted far through the plate,” said Prof. Takashi Furumura of the University of Tokyo’s Earthquake Research Institute.

“This time, the quake involved shaking with a cycle of about one second, which tends to cause damage to wooden houses, and slighter, more frequent tremors that are likely to cause disasters such as landslides. The quake also lasted for a long period of time,” Furumura said. “This may have led to such damage as the collapse of houses.”

However, long-period tremors, which tend to shake high-rise buildings, were also observed in many areas.

Published : March 18, 2022

By : The Japan News

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40013511

SINGAPORE – A booster shot with the Moderna vaccine offered older people better protection against Covid-19 if they had previously taken Pfizer jabs, researchers at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID) have found.

Seven days after taking a booster shot, people above the age of 60 who took Moderna had an average antibody level that was twice as high as those who took the Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty vaccine, the study showed.

This was consistent across all variants of concern of the Covid-19 virus, said NCID in a press release on Thursday (March 17).

Dr Barnaby Young, head of the Singapore Infectious Disease Clinical Research Network in NCID, said the aim of the study is to build local data on understanding immunity towards the disease through booster shots.

“The emergence of variants capable of evading protective immunity remains a concern and highlights the need for a long-term Covid-19 immunisation strategy,” he added.

Dr Young had co-authored the study which was published in SSRN, a science research journal, on Thursday. It has yet to be peer-reviewed.

The study, conducted between Oct 12 and Dec 3 last year, involved 100 participants who had received the Pfizer shots as their primary series of Covid-19 vaccination.

Half of the participants were above 60 years old.

Researchers observed that even at 28 days after vaccination, average antibody levels in older people remained 1.5 times higher in those who had taken the Moderna booster.

However, in younger adults, antibody levels were similar between the two vaccines.

The study involved blood samples collected 28 days before the booster shot, on the day of the booster shot but before the injection, and seven days and 28 days after the shot.

For those older than age 60, researchers noted that neutralising antibody levels against the Omicron variant with a Moderna booster were at 84.3 per cent 28 days after the shot versus 72.8 per cent with a Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty booster.

Neutralising antibodies are thought to play an important role in immunity against the coronavirus.

Dr Young said that based on the results of the study, taking any booster shot helps increase immunity against the Omicron variant, even though it has been found to be able to escape immunity among fully vaccinated people.

He added: “The magnitude of the antibody boost is likely to offer significant protection against infection with this variant.

“Individuals at higher risk of severe Covid-19 such as older adults 60 years old and above are more likely to have low antibody levels six months after the primary vaccination series, so it is important that this group receives a booster shot.”

NCID said the research is part of an ongoing study it is leading on different vaccine combinations and immunity.

In the booster-shot study, it found that vaccine reactions were common, but were mild and short-lived.

Common vaccine reactions were pain at the injection site within 72 hours of a booster shot, fatigue, followed by muscle pain.

The study added that in the older age group, fever and weakness occurred more frequently in those who received Moderna as a booster dose, and that no participant had a serious side effect.

Researchers will continue to follow participants and collect blood samples six months and a year after their booster shots to monitor waning of antibody levels.

They will also study the effects of mixing the Covaxin vaccine into a vaccination regime.

NCID said it will include other vaccines in the future, including Nuvaxovid, and could involve up to 600 participants over a range of ages and ethnicities to reflect Singapore’s population.

It noted that the observations from the latest study complement other international trials. 

In February, a study by researchers in Singapore, including Professor Wang Lin-Fa from Duke-NUS Medical School, found that getting a different brand of mRNA vaccine as a booster can reduce the risk of infection.

The study, which involved data from more than 700,000 participants, was published in peer-reviewed Journal Of The American Medical Association.

In January, an American study of 239 vaccinated people found that the best antibody protection came from a two-dose series of one of the mRNA vaccines, either Pfizer or Moderna, followed by an mRNA booster.

The study was conducted by a team of researchers from the Ragon Institute at Massachusetts General Hospital, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University.

By Ng Wei Kai

Published : March 18, 2022

By : The Straits Times

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40013472

Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki said Thursday the government will step up its efforts to stabilize the foreign exchange market if the South Korean currency’s slide against the U.S. dollar is deemed excessive.

Hong’s verbal intervention came as the Korean won has sharply weakened against the dollar because Russia’s invasion of Ukraine prompted investors to chase safer assets.

The Korean won fell to end at the 1,240 level against the greenback for the first time in nearly two years Monday.

“If we judge that the won’s weakness is excessive, we will step up efforts to stabilize the FX market by taking into account South Korea’s economic fundamentals and movements of other currencies,” Hong said at a government meeting.

The government will also maintain its eased rules on banks’ foreign exchange derivative positions at least until the second quarter in a bid to cope with the potential shortage of foreign currency liquidity in a preemptive manner.

In March 2020, South Korea relaxed rules on banks’ foreign exchange forward positions after the country’s foreign exchange and swap markets suffered a severe dollar crunch caused by market routs over the pandemic.

Under the measure, the government raised the cap on the holding of local banks’ foreign exchange forward positions to 50 percent of their equity capital from the previous 40 percent. For local branches of foreign banks, the cap was lifted to 250 percent from 200 percent.

Hong also said the government will decide this month whether to further extend eased liquidity rules on banks.

In April 2020, the financial regulator lowered the foreign exchange liquidity coverage ratio for banks to 70 percent from 80 percent. (Yonhap)

Published : March 17, 2022

By : The Korea Herald

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Japan and India are likely to hold a 2-plus-2 meeting of their foreign and defense ministers by the end of this year to discuss security cooperation with an eye on China, according to Japanese government sources.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, are scheduled to hold a summit in India on Saturday, after which they are to issue a joint statement that will mention the 2-plus-2 meeting.

The two leaders are expected to agree on promoting cooperation in the area of security, including defense equipment and technology transfers, the sources said.

Also included in the statement will be comments on the resumption of annual visits between the two leaders, which had been suspended due mainly to the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Japan and India plan to reaffirm the importance of the security framework with the United States and Australia known as the Quad. They also are expected to clearly express their strong opposition to any unilateral moves to change the status quo, with nations such as China in mind, the sources said.

India has maintained long-standing friendly relations with Russia, notably by hosting the first India-Russia 2-plus-2 meeting in December last year.

With regard to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Kishida is expected to urge Modi to keep in step with Japan, the U.S., Europe and other countries in their handling of the situation.

Published : March 17, 2022

By : The Japan News

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40013470

The assertions that “China knew about, acquiesced to or tacitly supported” Russia’s military operation in Ukraine “are purely disinformation”, Qin Gang, the Chinese ambassador to the US wrote in an op-ed published Tuesday.

In the piece in The Washington Post, he dispelled talk of a comparison between the situation in Ukraine and Taiwan, calling them “totally different things”.

In the article titled “Where We Stand in Ukraine,” Qin said that he was writing to “explain fully and dispel any misunderstandings and rumors”.

He denied claims that China had prior knowledge of Russia’s military action and that it had demanded Russia delay it until the Beijing Winter Olympics had concluded. Qin also denied that Russia was seeking military assistance from China.

“Let me say this responsibly: Assertions that China knew about, acquiesced to or tacitly supported this war are purely disinformation. All these claims serve only the purpose of shifting blame to and slinging mud at China,” wrote Qin.

“There were more than 6,000 Chinese citizens in Ukraine. China is the biggest trading partner of both Russia and Ukraine, and the largest importer of crude oil and natural gas in the world. Conflict between Russia and Ukraine does no good for China. Had China known about the imminent crisis, we would have tried our best to prevent it.”

The ambassador reiterated the positions emphasized by other senior Chinese officials: China is committed to an independent foreign policy of peace, and as a “staunch champion of justice”, China decides its position on the merits of the issue.

He also reiterated China’s “objective and impartial” position on Ukraine. “The purposes and principles of the UN Charter must be fully observed; the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, including Ukraine, must be respected; the legitimate security concerns of all countries must be taken seriously; and all efforts that are conducive to the peaceful settlement of the crisis must be supported,” the ambassador wrote.

“Given this, threats against Chinese entities and businesses, as uttered by some US officials, are unacceptable. Neither war nor sanctions can deliver peace. Wielding the baton of sanctions at Chinese companies while seeking China’s support and cooperation simply won’t work,” said Qin.

Qin mentioned specifically that some people are linking Taiwan and Ukraine to play up the risk of a conflict in the Taiwan Straits, referring to the analogy as “a mistake”.

“These are totally different things. Ukraine is a sovereign state, while Taiwan is an inseparable part of China’s territory. The Taiwan question is a Chinese internal affair. It does not make sense for people to emphasize the principle of sovereignty on Ukraine while hurting China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity on Taiwan,” said Qin. “The future of Taiwan lies in peaceful development of cross-Straits relations and the reunification of China.”

The ambassador stressed that China is committed to peaceful reunification and retains all options to curb “Taiwan independence”. He expressed the hope that the United States earnestly abide by the one-China principle and not support “Taiwan independence” separatism in any form.

“To ensure long-term peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits, China and the United States must work together to contain ‘Taiwan independence,” Qin wrote.

Qin enumerated the efforts of China to push for peace talks and the prevention of a humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, including President Xi Jinping’s phone call with President Vladimir Putin on the second day of the conflict expressing China’s desire to see Russia and Ukraine hold peace talks as early as possible; Xi’s virtual meeting with leaders of France and Germany emphasizing the need to jointly support peace talks between Russia and Ukraine; the Rome meeting between Yang Jiechi, the director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs of China, and Jake Sullivan, the national security adviser of US in Rome; and the close communication State Councilor Wang Yi has maintained with Secretary of State Antony Blinken and other foreign ministers.

Qin also mentioned that China outlined a six-point initiative to address the Ukraine crisis and suggested that humanitarian operations abide by the principles of neutrality and impartiality. He also wrote that the first tranche of emergency humanitarian supplies provided by the Red Cross Society of China to its Ukrainian counterpart had been shipped from Beijing.

Qin cited a Chinese proverb, “It takes more than one cold day to freeze three feet of ice.” He said the long-term peace and stability of Europe rely on the principle of indivisible security, and there must be a balanced, effective and sustainable security architecture.

“The priority now is to achieve a cease-fire to protect civilians from war, “said Qin. “But as a permanent member of the UN Security Council and a responsible major country, China will continue to coordinate real efforts to achieve lasting peace. We stand ready to do whatever we can and work with other parties.

“Our ultimate purpose is the end of war and support regional and global stability,” Qin concluded.

By Yifan Xu

Published : March 17, 2022

By : China Daily

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40013469

HÀ NỘI — Minister of Foreign Affairs Bùi Thanh Sơn and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov discussed the conflict in Ukraine in a candid and constructive manner during a phone conversation late Tuesday in an atmosphere of “trust and friendship.”

Foreign minister Sơn affirmed Việt Nam’s consistent stance that international disputes and disagreements should be resolved by peaceful means in compliance with basic principles of the United Nations Charter and international law, particularly the principle of respecting countries’ independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.

He urged the parties involved to exercise restraint, reduce tensions, and continue to make efforts for dialogue to find a long-term solution that is in line with international law and takes into account the sides’ legitimate interests.

Việt Nam is willing to join the international community in contributing to this process, the official stressed.

Sơn suggested that the Russian side continue to organise humanitarian corridors and take measures to ensure the safety of civilians, including Vietnamese in Ukraine, in their evacuation from war zones.

For his part, Lavrov lauded Việt Nam’s role and contribution to peace, stability, and cooperation for development in the region and in the world.

Regarding recent developments in Ukraine, he pledged to do his best in supporting the safe evacuation of Vietnamese citizens.

The two ministers also discussed the Việt Nam-Russia ties, with Sơn suggesting that Russia continue to create favourable conditions for the Vietnamese community in Russia to stabilise their lives, production, and business. — VNS

Published : March 17, 2022

By : Vietnam News

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40013468

TOKYO – A powerful earthquake hit off Fukushima in north-east Japan on Wednesday night (March 16), shaking buildings more than 200km away in Tokyo and knocking out power in millions of homes.

The magnitude 7.3 quake, which measured six-upper on Japan’s seven-point seismic intensity scale, struck at 11.36pm (10.36pm in Singapore) off a region that was devastated in the March 11, 2011 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster.

The quake’s epicentre was off the coast of the Fukushima region, at a depth of 60km. The Japan Meteorological Agency warned of the risks of strong aftershocks over the next week. 

Japan’s seismic intensity scale measures the degree of shaking. The reading of six-upper recorded in north-east Japan meant it was impossible to remain standing or move without crawling. Tokyo had a reading of four, which meant it could be felt by most people.

Tsunami alerts were sounded for parts of the north-east coast, for waves of up to one metre. Evacuation advisories were in place for wide areas of the north-east coast.

A Tohoku Shinkansen bullet train service derailed between Fukushima and Shiroishi-Zao stations, but no injuries were reported among the 100 passengers on board.

Sirens sounded in Tokyo and neighbouring Chiba, Kanagawa and Saitama due to the quake, with 2.1 million households plunged into total darkness, including 700,000 homes in Tokyo, utilities company Tokyo Electric Power Co (Tepco) said. Parts of Ginza, Shimbashi, Roppongi and Akasaka districts lost power temporarily.

Another 1.48 million homes were without power in north-east Japan, reports said.

Train services were immediately halted and highways shut after the quake to assess any damage, while both Haneda and Narita Airports shut their runways.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, whose government has set up a disaster emergency centre, told reporters just after midnight that he was still gathering information on the quake, including the extent of damage.

He urged residents to take full precautions to ensure their safety.

There have been reports of some minor injuries and tsunami waves of 20cm have hit Ishinomaki in Miyagi prefecture.

There were no radiation abnormalities at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, though checks for facility damage were ongoing. The fire alarm was activated at the plant’s Unit Five turbine building.

The cooling pumps for the spent nuclear fuel pools of Units One and Three of the nearby Fukushima Daini nuclear power plant had shut down due to the earthquake, the Nuclear Regulatory Agency said.

The cooling pump for Unit Three has been subsequently restored, while the authorities are working to restore the pump for Unit One.

The agency said that the outage “was not immediately dangerous because there is still time before the nuclear fuel pool temperature rises”. 

By Walter Sim

Published : March 17, 2022

By : The Straits Times