Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Haunted by a Face


The face I am haunted by is a young worker at the Fukushima plant. He has a beautiful face, but his expression is one of absolute despair.

The young man's face can be found here

I don't even have to tell you which image I am referring to. 

You will see the image when you scroll down. 

You will feel compelled to stop and look (at least I was) and you will sense that young man's despair.
The Fukushima plant workers are heroes who have no names.

Even the mainstream press has reported on their poor treatment, including their poor working conditions, poor wages, and poor safety equipment. 

Apparently, many workers were hired by intermediaries and had no idea they would be sent to Fukushima.

Others willingly signed on. Perhaps they did not understand the dangers, or perhaps they did, and volunteered anyway.

They are all heroes.

Tepco has lost count of literally hundreds of workers. Many people believe those workers may have died from radiation exposure.

Rumors circulate that workers may not be allowed to leave. 

I do not know if that is true. 

I do know that some journalist captured the look of stoic suffering and helplessness in one worker's face and that image has confirmed for me that the workers of Fukushima are in some sort of death camp and that the people of the world need to make sure that these heroes are allowed to leave, are treated with respect and dignity and are compensated for their sacrifices.

Documentation


Phred Dvorak “Japanese Nuclear Cleanup Workers Detail Lax Safety Practices at Plant,” The Wall Street Journal (2011, June 14): A1, A12.

Ilya Perlingieri “No Protection For Fukushima's 'Expendable' Citizens Or Us,” Jeff Rense (2011, May 4): http://www.rense.com/general94/noprot.htm.

Whereabouts of 30 Nuclear Power Plant Subcontractors Unknown: Health Ministry" Mainichi (2011, June 21): http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20110621p2a00m0na005000c.html.

“TEPCO Says It Has Lost Contact with 143 Nuclear Plant Workers,” Japan Today (2011, August 10): http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/tepco-says-it-has-lost-contact-with-143-nuclear-plant-workers.



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