The Hellenic Navy (HN) (Greek: Πολεμικό Ναυτικό, Polemikó Naftikó, abbreviated ΠΝ) is the naval force of Greece, part of the Greek Armed Forces. The modern Greek navy has its roots in the naval forces of various Aegean Islands, which fought in the Greek War of Independence. During the periods of monarchy (1833–1924 and 1936–1973) it was known as the Royal Navy (Βασιλικόν Ναυτικόν, Vasilikón Naftikón, abbreviated ΒΝ).The total displacement of all the navy's vessels is approximately 150,000 tons.The motto of the Hellenic Navy is "Μέγα το της Θαλάσσης Κράτος" from Thucydides' account of Pericles' oration on the eve of the Peloponnesian War. This has been roughly translated as "Great is the country that controls the sea". The Hellenic Navy's emblem consists of an anchor in front of a crossed Christian cross and trident, with the cross symbolizing Greek Orthodoxy, and the trident symbolizing Poseidon, the god of the sea in Greek mythology. Pericles' words are written across the top of the emblem. "The navy, as it represents a necessary weapon for Greece, should only be created for war and aim to victory."...............The Hellenic Merchant Marine refers to the Merchant Marine of Greece, engaged in commerce and transportation of goods and services universally. It consists of the merchant vessels owned by Greek civilians, flying either the Greek flag or a flag of convenience. Greece is a maritime nation by tradition, as shipping is arguably the oldest form of occupation of the Greeks and a key element of Greek economic activity since the ancient times. Nowadays, Greece has the largest merchant fleet in the world, which is the second largest contributor to the national economy after tourism and forms the backbone of world shipping. The Greek fleet flies a variety of flags, however some Greek shipowners gradually return to Greece following the changes to the legislative framework governing their operations and the improvement of infrastructure.Blogger Tips and Tricks
This is a bilingual blog in English and / or Greek and you can translate any post to any language by pressing on the appropriate flag....Note that there is provided below a scrolling text with the 30 recent posts...Αυτό είναι ένα δίγλωσσο blog στα Αγγλικά η/και στα Ελληνικά και μπορείτε να μεταφράσετε οποιοδήποτε ποστ σε οποιαδήποτε γλώσσα κάνοντας κλικ στη σχετική σημαία. Σημειωτέον ότι παρακάτω παρέχεται και ένα κινούμενο κείμενο με τα 30 πρόσφατα ποστς....This is a bilingual blog in English and / or Greek and you can translate any post to any language by pressing on the appropriate flag....Note that there is provided below a scrolling text with the 30 recent posts...Αυτό είναι ένα δίγλωσσο blog στα Αγγλικά η/και στα Ελληνικά και μπορείτε να μεταφράσετε οποιοδήποτε ποστ σε οποιαδήποτε γλώσσα κάνοντας κλικ στη σχετική σημαία. Σημειωτέον ότι παρακάτω παρέχεται και ένα κινούμενο κείμενο με τα 30 πρόσφατα ποστς.........

Saturday, February 18, 2012

Fukushima victims' complains ...[ 2718 ]

Fukushima victims complain of stingy response

TEPCO employees apologize to people affected by the Fukushima nuclear disaster by getting down on their knees, in Toride, Ibaraki Prefecture, at an explanatory meeting about provisional compensation on April 27, 2011. (Mainichi)

TEPCO employees apologize to people affected by the Fukushima nuclear disaster by getting down on their knees, in Toride,  at an explanatory meeting about provisional compensation
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(Mainichi Japan) February 18, 2012
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I've just spent weeks looking into the issue of compensation for the Fukushima nuclear disaster and it is a very unhappy picture.
Eleven months since the destruction of their land, income and way of life in the crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant, many people have received about 1.6 million yen in total compensation.
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From September, they had to wade through a 160-page manual to apply for compensation that demanded receipts (actual, not copied) for transportation and other fees incurred during the evacuation and bank or tax statements proving pre-disaster income levels.
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Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) admitted a month later they had received just 7,600 completed forms and was forced to simplify the manual and distribute a four-page explanatory guide.
About 114,000 people from Fukushima are entitled to apply -- people who were forced to abandon their farms, homes, schools and jobs between March-May 2011 and who now mostly live in temporary housing elsewhere.
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Another 50,000-120,000, according to many observers, have moved voluntarily because of radiation fears, ignoring official claims that life inside or around Fukushima Prefecture is safe. They are so far not entitled to compensation.
Typically, mothers have taken their children out of the prefecture and started new lives as far away as Tokyo, Osaka or Kyushu, splitting up families, often in the teeth of protesting fathers and in-laws.
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"My husband didn't agree to the move and tells us to come back home," explained Akemi Sato, a housewife from Fukushima City (about 60km from the nuclear plant) who now lives in Tokyo with her two children, aged 9 and 7.
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"I have to pay my bills in Tokyo and travel to Fukushima to see my husband three or four times a month. It's very expensive and stressful but I didn't see any other choice."
The Dispute Reconciliation Committee for Nuclear Damage Compensation, the organization designed to establish guidelines -- and boundaries -- for compensation claims, has not stipulated compensation for loss of assets such as homes or farms, nor for people like Mrs. Sato who have left Fukushima voluntarily.
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There is speculation that over half the population of Fukushima Prefecture (roughly 1 million people) may be offered 80,000 yen per person and children, 400,000 yen.
The compensation process is terribly complicated and no doubt arduous for TEPCO and the government too. But put yourself in the shoes of Mrs. Sato, or Fumitaka Naito.
Mr. Naito paid 9.8 million yen for a 6,800-tsubo (2.2 hectare) plot of land in the village of Iitate in 2009. His life is now in limbo because while his farm is too contaminated to work, he cannot move or buy another one.
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Mr. Naito calculated the cost of his land, equipment and ruined produce and claimed 70 million yen. TEPCO eventually offered 150,000 yen. "I told them not to send it. I'm going to fight in the courts instead."
He won't be the last person to take that option. (By David McNeill)

Profile: David McNeill writes for The Independent and Irish Times newspapers and the weekly Chronicle of Higher Education. He has been in Japan since 2000 and previously spent two years here, from 1993-5 working on a doctoral thesis. He was raised in Ireland.

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