German national deported in Koodankulam row
A German national was deported by Tamil Nadu Police early today for allegedly assisting protests against Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant.
Sonnteg Reiner Hermann, aged 49, was picked up by police officials monitoring the anti-KNPP protests after they were alerted by central intelligence agencies, say officials. Hermann was brought in Nagercoil last night for inquiry and was deported from the country from the international air terminus at around 1 am, they added.
The incident happened days after the government began a crackdown on foreign NGOs and other organisations who were found to be providing funds to raise the anti-nuclear protests against the Koodankulam project.
Minister of State, Parliamentary Affairs V Narayanasamy last week said three NGOs were found to be diverting foreign funds for the anti- Kudankulan campaign in Tamil Nadu. Licences of the 3 NGOs have been cancelled after a Home Ministry inquiry found that they were using funds meant for social causes to fuel the anti-nuclear protests.
"These NGOs were receiving funds from foreign countries for social service causes but these were used for anti-nuclear protests," said Narayanasamy.
"Government took action after it found that some NGOs, receiving funds from the US and Scandinivian countries, were spending huge amounts of money on the agitation. "In fact, the people who are agitating near the plant have been continuing their agitation for the past three months. People are being brought there in trucks from various villages, they are being given food," he added.
He also said the Prime Minister's observation on anti-nuclear activists using foreign funds came from the inquiry. The Prime Minister, in an interview to international journal, 'Science', had said that the atomic energy programme had gone into difficulties because NGOs, mostly based in the United States, did not appreciate India's need to increase energy supply.
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