China has ordered safety inspections at its nuclear facilities and directed its entry ports to ramp up studies of the risks of radioactive substances entering the country from Japan.
Beijing's General Administration of Quality Supervision issued the order Wednesday as governments across Asia eye Japan's nuclear crisis with increasing concern, while seeking to squelch unfounded rumors spreading in some countries through texting and other social media.
In the Philippines, activists are urging President Benigno Aquino to drop all plans to develop nuclear power as a way out of the country's ongoing electricity shortages. Separately, the Manilla Bulletin newspaper quoted a government nuclear expert Wednesday who questioned decisions by several Philippine universities to cancel classes Tuesday, based on unfounded rumors of radiation contamination from Japan.
Elsewhere, Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said he has been assured by technical experts that his country has not been affected by radiation from Japan, in part because winds have been blowing radiation away from his country. The Bangkok Post also quotes Mr. Abhisit as saying his government has placed military transport planes on standby to ferry essential items to Japan. The Dow Jones news service quotes the prime minister as saying his country will evaluate the circumstances of Japan's crisis before signing off on plans for the country's first nuclear power plant.
In Vietnam, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Nguyen Phuong Nga said the Hanoi government plans to forge ahead with plans to build the country's first nuclear power plants, with Japanese and Russian assistance.
The Financial Times newspaper also quotes Nga as saying Hanoi would work closely with Japan and other international partners to ensure environmental protections and guarantee nuclear safety.
Officials in Indonesia said the country's would continue to plan for the long-term development of nuclear power plants.