#Japan #Earthquake: Government That Kills - Police Refuses to Issue Travel Permit to Medical Workers

Did you even know that people need to obtain a special permit to travel to the areas affected by the earthquake and tsunami?

One episode reported by Yomiuri Shinbun (in Japanese, not a word for word translation; 2:35PM JST 3/21/2011):

Frustration mounted as the police in inland Iwate Prefecture refused to issue an emergency travel permit to medical workers. The workers had sought the permit so that they could deliver much needed medicines to the hospitals in coastal area.

This particular police has issued hundreds of this permit to medical workers and local officials. With this permit, they can travel to the areas restricted to traffic. Since the permit also allows preferential allocation of fuel at gas stations, people have sought to obtain the permit to secure the fuel for their cars and trucks.

However, the police has stopped issuing this emergency travel permit except for the long-distance travel on the highway.....

The reason? The police cannot issue the permit to people who simply want to secure the fuel under their current system. So what do they do? They stop issuing it for all applicants.

Yes, even to the medical workers who wanted to deliver medicines to hospitals along the coast that are without food, water, heat, and medicine for the patients.

I bet that if these medical workers depart for the coastal area without the permit anyway, they will be stopped by the police on the way; the police will insist that they turn back because they do not have the necessary permit. If the workers still refuse to turn back, they will probably be arrested.

It's not just information that the Japanese government at all levels wants to control. It controls the access to the affected areas. And it tells the citizens it's all for their own good.

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