Rumors spread throughout Asia, nuclear radiation, causing panic

Asian nations vowed to crack down on hoax messages warning of radiation spreading beyond quake-hit Japan, which have helped stoke growing unease over the crisis.

Shoppers scrambled to hoard supplies of favorite Japanese food products, fearing contamination of future stocks, after radiation was unleashed from the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

The hoax text messages and e-mails, warning people to shelter from dangerous radioactive material, were reported to have spread as far afield as India.

Thought to have originated in the Philippines and purporting to be a BBC newsflash, the messages urge people to stay indoors and swab their thyroid glands with iodine solution to block radiation sickness.

Japan's atomic emergency has sparked panic buying of iodine pills, even though experts warned they are of limited use. Iodine solution, an antiseptic, is completely ineffective.

In Hong Kong, nervous parents queued for the preferred Japanese powdered milk formula as fears grew that future shipments may contain radioactive traces. And despite widespread expert assurances that there is currently no risk outside Japan, the radiation threat was also troubling restaurateurs around the region.

Some schools in the northern Philippines sent their pupils home early on Monday.

Philippine Justice Minister Leila de Lima ordered the National Bureau of Investigation to trace the source of the hoax SMS messages, saying they were liable for crimes against public order.

Scientists and authorities in Singapore dismissed a text message circulating in the country warning about possible radioactive rain as a hoax.

The Singaporean National Environment Agency said that the country would not be affected by radioactive rain because the nuclear reactors in Japan were thousands of kilometers away, local media reported.

Chinese authorities have stepped up efforts to reassure citizens that the country faces no imminent danger from the radiation leaks affecting its neighbor.

South Korea urged calm after bogus alerts swept its social media networks and vowed to punish those responsible under social unrest laws allowing up to a year in jail.

Manila also threatened tough action, as the hoax texts prompted some panicked schools to close, despite being about 2,800 kilometers away from the Fukushima plant.