Former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairman Lin I-hsiung (林義雄) yesterday afternoon announced the end of his hunger strike against the continued construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant and said he was grateful for the “phenomenal antinuclear effort” of Taiwanese over the past two weeks.
Lin said he would continue to fight what he called the injustice of President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration.
“The struggle of the millions of Taiwanese over the past two weeks has been unprecedented, touching and admirable. As a response to the people’s sincere caring, I have decided to end my hunger strike and vow to spend the rest of my life working with Taiwanese to safeguard Taiwan’s democracy and sovereignty,” Lin said in a press release posted on his Web site at about 2:30pm.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
Lin remains at National Taiwan University Hospital after being admitted to the hospital on Monday afternoon for examinations. He is reported to be in stable condition.
There has been no word on when he might return to his home in Yilan to recuperate.
The 73-year-old announced plans for a hunger strike on April 15 in an effort to promote a nuclear-free homeland and the termination of the power plant in New Taipei City’s Gongliao District (貢寮). He began his fast on April 22, vowing not to end the fast until Ma announced a halt to the construction of the plant.
Lin’s crusade has prompted several large-scale antinuclear protests. Police have come under harsh criticism for allegedly resorting to excessive violence and water cannons to evict crowds from the protest sites.
The Ma administration on Sunday announced it would halt construction at the Gongliao plant.
Lin and other antinuclear advocates have said they are not satisfied with the government’s response, accusing Ma of “playing with words” and being insincere with the proposed shutdown because it leaves room for resuming construction and evading legislative supervision.
However, Lin yesterday said the antinuclear campaign has reached its preliminary goal of stopping the construction.
What Taiwanese must do next is to prevent Ma from jeopardizing Taiwan’s democracy and selling out the nation’s sovereignty, Lin said.
He said the president always takes the opposite view of mainstream public opinion.
Taiwanese “have now been awakened,” and with determination and courage, there will be “unstoppable people’s power” against an authoritarian national leader, Lin said.
He said Taiwanese should work to develop trust, solidarity and enhance their capabilities before turning to new goals, including the passage of an amendment to the Referendum Act (公民投票法), blocking passage of a special statute on free economic pilot zones, promoting an amendment to the Constitution by organizing a citizens constitutional conference and demanding a pledge on a nuclear-free homeland from all the candidates in the seven-in-one elections scheduled for November.
DPP Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌), former DPP chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and Taiwan Solidarity Union Chairman Huang Kun-huei (黃昆輝) all said they were relieved to learn Lin had ended his hunger strike and expressed their appreciation for Lin’s devotion to the cause.
Su said the DPP would focus on amending the Referendum Act, as passing a special statute on the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant would no longer be necessary.
Huang said his party’s focus would be a special statute governing the free economic pilot zones and a constitutional conference.
The National Nuclear Abolition Action Platform, which began a rally on Ketagalan Boulevard in Taipei on Saturday in support of Lin, said yesterday evening that it would leave the boulevard at 9pm, but the group will monitor the government’s pledge to halt work on the plant.
Green Citizens’ Action Alliance secretary-general Tsuei Su-hsin (崔愫欣) said they will also continue to demand that the lifespan of the three operating plants not be extended, that a cross-party monitoring committee be established to ensure construction work at the fourth plant ends and the Referendum Act be amended.
Although the protest on Ketagalan has ended, the social movements for abolishing nuclear power will continue, and the groups condemn state violence against non-violent public protests, she said.
Meanwhile, Lin’s announcement drew many positive responses in online forums and on Facebook, with many netizens praising his decision and wishing him well.
Additional reporting by Lee I-chia
Beijing’s continued provocations in the Taiwan Strait reveal its intention to unilaterally change the “status quo” in the area, the US Department of State said on Saturday, calling for a peaceful resolution to cross-strait issues. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) reported that four China Coast Guard patrol vessels entered restricted and prohibited waters near Kinmen County on Friday and again on Saturday. A State Department spokesperson said that Washington was aware of the incidents, and urged all parties to exercise restraint and refrain from unilaterally changing the “status quo.” “Maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait is in line with our [the
EXTENDED RANGE: Hsiung Sheng missiles, 100 of which might be deployed by the end of the year, could reach Chinese command posts and airport runways, a source said A NT$16.9 billion (US$534.93 million) project to upgrade the military’s missile defense systems would be completed this year, allowing the deployment of at least 100 long-range Hsiung Sheng missiles and providing more deterrence against China, military sources said on Saturday. Hsiung Sheng missiles are an extended-range version of the Hsiung Feng IIE (HF-2E) surface-to-surface cruise missile, and are believed to have a range of up to 1,200km, which would allow them to hit targets well inside China. They went into mass production in 2022, the sources said. The project is part of a special budget for the Ministry of National Defense aimed at
READY TO WORK: Taiwan is eager to cooperate and is hopeful that like-minded states will continue to advocate for its inclusion in regional organizations, Lai said Maintaining the “status quo” in the Taiwan Strait, and peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region must be a top priority, president-elect William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday after meeting with a delegation of US academics. Leaders of the G7, US President Joe Biden and other international heads of state have voiced concerns about the situation in the Strait, as stability in the region is necessary for a safe, peaceful and prosperous world, Lai said. The vice president, who is to be inaugurated in May, welcomed the delegation and thanked them for their support for Taiwan and issues concerning the Strait. The international community
COOPERATION: Two crewmembers from a Chinese fishing boat that sank off Kinmen were rescued, two were found dead and another two were still missing at press time The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) was yesterday working with Chinese rescuers to find two missing crewmembers from a Chinese fishing boat that sank southwest of Kinmen County yesterday, killing two crew. The joint operation managed to rescue two of the boat’s six crewmembers, but two were already dead when they were pulled from the water, the agency said in a statement. Rescuers are still searching for two others from the Min Long Yu 61222, a boat registered in China’s Fujian Province that capsized and sank 1.03 nautical miles (1.9km) southwest of Dongding Island (東碇), it added. CGA Director-General Chou Mei-wu (周美伍) told a