Members of a task force charged with reviewing the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant (
The Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) established the 19-person team early this week under persistent pressure from anti-nuclear activists, who are demanding President Chen Shui-bian (
The group is composed of government representatives, academics, and industry members. Opponents of the project make up the majority of the task force members.
Four National Taiwan University professors -- Chang Kuo-lung (
"At the first meeting, we hope to discuss the rules of the game, including the order of the agenda and ways of participation," said Shih, a professor of chemical engineering who is also a former head of the Taiwan Environmental Protection Union.
Shih also said activists hoped to pass a resolution to broadcast the team's discussions in the future.
They also hope to rally officials who have been supportive of environmental activism in the past, Shih said.
"I'm sure that Environmental Protection Administration chief, Lin Jun-yi (
For many years now, the CEPD head has been on friendly terms with the DPP, which has long supported environmental issues in Taiwan.
Other task force members, who have expressed support for nuclear energy in the past, include Atomic Energy Council Chairman Hsia Der-yu (夏德鈺), industry representatives Wang Chung-yu (王鍾渝) from China Steel Corp (中鋼), Liao Pen-ta (廖本達) from Taiwan Power Company (Taipower), and professors Lee Min (李敏) from National Tseng Hua University, and Wu Tsai-yi (吳再益) from the Taiwan Research Institute.
Shih said Minister of Economic Affairs Lin Hsin-yi (
"We have not yet heard these two key persons' opinions on the project, so we're going to fight to bring them to our side" said Shih.
Shih said the MOEA suggested representatives from several government agencies attend the meeting to help answer any technical questions task force members may have.
But Shih expressed bewilderment at the fact that officials from the Department of Health, Council of Agriculture and Ministry of Transportation and Communications were not on the list to attend the meeting.
Shih said such agencies had much to do with nuclear energy issues, given its proven health risks, possible environmental impact, radioactive waste management, and emergency evacuation in case of an accident.
DAREDEVIL: Honnold said it had always been a dream of his to climb Taipei 101, while a Netflix producer said the skyscraper was ‘a real icon of this country’ US climber Alex Honnold yesterday took on Taiwan’s tallest building, becoming the first person to scale Taipei 101 without a rope, harness or safety net. Hundreds of spectators gathered at the base of the 101-story skyscraper to watch Honnold, 40, embark on his daredevil feat, which was also broadcast live on Netflix. Dressed in a red T-shirt and yellow custom-made climbing shoes, Honnold swiftly moved up the southeast face of the glass and steel building. At one point, he stepped onto a platform midway up to wave down at fans and onlookers who were taking photos. People watching from inside
A Vietnamese migrant worker yesterday won NT$12 million (US$379,627) on a Lunar New Year scratch card in Kaohsiung as part of Taiwan Lottery Co’s (台灣彩券) “NT$12 Million Grand Fortune” (1200萬大吉利) game. The man was the first top-prize winner of the new game launched on Jan. 6 to mark the Lunar New Year. Three Vietnamese migrant workers visited a Taiwan Lottery shop on Xinyue Street in Kaohsiung’s Gangshan District (崗山), a store representative said. The player bought multiple tickets and, after winning nothing, held the final lottery ticket in one hand and rubbed the store’s statue of the Maitreya Buddha’s belly with the other,
Japan’s strategic alliance with the US would collapse if Tokyo were to turn away from a conflict in Taiwan, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said yesterday, but distanced herself from previous comments that suggested a possible military response in such an event. Takaichi expressed her latest views on a nationally broadcast TV program late on Monday, where an opposition party leader criticized her for igniting tensions with China with the earlier remarks. Ties between Japan and China have sunk to the worst level in years after Takaichi said in November that a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan could bring about a Japanese
‘COMMITTED TO DETERRENCE’: Washington would stand by its allies, but it can only help as much as countries help themselves, Raymond Greene said The US is committed to deterrence in the first island chain, but it should not bear the burden alone, as “freedom is not free,” American Institute in Taiwan Director Raymond Greene said in a speech at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research’s “Strengthening Resilience: Defense as the Engine of Development” seminar in Taipei yesterday. In the speech, titled “Investing Together and a Secure and Prosperous Future,” Greene highlighted the contributions of US President Donald Trump’s administration to Taiwan’s defense efforts, including the establishment of supply chains for drones and autonomous systems, offers of security assistance and the expansion of
RSS