Minister of Economic Affairs Lin Hsin-yi (林信義), promised yesterday to take the opinions of local residents into account when reviewing the construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant (核四廠).
The promise was made during two public meetings between Lin and residents of Kungliao township, Taipei County, where the plant is being built.
Two previous meetings held by a task force, led by Lin and charged with reviewing construction of the controversial plant, had been criticized by anti-nuclear activists, legislators and local residents for their alleged secrecy.
Last Friday, members of the task force decided to open future meetings to outsiders by televising each one live, releasing information about each stage of the review to the media, publishing the transcripts of each meeting on the Internet and accepting suggestions from the public.
During Lin's trip to Kungliao yesterday, local anti-nuclear residents argued that construction of the plant should be halted for the duration of the review.
At the first public meeting, held at Kungliao township office, Lin Chung-chih (
"All previous petitions from us seem to have sunk into the deep blue sea," said Lin, referring to the last (KMT-led) government.
Lin said, however, he could not single-handedly halt construction, which had been approved legally.
"Please give us more time to bring this matter to a conclusion by Sept. 20," Lin said.
Lin said that 18 members of the task force had chosen several issues as priorities for discussion, including emergency evacuation procedures, radioactive waste treatment, plant decommissioning and environmental impact.
During the second meeting at Jenho Kung (
"I've never said that the plant's construction should be continued," Minister Lin said, promising residents that the review process would involve comprehensive discussions of problems caused by the project.
"I'll come here often to listen to you," Lin said, adding that with his 30 years of experience in non-governmental circles, he knew how important it was to maintain communication with local residents.
Residents said that President Chen Shui-bian (
Lin said that he knew of the promise, but said he could not stray from the law to solve problems.
Legislators, including the KMT's Jao Yung-ching (趙永清), the DPP's Lai Chin-lin (賴勁麟) and Chou Huey-ying (周慧瑛), and independent Liao Hsueh-kuang (廖學廣), also attended the meetings to express their support for residents.
Jao said that construction of a port near the site should also be halted immediately, as no necessary environmental impact assessment (EIA) has yet been passed.
Residents then asked Lin to withdraw the license for the plant's construction immediately to prevent "further scarring" of the local environment.
Anti-nuclear residents told the Taipei Times that the coastal environment had been damaged by the washing away of sand along the shores of the nearby coastline from Fulung (
The residents, who are mainly involved in fishing, also claimed that up to 30 percent of coral reefs in the waters near Yenliao had been covered by contaminated earth.
Taiwan is projected to lose a working-age population of about 6.67 million people in two waves of retirement in the coming years, as the nation confronts accelerating demographic decline and a shortage of younger workers to take their place, the Ministry of the Interior said. Taiwan experienced its largest baby boom between 1958 and 1966, when the population grew by 3.78 million, followed by a second surge of 2.89 million between 1976 and 1982, ministry data showed. In 2023, the first of those baby boom generations — those born in the late 1950s and early 1960s — began to enter retirement, triggering
ECONOMIC BOOST: Should the more than 23 million people eligible for the NT$10,000 handouts spend them the same way as in 2023, GDP could rise 0.5 percent, an official said Universal cash handouts of NT$10,000 (US$330) are to be disbursed late next month at the earliest — including to permanent residents and foreign residents married to Taiwanese — pending legislative approval, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. The Executive Yuan yesterday approved the Special Act for Strengthening Economic, Social and National Security Resilience in Response to International Circumstances (因應國際情勢強化經濟社會及民生國安韌性特別條例). The NT$550 billion special budget includes NT$236 billion for the cash handouts, plus an additional NT$20 billion set aside as reserve funds, expected to be used to support industries. Handouts might begin one month after the bill is promulgated and would be completed within
The National Development Council (NDC) yesterday unveiled details of new regulations that ease restrictions on foreigners working or living in Taiwan, as part of a bid to attract skilled workers from abroad. The regulations, which could go into effect in the first quarter of next year, stem from amendments to the Act for the Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals (外國專業人才延攬及僱用法) passed by lawmakers on Aug. 29. Students categorized as “overseas compatriots” would be allowed to stay and work in Taiwan in the two years after their graduation without obtaining additional permits, doing away with the evaluation process that is currently required,
IMPORTANT BACKER: China seeks to expel US influence from the Indo-Pacific region and supplant Washington as the global leader, MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng said China is preparing for war to seize Taiwan, Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said in Washington on Friday, warning that Taiwan’s fall would trigger a regional “domino effect” endangering US security. In a speech titled “Maintaining the Peaceful and Stable Status Quo Across the Taiwan Strait is in Line with the Shared Interests of Taiwan and the United States,” Chiu said Taiwan’s strategic importance is “closely tied” to US interests. Geopolitically, Taiwan sits in a “core position” in the first island chain — an arc stretching from Japan, through Taiwan and the Philippines, to Borneo, which is shared by
RSS