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.
FALSE DOCUMENTS? Actor William Liao said he was ‘voluntarily cooperating’ with police after a suspect was accused of helping to produce false medical certificates Police yesterday questioned at least six entertainers amid allegations of evasion of compulsory military service, with Lee Chuan (李銓), a member of boy band Choc7 (超克7), and actor Daniel Chen (陳大天) among those summoned. The New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office in January launched an investigation into a group that was allegedly helping men dodge compulsory military service using falsified medical documents. Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) has been accused of being one of the group’s clients. As the investigation expanded, investigators at New Taipei City’s Yonghe Precinct said that other entertainers commissioned the group to obtain false documents. The main suspect, a man surnamed
DEMOGRAPHICS: Robotics is the most promising answer to looming labor woes, the long-term care system and national contingency response, an official said Taiwan is to launch a five-year plan to boost the robotics industry in a bid to address labor shortages stemming from a declining and aging population, the Executive Yuan said yesterday. The government approved the initiative, dubbed the Smart Robotics Industry Promotion Plan, via executive order, senior officials told a post-Cabinet meeting news conference in Taipei. Taiwan’s population decline would strain the economy and the nation’s ability to care for vulnerable and elderly people, said Peter Hong (洪樂文), who heads the National Science and Technology Council’s (NSTC) Department of Engineering and Technologies. Projections show that the proportion of Taiwanese 65 or older would
The government is considering polices to increase rental subsidies for people living in social housing who get married and have children, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said yesterday. During an interview with the Plain Law Movement (法律白話文) podcast, Cho said that housing prices cannot be brought down overnight without affecting banks and mortgages. Therefore, the government is focusing on providing more aid for young people by taking 3 to 5 percent of urban renewal projects and zone expropriations and using that land for social housing, he said. Single people living in social housing who get married and become parents could obtain 50 percent more
Democracies must remain united in the face of a shifting geopolitical landscape, former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) told the Copenhagen Democracy Summit on Tuesday, while emphasizing the importance of Taiwan’s security to the world. “Taiwan’s security is essential to regional stability and to defending democratic values amid mounting authoritarianism,” Tsai said at the annual forum in the Danish capital. Noting a “new geopolitical landscape” in which global trade and security face “uncertainty and unpredictability,” Tsai said that democracies must remain united and be more committed to building up resilience together in the face of challenges. Resilience “allows us to absorb shocks, adapt under
RSS