Demonstrators rally for Chen

Anti-nuclear demonstrators rallied outside the Legislative Yuan yesterday to protest a plan by opposition lawmakers to recall President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁).

No casualties were reported at the demonstration, which was legally authorized. But there were times when tensions flared between protesters and drivers stuck in traffic.

"We love Taiwan. We don't want to expose it to the great risks of one more nuclear power plant," demonstrators shouted yesterday.

Many of the protesters were from Taipei County; they were joined later by anti-nuclear advocates from central and southern Taiwan, who took buses early in the morning yesterday to join the demonstration.

Around noon, dozens of taxi drivers lined the streets surrounding the Legislative Yuan, honking their horns to sound support for the demonstration.

Following the Executive Yuan's sudden announcement last week to scrap the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant, KMT Legislator Ting Shou-chung (丁守中) proposed recalling the president and Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮).

Demonstrators yesterday questioned the motives behind the push for the recall made by the KMT, the People First Party and the New Party.

"The president made the right decision not to build the nuclear power plant," an elderly woman from Taipei County said. "Why is he being punished for the right decision, which is good for all the people of Taiwan?"

In response to Ting's recall proposal, anti-nuclear groups have launched a campaign to recall legislators that support construction of the nuclear power plant. Ting and Wang Jin-pyng (王金平), speaker of the Legislative Yuan, are the main focus of the recall campaign.

Outside the Legislative Yuan yesterday, protesters chanted "Recall Ting Shou-chung" and "Wang Jin-pyng step down."

Green Party representative Kao Cheng-yan (高成炎), who organized yesterday's demonstration, said a number of people voted for Chen because he had promised to scrap the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant during his election campaign.

Kao said that the president's decision last week was a fulfillment of his promises to his supporters.

This isn't the first time Ting has been targeted for his pro-nuclear stance. Six years ago anti-nuclear groups in Taipei County attempted to recall Ting for his support of the nuclear plant.

But the effort failed as KMT legislators succeeded in tightening the legal requirements for getting a recall motion adopted.

While most of the participants at yesterday's rally were volunteers, more than 20 non-governmental organizations, as well as the Taiwan Independence Party (建國黨) and the Green Party, also joined the demonstration.