The DPP government yesterday revealed its bottom line for resumption of construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant: a new "National Energy Law" to be passed at the upcoming provisional meeting of the legislature.
The government said, however, that it would not allow Premier Chang Chun-hsiung (
"If the Legislative Yuan acts in accordance with the spirit of the Constitution, President Chen Shui-bian (
"The Grand Justices' ruling, published on Monday, had already pointed out that passing a new law to regulate the government's energy policies would be an appropriate means of solving the dispute between the ruling and opposition parties," the sources said.
DPP Secretary-General Wu Nai-jen (吳乃仁) also said that the government would not resume construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant unless the Legislative Yuan passed a law to force it to do so.
Senior DPP officials have said that by opting for enactment of a new energy law, the premier will not need to resign even if the Legislative Yuan votes down the Executive Yuan's proposal to scrap the plant.
The Council of Grand Justices suggested three measures to resolve the dispute over the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant: that the premier resign, that negotiations be conducted between the Executive and Legislative Yuans, or that construction of the plant simply be resumed.
The Council of Grand Justices also said that if negotiations fail, three further options could be considered: the premier's resignation, a vote of no confidence against the Cabinet, or the enactment of a new energy law.
The Presidential Office source said that the last step the president would contemplate would be continuing construction of the plant if new legislation were enacted. "Then the DPP government can be said to have been responsible to its supporters," said the source.
The KMT has already proposed a draft Energy Law in the legislature, which advocates that the fourth plant should be Taiwan's last nuclear facility and that the first second and third nuclear power plants should be shut down earlier than originally scheduled.
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique