Members of the Green Party yesterday criticized the Cabinet's reluctance to face controversy over Taiwan's attempt to export nuclear waste to Russia.
The party said that at the very least, an official government announcement about its attitude on the issue should have been released.
Kao Cheng-yan (高成炎), the party's legislative candidate in Taipei City's southern district, yesterday was slated to meet with Chiou I-jen (邱義仁), the Cabinet's secretary-general, seeking a government clarification of its position on the issue of exporting nuclear waste to Russia. The practice was legalized earlier this year and, in fact, Russia encourages the practice as a source of much needed revenue to support its ailing nuclear energy sector.
Chiou was unexpectedly unavailable so Kao instead met with Chiou's secretary.
Kao said that a clearly expressed policy on the issue was important.
He said the Green party hoped the Cabinet would try to end the notoriety Taiwan's attempt to export its nuclear waste to Russia has attracted.
Green Party Taiwan spokesperson Lai Fen-lan (賴芬蘭), said yesterday that anti-nuclear activists are extremely disappointed by the Cabinet's reluctant response to the issue. There was also dismay that the issue had given Taiwan a bad name overseas.
In early November, members of the Green Party, accompanied by activists from Russia, Japan and South Korea, visited several government agencies, including the Atomic Energy Council, the Taiwan Power Co (Taipower) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
At that time, activists asked for an official statement from the government, to clarify that Taiwan would not ship nuclear waste overseas.
However, all of these government agencies said they were unaware of Taipower's intention to export radioactive waste. Meanwhile, Taipower said no negotiations were taking place between the company and Russia.
On Nov. 12, Russian activists held a press conference in Moscow condemning the Taiwanese government's vague position. Anti-nuclear activists have yet to receive a clear response from the Taiwanese governement.
Vladimir Slivyak, co-chairman for Ecodefense, said last week that the problem faced by Taiwan and Russia was that the nuclear power industry poses a serious threat to democracy.
In Russia, Slivyak said, over 90 percent of people expressed opposition to the import of nuclear waste, but were ignored by the government.
"Problems that the nuclear industry poses to the world are similar in many countries. It's very important that activists in different countries exchange their experience in combating these problems," Slivyak said.
Meanwhile, anti-nuclear activists in a number of countries that have nuclear power plants or nuclear material processing facilities are working together to exert renewed pressure on their respective governments to reconsider problems caused by poor nuclear waste management.
Ban Hideyuki, co-director of the Tokyo-based Citizens' Nuclear Information Center, paid visits to several governmental agencies in Taiwan in early November but was disappointed by what he said was government reluctance to take any steps on the matter.
Hideyuki is organizing an international meeting in Japan with activists from around the world, including members of Taiwan's Green Citizens' Action Alliance.
At the meeting, which is scheduled for this Friday, activists pllan to discuss nuclear-related issues, including radioactive waste management.
"We have made it clear several times before that people can't manage radioactive waste appropriately, in particular spent nuclear fuel with high levels of radioactivity," Hideyuki said.
The government is aiming to recruit 1,096 foreign English teachers and teaching assistants this year, the Ministry of Education said yesterday. The foreign teachers would work closely with elementary and junior-high instructors to create and teach courses, ministry official Tsai Yi-ching (蔡宜靜) said. Together, they would create an immersive language environment, helping to motivate students while enhancing the skills of local teachers, she said. The ministry has since 2021 been recruiting foreign teachers through the Taiwan Foreign English Teacher Program, which offers placement, salary, housing and other benefits to eligible foreign teachers. Two centers serving northern and southern Taiwan assist in recruiting and training
WIDE NET: Health officials said they are considering all possibilities, such as bongkrekic acid, while the city mayor said they have not ruled out the possibility of a malicious act of poisoning Two people who dined at a restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Department Store Xinyi A13 last week have died, while four are in intensive care, the Taipei Department of Health said yesterday. All of the outlets of Malaysian vegetarian restaurant franchise Polam Kopitiam have been ordered to close pending an investigation after 11 people became ill due to suspected food poisoning, city officials told a news conference in Taipei. The first fatality, a 39-year-old man who ate at the restaurant on Friday last week, died of kidney failure two days later at the city’s Mackay Memorial Hospital. A 66-year-old man who dined
RESTAURANT POISONING? Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang at a press conference last night said this was the first time bongkrekic acid was detected in Taiwan An autopsy discovered bongkrekic acid in a specimen collected from a person who died from food poisoning after dining at the Malaysian restaurant chain Polam Kopitiam, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said at a news conference last night. It was the first time bongkrekic acid was detected in Taiwan, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) said. The testing conducted by forensic specialists at National Taiwan University was facilitated after a hospital voluntarily offered standard samples it had in stock that are required to test for bongkrekic acid, he said. Wang told the news conference that testing would continue despite
‘CARRIER KILLERS’: The Tuo Chiang-class corvettes’ stealth capability means they have a radar cross-section as small as the size of a fishing boat, an analyst said President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday presided over a ceremony at Yilan County’s Suao Harbor (蘇澳港), where the navy took delivery of two indigenous Tuo Chiang-class corvettes. The corvettes, An Chiang (安江) and Wan Chiang (萬江), along with the introduction of the coast guard’s third and fourth 4,000-tonne cutters earlier this month, are a testament to Taiwan’s shipbuilding capability and signify the nation’s resolve to defend democracy and freedom, Tsai said. The vessels are also the last two of six Tuo Chiang-class corvettes ordered from Lungteh Shipbuilding Co (龍德造船) by the navy, Tsai said. The first Tuo Chiang-class vessel delivered was Ta Chiang (塔江)