Antinuclear activists urge tourists to look around

When tens of thousands of tourists crowded into Fulung Beach (福隆海水浴場) in Kungliao Township, Taipei County, to enjoy a music festival over the weekend, they were urged by antinuclear activists to think about the conflict between the promotion of eco-tourism and the establishment of a nuclear power plant nearby.

The third annual Ho-Hi-Yan Taipei Rock Festival (台北縣貢寮國際海洋音樂祭), co-sponsored by the Taipei County Government, the Northeast Coast National Scenic Area Administration and private corporations, ended yesterday. By both holding a music contest and leaving the beach open for free, the festival aimed at promoting local tourism.

At the entrance to the beach, however, antinuclear activists of the Yenliao AntiNuclear Self-Help Association (鹽寮反核自救會) established a stand, where tourists filled out questionnaires about the impact of the construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant on the coastal environment.

"Most tourists don't know that a nuclear power plant is under construction nearby, not to mention the negative impact the construction is having," Wu Wen-tung (吳文通), spokesman of the association, told the Taipei Times yesterday.

According to Wu, evidence collected by the activists showed that the construction of a wharf -- where heavy machinery is transferred to the plant -- had caused erosion along the beach.

Activists asked the plant's builder and future operator, Taiwan Power Co (Taipower, 台電), several times to take responsibility for the erosion along the beach but received no response, Wu said.

"After being told about the negative impact made by the construction of the plant, most tourists answering the questionnaire agreed to abandon nuclear energy and embrace alternative sources of energy, such as solar energy and wind power, to save this wonderland for them to enjoy during the summer," Wu said.

According to recent statistics from the Northeast Coast National Scenic Area Administration, annually about 8 million tourists visit Fulung Beach, whose 3km long "Golden Beach" has been famous for decades.

"If the beach dies, Kungliao township will become a declining town with no future," Wu said.

To seize the chance to warn the public of the fragility of the environment, local antinuclear activists demonstrated solar panels and windmills used for generating power at the stand.

Wu said that eco-tourism will be the only way out for Kungliao residents because fishing -- which has been the mainstay for generations -- would decline if the plant starts operating.

According to the Kungliao District Fishermen's Association (貢寮區漁會), fishing grounds near Santiao Bay (三貂灣) -- where warm waste water from the plant will be discharged -- has been listed by the government as Kungliao Fishery Resource Reserve since 1978, to ensure the production of Taiwanese abalone (九孔), lobster, and other seafood.

Kungliao fishermen now worry that Taiwanese abalone won't be able to survive once water temperatures increase through the discharge of warm waste water from the plant.