The No Nuke Wandering Singers (諾努客走唱隊) — a group of young musicians concerned about the environment — and environmentalists are organizing a tour around Taipei County’s Gongliao Township (貢寮) to raise public awareness on energy issues.
“Despite a decades-long campaign by locals and environmentalists against its construction, the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant is going to begin operating by the end of the year,” said Jade Kuo (郭聖潔), an environmentalist, at a press conference yesterday held to announce the tour. “Obviously, we cannot do anything to stop it at this moment, but the tour is meant to be an opportunity for us to have a more in-depth dialogue with the locals and to raise public awareness on energy issues as a whole.”
Other than opposition from residents of Gongliao, where the nuclear plant is located, the plant raised public concern earlier this year following two minor fires.
The Chinese-language Next Magazine reported last month that US-based URS Corp — the technical consultant on the project to construct the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant — recommended that the plant be redesigned.
Taiwan Power Co (Taipower, 台電), however, has decided to begin operations by the end of the year.
Tsui Su-hsin (崔愫欣), a member of the Green Citizens’ Action Alliance which is co-organizing the tour, said it would begin today and last until July 19, to coincide with the Ho-Hai-Yan Rock Festival.
“Ho-Hai-Yan Rock Festival attracts hundreds of thousands of people every year, with an expected attendance of 500,000,” Tsui said. “Don’t they wonder why a huge nuclear power plant is standing right behind the stage like a monster?”
“I don’t think you can see hundreds of thousands of people rocking and partying in front of a nuclear power plant anywhere except Taiwan, especially when the event is supposed to promote protection of the ocean and the environment,” she said.
Chris Liu (劉美妤), lead vocalist in the No Nuke Wandering Singers, said Gongliao residents became aware of the risks of living next to a nuclear power plant more than 20 years ago only after academics toured the township to spread information on nuclear power.
“Our band will do the same,” she said.
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