Construction on the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant will not be stopped after the Atomic Energy Council’s Fourth Nuclear Power Plant Safety Monitoring Committee passed a resolution yesterday stating that the council and related agencies would continue to monitor the plant’s construction in accordance with plans proposed by state-owned Taiwan Power Co (Taipower).
The committee reached the decision at a final meeting, which was held at the construction site of the plant in Yenliao (鹽寮) in New Taipei City’s (新北市) Gongliao District (貢寮).
In August, the committee suggested that construction of the plant would be halted if Taipower — the operator of the nation’s nuclear power plants — did not provide a proposal by the end of this year on how to fix problems at the plant and ensure its safe operation.
Outside the meeting venue, about 100 protesters staged a demonstration against the plant, with Wu Wen-tung (吳文通), president of the Yenliao Anti-Nuclear Self-Help Association, saying that the protesters wanted to attend the meeting to hear the proceedings, but they were barred from entering the plant.
After negotiations, several protesters were allowed to sit in on the meeting in the afternoon. Protesters distributed a statement during the meeting asking the government to immediately halt the construction of the plant.
Tsuei Su-hsin (崔愫欣), secretary-general of Green Citizen Action’s Alliance, said according to documents from previous safety monitoring committee meetings and the opinions of experts, Taipower could not have resolved the fundamental safety concerns in the plant’s construction, so the government should halt work on the site.
The Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association has cautioned Japanese travelers to be vigilant against pickpockets at several popular tourist spots in Taiwan, including Taipei’s night markets, the Yongkang Street area, Zhongshan MRT Station, and Jiufen (九份) in New Taipei City. The advisory, titled “Recent Development of Concerns,” was posted on the association’s Web site under its safety and emergency report section. It urges travelers to keep backpacks fully zipped and carried in front, with valuables placed at the bottom of the bag. Visitors are advised to be especially mindful of their belongings when taking photos or speaking on the phone, avoid storing wallets and
ENDORSING TAIWAN: Honduran presidential candidate Nasry Afura said that Honduras was ‘100 times better off’ when it was allied with Taipei The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said it would explore the possibility of restoring diplomatic relations with Honduras based on the principle of maintaining national interests and dignity. The ministry made the remarks in response to reporters’ questions regarding an article titled: “Will Taiwan Regain a Diplomatic Ally?” published in The Diplomat on Saturday. The article said Honduras’ presidential election in November could offer Taiwan the chance to regain an ally, as multiple candidates have promoted re-establishing diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Honduras severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan in March 2023 in favor of Beijing, but since switching its diplomatic recognition,
A fourth public debate was held today about restarting the recently decommissioned Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant, ahead of a referendum on the controversial issue to be held in less than two weeks. A referendum on Aug. 23 is to ask voters if they agree that “the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant should continue operations upon approval by the competent authority and confirmation that there are no safety concerns.” Anyone over 18 years of age can vote in the referendum. The vote comes just three months after its final reactor shut down, officially making Taiwan nuclear-free. Taiwan People’s Party Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) represented
Scoot announced yesterday that starting in October, it would increase flights between Taipei and Japan’s Narita airport and Hokkaido, and between Singapore and Taipei. The low-cost airline, a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, also said it would launch flights to Chiang Rai in Thailand, Okinawa and Tokyo’s Haneda airport between December and March next year. Flights between Singapore and Chiang Rai would begin on Jan. 1, with five flights per week operated by an Embraer E190-E2 aircraft, Scoot said. Flights between Singapore and Okinawa would begin on Dec. 15, with three flights per week operated by Airbus A320 aircraft, the airline said. Services between Singapore