The Control Yuan yesterday censured the Executive Yuan, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Taiwan Power Co (Taipower) for the problem-ridden Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in Gongliao District (貢寮), New Taipei City (新北市), demanding that the government conduct a thorough investigation into the project due to concerns over its safety.
Control Yuan members said the decision to halt construction of the power plant in 2000 had caused serious delays to the project and that it led to unnecessary losses estimated at NT$187 billion (US$6.33 billion).
The Executive Yuan was charged with dereliction of duty for making the hasty decision to halt the construction with a total disregard of the consequences.
The then-Democratic Progressive Party government halted construction at the plant when it was 33.8 percent complete, plunging the country into political turmoil until the project was resumed after a suspension of 110 days.
Control Yuan members charged the ministry, the regulatory agency of the project, with failing to be receptive to views offered by construction professionals and electricity experts during the decisionmaking process.
Taipower, the operator of the nuclear power plant, was found to have failed to follow regular practices when terminating contracts with contractors.
Control Yuan members said the management at Taipower pandered to the government by telling contractors that their contracts had been terminated for an indefinite period the day the Executive Yuan decided to halt the project without calling an emergency board meeting.
Taipower did not even wait for the arrival of a government document terminating the contracts, the government watchdog said, adding the state-owned utility had ignored the interests of its shareholders and those of the public in the case.
A NT$39 receipt for two bottles of tea at a FamilyMart was among the NT$10 million (US $312,969) special prize winners in the January-February uniform invoice lottery. FamilyMart said that two NT$10 million-winning receipts were issued at its stores, as well as two NT$2 million grand prizes and three NT$200,000 first prizes. The two NT$10 million receipts were issued at stores in Pingtung County and Yilan County’s Dongshan Township (冬山). One winner spent just NT$39 on two bottles of tea, while another spent NT$80 on water, tea and coffee, the company said. Meanwhile, 7-Eleven reported three NT$10 million winners — in New Taipei
Considering that most countries issue more than five denominations of banknotes, the central bank has decided to redesign all five denominations, the bank said as it prepares for the first major overhaul of the banknotes in more than 24 years. Central bank Governor Yang Chin-lung (楊金龍) is expected to report to the Legislative Yuan today on the bank’s operations and the redesign’s progress. The bank in a report sent to the legislature ahead of today’s meeting said it had commissioned a survey on the public’s preferences. Survey results showed that NT$100 and NT$1,000 banknotes are the most commonly used, while NT$200 and NT$2,000
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday reported the first case of a new COVID-19 subvariant — BA.3.2 — in a 10-year-old Singaporean girl who had a fever upon arrival in Taiwan and tested positive for the disease. The girl left Taiwan on March 20 and the case did not have a direct impact on the local community, it said. The WHO added the BA.3.2 strain to its list of Variants Under Monitoring in December last year, but this was the first imported case of the COVID-19 variant in Taiwan, CDC Deputy Director-General Lin Ming-cheng (林明誠) said. The girl arrived in Taiwan on
ANNUAL EVENT: Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in Daan Park, with an event zone operating from 10am to 6pm This year’s Taipei Floral Picnic is to be held at Daan Park today and tomorrow, featuring an exclusive Pokemon Go event, a themed food market, a coffee rave picnic area and stage performances, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said yesterday. Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in the park as attractions, with an exclusive event zone operating from 10am to 6pm, it said. Participants who complete designated tasks on-site would have a chance to receive limited-edition souvenirs, it added. People could also try the newly launched game Pokemon Pokopia in the trial area, the department said. Three PokeStops are
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