The government will look into issues raised by environmentalists and residents of Lanyu (蘭嶼) — also known as Orchid Island — over abnormally high radiation levels alleged to be found on the island, which has been used as a nuclear disposal site since 1980s, Premier Sean Chen (陳冲) said yesterday.
Chen said he had talked to Atomic Energy Council Minister Tsai Chuen-horng (蔡春鴻) about the issue on Monday after seeing it in news reports.
A group of Japanese academics recently said that soil samples from Lang-Tao Elementary School on Lanyu showed abnormally high levels of radioactive iodine — well above natural background levels and 30 times higher than those recorded in other areas of the campus.
Photo: CNA
School principal Hu Lung-hsiung (胡龍雄) commissioned the group of Japanese professors of medicine and anthropology to conduct the study amid long-term concern among residents about exposure to high levels of radiation from the nuclear waste stored on the island.
The study was expected to be completed and published within a month.
Chen, who was attending a security drill at the Jinshan Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei City’s (新北市) Shimen District (石門), told reporters he had asked the council to verify the information provided by the Japanese experts.
Photo: Pichi Chuang, REUTERS
After the inspection, Chen said that the government had applied “stringent stress tests” during the exercise to ensure the plant’s safety and security under all types of natural disaster scenarios.
Chen also addressed the issue of how much nuclear energy should account for the nation’s energy sources, saying it was a “matter of choice,” adding that Taiwanese remain divided over whether the country should move toward a low-carbon society or a nuclear-free homeland.
“No matter what we choose, our unwavering stance is to enhance the safety of nuclear power generation in the country,” Chen said.
AGING: While Japan has 22 submarines, Taiwan only operates four, two of which were commissioned by the US in 1945 and 1946, and transferred to Taiwan in 1973 Taiwan would need at least 12 submarines to reach modern fleet capabilities, CSBC Corp, Taiwan chairman Chen Cheng-hung (陳政宏) said in an interview broadcast on Friday, citing a US assessment. CSBC is testing the nation’s first indigenous defense submarine, the Hai Kun (海鯤, Narwhal), which is scheduled to be delivered to the navy next month or in July. The Hai Kun has completed torpedo-firing tests and is scheduled to undergo overnight sea trials, Chen said on an SET TV military affairs program. Taiwan would require at least 12 submarines to establish a modern submarine force after assessing the nation’s operational environment and defense
A white king snake that frightened passengers and caused a stir on a Taipei MRT train on Friday evening has been claimed by its owner, who would be fined, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (TRTC) said yesterday. A person on Threads posted that he thought he was lucky to find an empty row of seats on Friday after boarding a train on the Bannan (Blue) Line, only to spot a white snake with black stripes after sitting down. Startled, he jumped up, he wrote, describing the encounter as “terrifying.” “Taipei’s rat control plan: Release snakes on the metro,” one person wrote in reply, referring
The coast guard today said that it had disrupted "illegal" operations by a Chinese research ship in waters close to the nation and driven it away, part of what Taipei sees a provocative pattern of China's stepped up maritime activities. The coast guard said that it on Thursday last week detected the Chinese ship Tongji (同濟號), which was commissioned only last year, 29 nautical miles (54km) southeast of the southern tip of Taiwan, although just outside restricted waters. The ship was observed lowering ropes into the water, suspected to be the deployment of scientific instruments for "illegal" survey operations, and the coast
An inauguration ceremony was held yesterday for the Danjiang Bridge, the world’s longest single-mast asymmetric cable-stayed bridge, ahead of its official opening to traffic on Tuesday, marking a major milestone after nearly three decades of planning and construction. At the ceremony in New Taipei City attended by President William Lai (賴清德), Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰), Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱) and New Taipei City Mayor Hou Yu-ih (侯友宜), the bridge was hailed as both an engineering landmark and a long-awaited regional transport link connecting Tamsui (淡水) and Bali (八里)
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