President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday defended the government’s stance on the nation’s nuclear power program amid disputes over the construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in Gongliao District (貢寮), New Taipei City (新北市), and said that the government will ensure nuclear safety before allowing commercial operation of the plant.
“We can reduce nuclear power gradually, but it will be hard to achieve this goal all in a single step,” Ma said at a meeting with Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) members in Keelung.
Ma, who is also KMT chairman, said he has instructed the Executive Yuan to explain the consequences and advantages if the construction of the power plant was halted and promised that the government will respect any decision made by the public on the issue.
Photo: Lu Hsien-hsiu, Taipei Times
Confronted with growing opposition to the government’s plan to complete construction of the plant and concerns over nuclear safety, Ma’s administration announced earlier this month that the issue of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant’s construction would be settled by a national referendum.
Premier Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) said on Friday that he would resign if the government loses the vote and construction of the plant is halted, adding that if construction is halted it could lead to bankruptcy for state-owned Taiwan Power Co (Taipower, 台電) as well as cause other problems such as power shortages.
The referendum proposal from the government attracted criticism from the Democratic Progressive Party and anti-nuclear groups, as they said the move was designed to weaken the anti-nuclear movement, given the high threshold required for a referendum to pass.
A referendum would require mobilizing more than 9.15 million people, or half the eligible voters, to vote and would need to achieve 4.57 million “yes” votes to have the plant’s construction halted.
Ma declined to discuss the referendum yesterday, but promised that the government will not deceive the people nor generate public fear in an attempt to continue the construction.
“We will let the people make the final decision [on the construction of the power plant], he said, while stressing that most of the plant’s construction has been completed and that the government will invite foreign experts on nuclear power to inspect the safety of the plant before allowing its commercial operation.
In calling for KMT members’ support for government policies, Ma also said that the Executive Yuan will communicate with the public regarding pension reform, as the government’s pension reform proposal will be sent to the legislature next month for approval.
Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr arrived in Taiwan last night to kick off his first visit to the country since beginning his second term earlier this year. After arriving at Taoyuan International Airport at around 6:30 pm, Whipps and his delegation were welcomed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍). Speaking to gathered media, the Palauan leader said he was excited and honored to be back in Taiwan on his first state visit to Taiwan since he was sworn in this January. Among those traveling with Whipps is Minister of State Gustav N. Aitaro, Public Infrastructure
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday thanked Palau for its continued support of Taiwan's international participation, as Taipei was once again excluded from the World Health Assembly (WHA) currently taking place in Switzerland. "Palau has never stopped voicing support for Taiwan" in the UN General Assembly, the WHO and other UN-affiliated agencies, Lai said during a bilateral meeting with visiting Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr. "We have been profoundly touched by these endorsements," Lai said, praising the Pacific island nation's firm support as "courageous." Lai's remarks came as Taiwan was excluded for the ninth consecutive year from the WHA, which is being held in
RESOLUTIONS DEBATE: Taiwan’s allies said that UN and WHA resolutions cited by China and other nations ‘do not determine Taiwan’s participation in WHO activities’ A proposal to invite Taiwan to this year’s World Health Assembly (WHA) was rejected on Monday, resulting in Taipei’s absence from the annual meeting for a ninth consecutive year, although partners spoke up for Taiwan’s participation at the first day of the meeting. The first agenda item after the opening was a “two-on-two debate” on a proposal to invite Taiwan to participate at the WHA as an observer. Similar to previous years, two countries made statements in favor of the proposal, while two others expressed their opposition. Philippine Secretary of Health Teodoro Herbosa, president of the 78th WHA, accepted the WHA General Committee’s
At least three people died and more than a dozen were injured yesterday afternoon when a vehicle struck a group of pedestrians in New Taipei City’s Sansia District (三峽). The incident happened at about 4pm when a car rammed into pedestrians at an intersection near Bei Da Elementary School. Witnesses said the sedan, being driven at a high speed, ran a red light, knocking scooters out of the way and hitting students crossing the road before careening into a median near the intersection of Guocheng and Guoguang streets. The incident resulted in three deaths and 13 injuries, including the driver, a 78-year-old man
RSS