An anti-nuclear civic group yesterday threatened to publish a list of names of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers that it said answer only to their superiors and refuse to listen to the public about the completion of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei City’s (新北市) Gongliao District (貢寮), amid allegations that the KMT’s top leadership has banned party members from expressing their stance on the controversial issue.
The Green Citizens’ Action Alliance issued the warning to KMT legislators after a survey it gave to all lawmakers to gauge their perspectives on the issue received only a lukewarm response from the KMT legislative caucus.
The survey asked several questions to solicit lawmaker’s views on nuclear issues, including: whether they agree with slashing the budgets earmarked for the plant’s construction; whether they support letting the fate of the power plant be decided by the legislature; whether they are in favor of halting the plant’s construction before the legislature comes to a consensus on the matter; and whether they assent to continuing to rely on nuclear power despite not having a well-thought-out method for the disposal of nuclear waste.
Hsu Shih-ya (徐詩雅), a research fellow at the alliance who is in charge of the survey, said that among the 50 responses it had collected from lawmakers so far, only two were from KMT members, a number she said was far less than the number of KMT legislators who had reservations about letting the power plant’s fate be decided by a national referendum.
“From my understanding, a number of KMT lawmakers believe that the proposed plebiscite could not address the safety issues surrounding the plant, nor solve the problems of nuclear waste disposal,” Hsu said.
KMT caucus whip Lai Shyh-bao (賴士葆) yesterday said that the caucus had decided not to respond to any surveys on the power plant.
“The fate of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant should be decided by the public, not the legislature … and such surveys are meaningless,” Lai said.
In response, Hsu said the alliance would join forces with other anti-nuclear civic groups to pressure the legislature on the matter and would also make public a list of KMT lawmakers who act against the public’s will after the survey’s submission deadline tomorrow.
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
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