President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday defended his administration’s efforts to ensure the safety of nuclear power plants, citing major precautionary measures at the controversial Fourth Nuclear Power Plant that include abandoning the plant to prevent a nuclear disaster.
“A resolute handling measure allows us to sacrifice the plant if a big earthquake, tsunami or any disaster could cause radiation leaks. We would rather abandon the plant than cause a nuclear disaster,” he said at the Presidential Office while meeting with a group of nuclear experts from Japan.
Such a measure, which could be completed in 46 minutes, showed the government’s dedication to strengthening safety measures at local nuclear power plants after Japan’s Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant accident two years ago, while continuing its efforts to reduce the use of nuclear power steadily and build a nuclear-free homeland eventually, he said.
“Taiwan pays more attention to the significance of the Fukushima accident than many other countries because, like Japan, Taiwan depends heavily on energy imports,” he said.
Of the nation’s electricity supply, 40 percent comes from fossil fuels, 30 percent from natural gas and nuclear power accounts for 18.5 percent. The rest is supplied by alternative energy sources.
The Ma administration has been promoting the construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei City’s (新北市) Gongliao District (貢寮) amid growing concerns about the safety of nuclear power plants.
While Ma promised to resolve disputes over the plant through a national referendum, Minister of Economic Affairs Chang Chia-juch (張家祝) told a forum on Monday that the government plans to complete the construction of the plant regardless.
Ma insisted yesterday that the government has conducted thorough inspections on operating nuclear power plants and the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant over the past two years, and said the government would allow the public to decide via a referendum whether the construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant should continue.
“We hope that the referendum will be held by the end of this year. It will be a very important decision for our energy policy,” he said.
LOW RISK: Most nations do not extradite people accused of political crimes, and the UN says extradition can only happen if the act is a crime in both countries, an official said China yesterday issued wanted notices for two Taiwanese influencers, accusing them of committing “separatist acts” by criticizing Beijing, amid broadening concerns over China’s state-directed transnational repression. The Quanzhou Public Security Bureau in a notice posted online said police are offering a reward of up to 25,000 yuan (US$3,523) for information that could contribute to the investigation or apprehension of pro-Taiwanese independence YouTuber Wen Tzu-yu (溫子渝),who is known as Pa Chiung (八炯) online, and rapper Chen Po-yuan (陳柏源). Wen and Chen are suspected of spreading content that supported secession from China, slandered Chinese policies that benefit Taiwanese and discrimination against Chinese spouses of
PROMOTION: Travelers who want a free stopover must book their flights with designated travel agents, such as Lion Travel, Holiday Tours, Cola Tour and Life Tours Air Canada yesterday said it is offering Taiwanese travelers who are headed to North America free stopovers if they transit though airports in Japan and South Korea. The promotion was launched in response to a potential rise in demand for flights to North America in June and July next year, when the US, Canada and Mexico are scheduled to jointly host the FIFA World Cup, Air Canada said. Air Canada offers services to 13 of the 16 host cities of the tournament’s soccer games, including Toronto and Vancouver; Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey in Mexico; Atlanta, Georgia; Boston; Dallas; Houston;
The US approved the possible sale to Taiwan of fighter jet spare and repair parts for US$330 million, the Pentagon said late yesterday, marking the first such potential transaction since US President Donald Trump took office in January. "The proposed sale will improve the recipient's capability to meet current and future threats by maintaining the operational readiness of the recipient's fleet of F-16, C-130," and other aircraft, the Pentagon said in a statement. Trump previously said that Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) has told him he would not invade Taiwan while the Republican leader is in office. The announcement of the possible arms
ALIGNED THINKING: Taiwan and Japan have a mutual interest in trade, culture and engineering, and can work together for stability, Cho Jung-tai said Taiwan and Japan are two like-minded countries willing to work together to form a “safety barrier” in the Indo-Pacific region, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) yesterday said at the opening ceremony of the 35th Taiwan-Japan Modern Engineering and Technology Symposium in Taipei. Taiwan and Japan are close geographically and closer emotionally, he added. Citing the overflowing of a barrier lake in the Mataian River (馬太鞍溪) in September, Cho said the submersible water level sensors given by Japan during the disaster helped Taiwan monitor the lake’s water levels more accurately. Japan also provided a lot of vaccines early in the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic,
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