The Taiwan Environmental Protection Union (TEPU) on Friday handed the Central Election Commission 122,000 signatures it collected backing its bid to have a referendum on the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei City’s Gongliao District (貢寮) held at the same time as November’s seven-in-one elections.
The group’s referendum would ask voters if they agree with holding a trial run of the unfinished plant involving fuel rods.
The proposal was in response to the Executive Yuan’s decision in April that the construction of the plant’s No. 1 reactor will not continue, but it will still go through safety checks, after which it will be sealed up. It also suspended the building of the No. 2 reactor.
The group said this plan was too costly and risky, which is why it suggested an alternative.
TEPU chairman Liou Gin-show (劉俊秀) said his group held plebiscites on the matter in New Taipei City and Yilan County, but the results were rejected by the commission, which said that the nuclear plant was a national issue.
Campaign convener Kao Cheng-yan (高成炎) said that Friday marked the 40th month since the 2011 Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear disaster in Japan.
“On this special day, we are hoping that the nightmare of the Fourth Nuclear Plant will end once and for all,” he said.
Separately on Friday, New Taipei City Mayor Eric Chu (朱立倫) said halting the construction of the plant and sealing it up is “both a public consensus and a goal the government is working toward.”
Additional reporting by Chen Wei-tsung
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
The New Taipei City Government would assist relatives of those killed or injured in last month’s car-ramming incident in Sansia District (三峽) to secure compensation, Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said yesterday, two days after the driver died in a hospital. “The city government will do its best to help the relatives of the car crash incident seek compensation,” Hou said. The mayor also said that the city’s Legal Affairs, Education and Social Welfare departments have established a joint mechanism to “provide coordinated assistance” to victims and their families. Three people were killed and 12 injured when a car plowed into schoolchildren and their
RSS