Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday called for DPP members to participate in antinuclear demonstrations set to take place across the nation on Saturday.
“Four years ago, we witnessed — along with all of humanity — the price we have to pay for nuclear power. We have also witnessed since then the actions of many countries, who have, after self-reflection, made moves to speed up the development of alternative energy sources and the adjustment of their energy and industry policies, in order to be able to welcome the advent of a non-nuclear homeland sooner,” Tsai said, referring to the nuclear disaster that unfolded in Fukushima, Japan, following a tsunami in 2011. “Among all these actions, the DPP’s ‘2025 nuclear-free homeland’ is one.”
Tsai said that President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) has failed to pursue the goal of a nuclear-free Taiwan in the past few years, “while South Korea’s capital, Seoul, has launched a policy plan of ‘One Less Nuclear Power Plant’ and in merely two years cut energy consumption equivalent to the electricity generating capacity of a Fourth Nuclear Power Plant.”
Photo: Lo Pei-der, Taipei Times
“There is no reason for Taiwan to lag behind when a city has shown its resolve by carrying out actions,” she said.
Tsai called on the nation to initiate a similar plan and take action now, with the final goal being a nuclear-free Taiwan.
“The DPP is starting from the 13 cities and counties it governs, where energy saving, improving energy efficiency and promoting green energy will be approaches for weaning people from dependence on nuclear power,” she said. “We will also put forward a new energy policy and make progress toward the goal of a 2025 nuclear-free homeland when the party governs the country.”
Saturday’s antinuclear rallies, organized by the National Anti-Nuclear Action Platform, are to take place in Taipei, Kaohsiung, Tainan and Taitung.
“I’m officially issuing a mobilization order to the party for the 314 antinuclear rally, in which the party will be standing with the people of the nation for a future without fear,” Tsai said.
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is pushing for residents of Kinmen and Lienchiang counties to acquire Chinese ID cards in a bid to “blur national identities,” a source said. The efforts are part of China’s promotion of a “Kinmen-Xiamen twin-city living sphere, including a cross-strait integration pilot zone in China’s Fujian Province,” the source said. “The CCP is already treating residents of these outlying islands as Chinese citizens. It has also intensified its ‘united front’ efforts and infiltration of those islands,” the source said. “There is increasing evidence of espionage in Kinmen, particularly of Taiwanese military personnel being recruited by the
ENTERTAINERS IN CHINA: Taiwanese generally back the government being firm on infiltration and ‘united front’ work,’ the Asia-Pacific Elite Interchange Association said Most people support the government probing Taiwanese entertainers for allegedly “amplifying” the Chinese Communist Party’s propaganda, a survey conducted by the Asia-Pacific Elite Interchange Association showed on Friday. Public support stood at 56.4 percent for action by the Mainland Affairs Council and the Ministry of Culture to enhance scrutiny on Taiwanese performers and artists who have developed careers in China while allegedly adhering to the narrative of Beijing’s propaganda that denigrates or harms Taiwanese sovereignty, the poll showed. Thirty-three percent did not support the action, it showed. The poll showed that 51.5 percent of respondents supported the government’s investigation into Taiwanese who have
South Korean K-pop girl group Blackpink are to make Kaohsiung the first stop on their Asia tour when they perform at Kaohsiung National Stadium on Oct. 18 and 19, the event organizer said yesterday. The upcoming performances will also make Blackpink the first girl group ever to perform twice at the stadium. It will be the group’s third visit to Taiwan to stage a concert. The last time Blackpink held a concert in the city was in March 2023. Their first concert in Taiwan was on March 3, 2019, at NTSU Arena (Linkou Arena). The group’s 2022-2023 “Born Pink” tour set a
A Philippine official has denied allegations of mistreatment of crew members during Philippine authorities’ boarding of a Taiwanese fishing vessel on Monday. Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) spokesman Nazario Briguera on Friday said that BFAR law enforcement officers “observed the proper boarding protocols” when they boarded the Taiwanese vessel Sheng Yu Feng (昇漁豐號) and towed it to Basco Port in the Philippines. Briguera’s comments came a day after the Taiwanese captain of the Sheng Yu Feng, Chen Tsung-tun (陳宗頓), held a news conference in Pingtung County and accused the Philippine authorities of mistreatment during the boarding of