Over 10,000 demonstrators are expected to take part in two anti-nuclear marches, beginning this afternoon in Taipei and Kaohsiung, to express their support for a nuclear-free country.
At a time when Taiwan's opposition parties are attempting to recall President Chen Shui-bian (
"We hope the protest will not be misconstrued as support for the proposed recall motion against the president," said Buddhist Master Chao Huei (釋昭慧), co-convener of the protest, calling on participants not to use the event as a platform to call for Chen's ouster.
PHOTO: GEORGE TSORNG, TAIPEI TIMES
Organizers have appealed to participants not to bring any political banners or slogans to the parade.
Premier Chang Chun-hsiung (
"I earnestly request that the public and political parties calm down and allow the debate over the controversial Fourth Nuclear Power Plant to be reconsidered as a constitutional issue," Chang said in a press conference held at the Government Information Office.
The Executive Yuan filed for a constitutional interpretation with the Council of Grand Justices on Friday in order to seek a solution to legal disputes surrounding the government's decision to scrap the plant.
Chang reiterated that the decision to halt the plant's construction "was a responsible one for the country and for [our] descendents, and it was a conscientious choice."
Although the DPP's decision plunged Taiwan politics into turmoil, many anti-nuclear activists -- both local and international -- have welcomed the decision and see it as a milestone for Taiwan's decade-plus anti-nuclear movement.
Two expatriates residing in Taiwan, Lynn Miles (梅心怡) and Bo Tedards (唐博偉), read a statement entitled "We are together" at a press conference held by protest organizers yesterday, highlighting the example of the Chernobyl disaster in Russia.
"The scrapping of the plant is not only a matter for Taiwan, but [some]thing that affects the rest of the world," Miles said.
The organizers also displayed a petition signed by anti-nuclear groups from more than 20 countries, including the US, Japan, Europe, Tanzania, Mexico and South Korea, in support of Taiwan's decision to halt the nuclear power plant, to show that Taiwan was not alone in its opposition to nuclear power.
Last Thursday, an environmental group, the Greens/European Freedom Alliance, comprised of 46 members of the European Parliament, made remarks to welcome Taiwan's decision to halt the nuclear project and to urge Chen to stick to his policy of ending the nation's reliance on nuclear power.
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