An alliance of opposition party leaders and legislators expressed their approval of the Council of Grand Justices' decision regarding the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant yesterday and urged the government both to take responsibility for its decision to scrap the plant and also to announce immediately a restart to the plant's construction.
"Premier Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄) was rash in making his policy, which has already brought about Taiwan's economic recession, a waste of the government's budget, and has even damaged Taiwan's reputation," PFP Secretary-general Chung Jung-chi (鍾榮吉) said.
"We appeal to Premier Chang to take both political and legal responsibility for his rash policymaking," Chung said.
PHOTO: CHU PEI-HSIUNG, TAIPEI TIMES
New Party Secretary-General Lee Ping-nan (
Legislative Yuan Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (
Wang said the Executive Yuan is obliged to deliver a report to the Legislative Yuan on a change in any major national policies according to the Law Governing the Legislative Yuan's Exercise of Power (立法院職權行使法), and such a report is a necessary procedure prior to a resolution by the legislature.
The power plant project, as the grand justices have indicated, is a major national policy, Wang added. "Before the legislature makes a resolution, [the Executive Yuan] cannot enforce an arbitrary order to stop the construction."
DPP lawmakers, however, argued that the government is not obliged to comply with the legislature's resolution even after delivering the report, because the Council of Grand Justices had not said so.
"The ruling and opposition parties should start a negotiation immediately to seek a resolution to their differences," said Chou Po-lun (
The Presidential Office reaffirmed President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) support for Premier Chang, saying it is not necessary to reshuffle the Cabinet.
"The interpretation has successfully established a good constitutional example for the future. We believe that the Executive Yuan and Legislative Yuan will be able to act responsibly in accordance with the principles of democratic and constitutional politics," said Secretary-General to the President Yu Shih-kun in a statement last night.
The Executive Yuan expressed approval of the ruling, saying the council had found that the Cabinet's actions were neither unconstitutional nor in violation of any law.
"Premier Chang gladly accepts the interpretation and will be willing to make a report at the Legislative Yuan," said Vice Premier Lai In-jaw (
Lai refused to comment, however, on questions of whether the premier should resign in the wake of the ruling by the council.
"If the Legislative Yuan still votes down the Cabinet's decision to scrap the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in the future, the grand justices have suggested three possible directions in their interpretation," Lai said.
"One is that the ruling party can negotiate with opposition parties to find a means to solve their disputes. We would adopt this suggestion if necessary," Lai added.
Super Typhoon Kong-rey is the largest cyclone to impact Taiwan in 27 years, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said today. Kong-rey’s radius of maximum wind (RMW) — the distance between the center of a cyclone and its band of strongest winds — has expanded to 320km, CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張竣堯) said. The last time a typhoon of comparable strength with an RMW larger than 300km made landfall in Taiwan was Typhoon Herb in 1996, he said. Herb made landfall between Keelung and Suao (蘇澳) in Yilan County with an RMW of 350km, Chang said. The weather station in Alishan (阿里山) recorded 1.09m of
STORM’S PATH: Kong-Rey could be the first typhoon to make landfall in Taiwan in November since Gilda in 1967. Taitung-Green Island ferry services have been halted Tropical Storm Kong-rey is forecast to strengthen into a typhoon early today and could make landfall in Taitung County between late Thursday and early Friday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 2pm yesterday, Kong-Rey was 1,030km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), the nation’s southernmost point, and was moving west at 7kph. The tropical storm was packing maximum sustained winds of 101kph, with gusts of up to 126 kph, CWA data showed. After landing in Taitung, the eye of the storm is forecast to move into the Taiwan Strait through central Taiwan on Friday morning, the agency said. With the storm moving
NO WORK, CLASS: President William Lai urged people in the eastern, southern and northern parts of the country to be on alert, with Typhoon Kong-rey approaching Typhoon Kong-rey is expected to make landfall on Taiwan’s east coast today, with work and classes canceled nationwide. Packing gusts of nearly 300kph, the storm yesterday intensified into a typhoon and was expected to gain even more strength before hitting Taitung County, the US Navy’s Joint Typhoon Warning Center said. The storm is forecast to cross Taiwan’s south, enter the Taiwan Strait and head toward China, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The CWA labeled the storm a “strong typhoon,” the most powerful on its scale. Up to 1.2m of rainfall was expected in mountainous areas of eastern Taiwan and destructive winds are likely
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday at 5:30pm issued a sea warning for Typhoon Kong-rey as the storm drew closer to the east coast. As of 8pm yesterday, the storm was 670km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻) and traveling northwest at 12kph to 16kph. It was packing maximum sustained winds of 162kph and gusts of up to 198kph, the CWA said. A land warning might be issued this morning for the storm, which is expected to have the strongest impact on Taiwan from tonight to early Friday morning, the agency said. Orchid Island (Lanyu, 蘭嶼) and Green Island (綠島) canceled classes and work