Premier Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) is to meet with local government heads of Taipei, New Taipei City (新北市) and Keelung today to discuss the controversial construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei City’s Gongliao District amid growing opposition against the plant from within the pan-blue camp.
The meeting was arranged shortly after Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) voiced concern over the safety of the power plant and said that he would vote to support suspension of the plant’s construction if there was to be referendum held now.
As the three local government heads in the cities that are closest to the power plant, Hau, New Taipei City Mayor Eric Chu (朱立倫) and Keelung Mayor Chang Tong-rong (張通榮) are to meet with Jiang today to exchange ideas about the controversial power plant and nuclear power issues.
His opposition to the construction of the plant has not changed, and his stance will remain the same unless new information proves the safety of the plant, Hau said yesterday.
“Most Taipei residents share the same concern about the safety of the plant, and the information available now shows that the plant, after undergoing construction suspension and a change of plans, doesn’t look safe,” he said.
He urged state-run Taiwan Power Co to provide more relevant information and invite foreign experts to make a thorough inspection of the plant. He added that he would express the people of Taipei’s concern about the plant’s safety during today’s meeting.
The Executive Yuan said that the government’s plan to determine whether to halt the construction of the plant via a national referendum remained the same, and the premier would listen to opinions from the three mayors and exchange ideas on the issue.
Chu agreed that the real question should be whether the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant can operate safely, and said that today’s meeting aims to address that issue.
OFFLINE: People who do not wish to register can get the money from select ATMs using their bank card, ID number and National Health Insurance card number Online registration for NT$6,000 (US$196.32) cash payments drawn from last year’s tax surplus is to open today for eligible people whose national ID or permanent residency number ends in either a zero or a one, the Ministry of Finance said on Monday. Officials from the ministry revealed which days Taiwanese and eligible foreigners would be able to register for the cash payments at a joint news conference with the Ministry of Digital Affairs. Online registration is to open tomorrow for those whose number ends in a two or three; on Friday for those that end in a four or five: on Saturday
TECH PROGRAM: A US official said that an important part of the delegation’s trip would be to meet with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co executives The US is to send officials in charge of chip development to Taiwan, Japan and South Korea to promote cooperation in the global semiconductor supply chain, the US Department of Commerce said on Tuesday. Chips Program Office Director Michael Schmidt announced the visit, which marks the first time officials from the office are to visit the three nations since it was set up in September last year. “As semiconductors and technologies continue to evolve, the United States will keep working with allies and partners to develop coordinated strategies to ensure that malign actors cannot use the latest technologies to undermine our collective
Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) officials are investigating why a Starlux Airlines flight to Penang, Malaysia, returned to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport nearly two hours after takeoff yesterday morning. The airline said in a statement that Flight JX721 to Penang took off from Taoyuan airport at 9:20am. “After the dashboard showed a signal of an abnormality in the hydraulic system, the captain followed standard operating procedures and returned the flight to Taoyuan airport for safety precautions,” the airline said, adding that the flight landed safely at the airport at 11:04am. The airline arranged for the passengers to have lunch after the flight landed and
WORKING UP AN APPETITE: Sales at the Rueifong Night Market surged 20 to 30 percent, while seats at Liouhe Night Market were packed until 1am, market officials said South Korean pop band Blackpink’s concerts over the weekend in Kaohsiung helped draw large crowds to local night markets, the Kaohsiung City Government said yesterday. The two concerts on Saturday and Sunday at Kaohsiung National Stadium drew more than 90,000 people. The city government offered NT$50 vouchers to spend locally to concertgoers who showed their ticket stubs. Liouhe Night Market (六合夜市) management committee head Chuang Chi-chang (莊其章) said that crowds over the weekend surged at about 10pm and the market remained packed until 1:30am. “Almost all the seats were filled,” Chuang said. Night market stall owners had stocked up in expectation of an increased number