Former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday proposed implementing a moratorium on the installation of fuel rods at the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant and accelerating the holding of a national referendum to the decided the fate of the unfinished power station as soon as possible.
Tsai, who is widely tipped to win the party’s chairmanship election next month, criticized President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) for insisting on using an unreliable nuclear safety inspection system and flawed referendum mechanism to determine whether the construction of the plant in New Taipei City’s Gongliao (貢寮) District should continue.
As former DPP chairman Lin I-hsiung’s (林義雄) hunger strike calling on the government to stop construction ratcheted up the urgency to resolve the decades-long controversy, Tsai proposed that the legislature find a resolution that prohibits the installation of fuel rods at the Gongliao site before it approves a national referendum on the issue.
She also urged the legislature to refer the special statute governing the construction of the plant proposed by the DPP to a second reading in tomorrow’s plenary session and finalize the relevant legislation as soon as possible so a plebiscite can be held.
The statute seeks to lower the referendum threshold to a simple majority and to propose a more clear-cut question on the Gongliao plant’s future to voters than the one tabled by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT).
In an interview with Wealth Magazine published this week, Tsai talked about her vision for a new DPP, which would shift the party closer to civil society, since the Sunflower movement has “changed Taiwanese politics forever.”
The DPP would be better able to understand and build mutual trust with China if Taiwan’s democracy were deepened and its economy made more healthy, she said, adding that the party should endeavor to be more rational, sensible and predictable in the future.
In related news, the DPP yesterday approved the nomination of three candidates for the mayoral and commissioner elections set to be held later this year, including former DPP lawmaker Twu Shiing-jer (涂醒哲) for Chiayi, as well as legislators Liu Chao-hao (劉櫂豪) in Taitung County and Wu Yi-chen (吳宜臻) in Miaoli County.
The DPP caucus announced that it would launch a campaign to support Lin’s hunger strike tonight at 8:14pm. The time is meant to symbolize that the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant must be terminated by the end of this year.
The caucus called for anti-nuclear activists to form a 2.4km-long line starting from the street across the site of Lin’s protest — Taipei’s Gikong Presbyterian Church — via Xinyi Rd and ending on Ketagalan Boulevard, where the Presidential Office Building is located.
Restaurants in New Taipei City, Hsinchu City and Hsinchu County are to be included in the Michelin Guide’s review for the first time this year, alongside existing entries from Taipei, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung, the France-based culinary publication said yesterday. This year’s edition of the Michelin Guide Taiwan is to be unveiled on Aug. 19 in Taipei. In addition to the coveted star ratings, Michelin Taiwan would announce its “Bib Gourmand” selections — a distinction awarded to establishments offering high-quality food at moderate prices — on Aug. 12. This year’s Bib Gourmand list would also feature restaurants in New Taipei City, Hsinchu
A firefighter yesterday died after falling into New Taipei City's Xindian River when a rescue dinghy capsized during a search mission for a man who was later found dead. The New Taipei City Fire Department said that it received a report at 4:12pm that a 50-year-old man, surnamed Chen (陳), had fallen into the river. A 32-year-old firefighter, surnamed Wu (吳), was among the rescuers deployed to look for Chen, the fire department said, adding that he and five other rescue personnel were in the dinghy when it capsized. Wu had no vital signs after being pulled from the water to the
Organizing one national referendum and 26 recall elections targeting Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators could cost NT$1.62 billion (US$55.38 million), the Central Election Commission said yesterday. The cost of each recall vote ranges from NT$16 million to NT$20 million, while that of a national referendum is NT$1.1 billion, the commission said. Based on the higher estimate of NT$20 million per recall vote, if all 26 confirmed recall votes against KMT legislators are taken into consideration, along with the national referendum on restarting the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant, the total could be as much as NT$1.62 billion, it said. The commission previously announced
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday welcomed NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte’s remarks that the organization’s cooperation with Indo-Pacific partners must be deepened to deter potential threats from China and Russia. Rutte on Wednesday in Berlin met German Chancellor Friedrich Merz ahead of a ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of Germany’s accession to NATO. He told a post-meeting news conference that China is rapidly building up its armed forces, and the number of vessels in its navy outnumbers those of the US Navy. “They will have another 100 ships sailing by 2030. They now have 1,000 nuclear warheads,” Rutte said, adding that such
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