The Presidential Office yesterday defended Representative to Japan Frank Hsieh’s (謝長廷) remarks about Japan’s plan to discharge nuclear wastewater into the ocean, while calling on opposition parties not to use the issue for political maneuvering.
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) on Thursday last week reported to the National Police Agency that it suspected Hsieh of spreading disinformation, after he wrote on Facebook that Taiwan also discharged wastewater containing tritium from three nuclear power plants into the ocean.
He wrote that he was willing to take any legal responsibility if Taiwan’s nuclear power plants did not discharge wastewater containing tritium.
KMT lawmakers have since demanded that Hsieh attend in person a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee scheduled for tomorrow to report on Taiwan-Japan relations.
Presidential Office spokesman Xavier Chang (張惇涵) said in a statement yesterday that Hsieh’s remarks did not contradict those by the Atomic Energy Council (AEC).
The AEC has said that the nation’s nuclear power plants discharge wastewater legally and according to international standards, as all countries are required to follow the standards of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Chang said.
Hsieh and the council have expressed concerns to the Japanese government about its plan to discharge wastewater from the wrecked Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant, an issue that should be tackled through professional dialogue rather than political plotting, he said.
By calling on Hsieh to return to Taiwan to attend the legislative session, via videoconference or in person, some opposition lawmakers are merely using the issue for political gain and their own interests, Chang said.
US and Japanese leaders in a statement on April 16 underscored the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, a stance that was supported by 74 percent of respondents in a poll conducted by the Nikkei, he added.
Their behavior was unfair to Hsieh and other diplomatic personnel, and did no good for Taiwan’s relationship with Japan, or the region’s peace and stability, Chang said.
Separately, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Joanne Ou (歐江安) said that the ministry would cooperate with the legislative committee if it passes a resolution on the matter, but would not allow disease prevention rules to be broken or important government work to be affected.
While some lawmakers have said that the “diplomatic bubble” could apply to Hsieh, Ou said that it applies to foreign government officials visiting Taiwan, not domestic officials.
All government officials, including the foreign minister and deputy ministers, have to abide by the Central Epidemic Command Center’s quarantine rules, without exception, she said.
Meanwhile, the AEC said in a statement that wastewater produced from the nation’s nuclear power plants is treated properly to remove radioactive substances.
As tritium cannot be removed in the process, wastewater containing it is diluted to meet legal standards before it is discharged into the ocean, it said.
However, Japan’s discharge plan follows a nuclear power plant disaster, meaning that water treatment and monitoring would be different, it said.
The AEC said that it has not yet seen a detailed plan from Japan, and whether it would reveal relevant information and receive proper international monitoring are issues of concern.
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