Pingtung County residents today protested against a national referendum that could lead to the reactivation of the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant.
Holding banners outside the Pingtung County Council, more than 20 people criticized the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People's Party for proposing the referendum without consulting locals.
Executive Yuan spokeswoman Michelle Lee (李慧芝) last week said that the referendum would read: “Do you agree that the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant should resume operations, provided it is deemed safe by the relevant authorities?”
Photo: CNA
The nuclear plant — which operated for 40 years before being shut down in May — is located on a geological fault line, said Chiang Kuo-liang (江國樑), honorary chairman of a Pingtung culture and education development association.
While it was operational, the plant's safety relied on "the blessings of the gods," Chiang said sarcastically.
The plant's aging equipment, seismic resistance and nuclear waste disposal are all critical issues that must be addressed before it can be restarted, said Lin Ya-wen (林雅文), president of a community college.
Citing Japan's Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant disaster, bookstore founder Weng Chen-hsia (翁禎霞) said that such incidents affect generations to come.
"Energy issues are complicated matters that require immediate attention and should not be decided by a hasty referendum," Weng said.
The issue is about people’s rights and should not be voted on, said Pingtung County Councilor Hung Ming-chiang (洪明江), a member of the Democratic Progressive Party.
Pingtung residents have lived in fear for 40 years, and they have the right to oppose reactivating the nuclear power plant, he said.
The main text of the referendum is unreasonable, Citizen of the Earth, Taiwan director Lee Ken-cheng (李根政) said.
No one can ensure the nuclear power plant is absolutely safe, he said, urging people to vote “no.”
Five public forums are to be held from Aug. 7 to discuss the proposal to restart the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant, ahead of the referendum on Aug. 23, the Central Election Commission has said.
Additional reporting by Fion Khan
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