Premier Yu Shyi-kun apologized to members of the Tao tribe on Orchid Island for things the government has done there in the past and promised that the government would do its utmost to eventually move nuclear waste off of the island.
Yu made the comments while on an inspection tour of the island yesterday.
PHOTO: CHANG TSUN-WEI, TAIPEI TIMES
Yu first visited the scenic island's only kindergarten -- Lan Eng -- where he donated NT$1 million (US$28,571) in cash to the preschooler educational center on behalf of President Chen Shui-bian (
In return, the kindergarten gave Yu two loin cloths -- one for him and another for Chen.
Yu then went to Langtao Bay (
Later in the day, Yu attended the opening of an annual Orchid Island athletic meet and watched Tao tribal dance performances and special folk sports competitions, including canoeing.
In a gesture to welcome Yu, the young tribesmen practiced a traditional ceremony in which they throw the boat above their heads several times to show their hospitality.
In the afternoon, Yu inspected the controversial nuclear waste dump where 97,000 barrels of low-radiation nuclear waste from Taiwan's three nuclear power plants has been stored since 1982.
For years, Tao tribesmen have been pushing state-owned Taiwan Power Co (Taipower,
Yu held face-to-face talks with members of a Tao anti-nuclear association. Yu said he fully understands Tao tribesmen's feelings about the continuing presence of the nuclear waste.
"I feel sorry for what the government did to [the residents of] Orchid Island in the past. I apologize for that, and will try my best to move the site away," Yu said.
Also yesterday, the tribe listed Vice President Annette Lu (
Si-Jalalan (
According to Si-Jalalan, Lu, during a visit to Orchid Island some time ago, claimed that the nuclear waste stored on the island was safe and criticized the island's residents for "stirring up trouble" by pressing the government to remove the waste from the island.
Lu has even offered to sit at the site of the nuclear-waste landfill for a day to prove the safety of the site, Si-Jalalan said. He urged Lu not to use the island for a political show and instead pay more attention to the rights of the island's residents.
Also See Story:
Editorial: Environmental ignorance soiling Taiwan
A decision to describe a Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement on Singapore’s Taiwan policy as “erroneous” was made because the city-state has its own “one China policy” and has not followed Beijing’s “one China principle,” Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Tien Chung-kwang (田中光) said yesterday. It has been a longstanding practice for the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to speak on other countries’ behalf concerning Taiwan, Tien said. The latest example was a statement issued by the PRC after a meeting between Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong (黃循財) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) on the sidelines of the APEC summit
Taiwan’s passport ranked 34th in the world, with access to 141 visa-free destinations, according to the latest update to the Henley Passport Index released today. The index put together by Henley & Partners ranks 199 passports globally based on the number of destinations holders can access without a visa out of 227, and is updated monthly. The 141 visa-free destinations for Taiwanese passport holders are a slight decrease from last year, when holders had access to 145 destinations. Botswana and Columbia are among the countries that have recently ended visa-free status for Taiwanese after “bowing to pressure from the Chinese government,” the Ministry
‘SIGN OF DANGER’: Beijing has never directly named Taiwanese leaders before, so China is saying that its actions are aimed at the DPP, a foundation official said National Security Bureau (NSB) Director-General Tsai Ming-yen (蔡明彥) yesterday accused Beijing of spreading propaganda, saying that Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) had singled out President William Lai (賴清德) in his meeting with US President Joe Biden when talking about those whose “true nature” seek Taiwanese independence. The Biden-Xi meeting took place on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Peru on Saturday. “If the US cares about maintaining peace across the Taiwan Strait, it is crucial that it sees clearly the true nature of Lai and the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in seeking Taiwanese independence, handles the Taiwan question with extra
HEALTHCARE: Following a 2022 Constitutional Court ruling, Taiwanese traveling overseas for six months would no longer be able to suspend their insurance Measures allowing people to suspend National Health Insurance (NHI) services if they plan to leave the country for six months would be abolished starting Dec. 23, NHIA Director-General Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) said yesterday. The decision followed the Constitutional Court’s ruling in 2022 that the regulation was unconstitutional and that it would invalidate the regulation automatically unless the NHIA amended it to conform with the Constitution. The agency would amend the regulations to remove the articles and sections that allow the suspension of NHI services, and also introduce provisional clauses for those who suspended their NHI services before Dec. 23, Shih said. According to
RSS