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
Taiwan is stepping up plans to create self-sufficient supply chains for combat drones and increase foreign orders from the US to counter China’s numerical superiority, a defense official said on Saturday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, the official said the nation’s armed forces are in agreement with US Admiral Samuel Paparo’s assessment that Taiwan’s military must be prepared to turn the nation’s waters into a “hellscape” for the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Paparo, the commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, reiterated the concept during a Congressional hearing in Washington on Wednesday. He first coined the term in a security conference last
Prosecutors today declined to say who was questioned regarding alleged forgery on petitions to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators, after Chinese-language media earlier reported that members of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Youth League were brought in for questioning. The Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau confirmed that two people had been questioned, but did not disclose any further information about the ongoing investigation. KMT Youth League members Lee Hsiao-liang (李孝亮) and Liu Szu-yin (劉思吟) — who are leading the effort to recall DPP caucus chief executive Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) and Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) — both posted on Facebook saying: “I
Sung Chien-liang (宋建樑), who led efforts to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Kun-cheng (李坤城), was released on bail of NT$80,000 today amid outcry over his decision to wear a Nazi armband to questioning the night before. Sung arrived at the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office for questioning in a recall petition forgery case last night wearing a red armband bearing a swastika, carrying a copy of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf and giving a Nazi salute. Sung left the building at 1:15am without the armband and covering the book with his coat. Lee said today that this is a serious
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has fined Taobao NT$1.2 million (US$36,912) for advertisements that exceed its approved business scope, requiring the Chinese e-commerce platform to make corrections in the first half of this year or its license may be revoked. Lawmakers have called for stricter enforcement of Chinese e-commerce platforms and measures to prevent China from laundering its goods through Taiwan in response to US President Donald Trump’s heavy tariffs on China. The Legislative Yuan’s Finance Committee met today to discuss policies to prevent China from dumping goods in Taiwan, inviting government agencies to report. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Kuo Kuo-wen (郭國文) said