Holding hands to form a human chain while chanting slogans, several hundred anti-nuclear power activists yesterday blocked off the main entrance to the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in Taipei County’s Gongliao Township (貢寮), calling on the government to halt the plan to fill the reactors with uranium fuel in December and to stop using nuclear energy.
“No to uranium filling!” “No to restoration of nuclear power!” Hundreds of activists — Gongliao residents and non-residents alike — shouted as they formed a human chain in front of the plant.
Behind them was the half-closed gate heavily guarded by police.
Many employees trying to go in or out of the power plant were forced to use other entrances.
Despite the occurrence of at least five incidents — some that could have triggered serious disasters if there had been uranium fuel inside the reactors — at the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant since test operations started in March, the government and Taiwan Power Co (Taipower) are set to begin uranium-filled test operations in December and start commercial operation in October next year.
Before demonstrators headed to block the entrance of the plant, they held a concert featuring several independent bands and opponents of nuclear energy in the square of the main temple in Aodi Village (澳底) not far from the power plant.
Although the organizers originally planned to march from the temple to the power plant after the concert, they later asked participants to “take a walk” to the power plant as police officers at the scene warned that an unauthorized march would be in violation of the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法).
“When we asked Taipower about the incidents — most of which were unknown to the public until exposed by the media later — they said everything was under control and those were ‘normal’ occurrences,” Taiwan Environmental Protection Union secretary-general Lee Cho-han (李卓翰) told demonstrators.
“I wonder if they will tell us everything is ‘normal’ when the nuclear power plant explodes?” he said.
Taiwan Homemakers’ Union chairwoman Chen Man-li (陳曼麗) said: “More people started to support nuclear energy, saying it produces less carbon dioxide as global warming becomes a hot issue. While that’s true, I must remind everyone that nuclear energy is something that can cause immense destruction when something goes wrong,” he said.
Members from foreign organizations such as Greens Japan and Green Energy No Nukes in Asia Pacific also came to show support.
Noting that Taiwan and Japan have both experienced earthquakes that killed thousands of people, Greens Japan member Matsumoto Namiho said: “I cannot imagine how horrible it would be if a massive earthquake hit a nuclear power plant?”
“While we can’t stop earthquakes, we can stop nuclear power plants,” she added.
The blockade ended peacefully nearly an hour later when rain suddenly started to pour, sending both demonstrators and police running for cover.
Several Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) officials including Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) are to be summoned for questioning and then transferred to prosecutors for holding an illegal assembly in Taipei last night, the Taipei Police said today. Chu and two others hosted an illegal assembly and are to be requested to explain their actions, the Taipei City Police Department's Zhongzheng (中正) First Precinct said, referring to a protest held after Huang Lu Chin-ju (黃呂錦茹), KMT Taipei's chapter director, and several other KMT staffers were questioned for alleged signature forgery in recall petitions against Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators. Taipei prosecutors had filed
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
President William Lai (賴清德) has appointed former vice president Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) to attend the late Pope Francis’ funeral at the Vatican City on Saturday on his behalf, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today. The Holy See announced Francis’ funeral would take place on Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square. The ministry expressed condolences over Francis’ passing and said that Chen would represent Taiwan at the funeral and offer condolences in person. Taiwan and the Vatican have a long-standing and close diplomatic relationship, the ministry said. Both sides agreed to have Chen represent Taiwan at the funeral, given his Catholic identity and
NEW WORLD: Taiwan is pursuing innovative approaches to international relations through economics, trade and values-based diplomacy, the foreign minister said Taiwan would implement a “three-chain strategy” that promotes democratic values in response to US tariffs, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said. Taiwan would aim to create a “global democratic value chain,” seek to capitalize on its position within the first island chain and promote a “non-red supply chain,” Lin was quoted as saying in the ministry’s written report to the Legislative Yuan submitted ahead of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee meeting slated for today. The Ministry would also uphold a spirit of mutual beneficial collaboration, maintaining close communication and consultations with Washington to show that Taiwan-US cooperation