President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday met Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers to exchange ideas on nuclear safety, as legislators called for more discussions on nuclear policy before finalizing a decision on whether the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant would become operational.
In a closed-door meeting at KMT headquarters, Ma, who also doubles as KMT chairman, said the government would make safety a top priority in the development of nuclear power and reiterated that his administration would not allow the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant to start operations until all safety measures had been completed.
Amid opposition from anti-nuclear activists, the president said the government would listen to different opinions on the issue and seek professional assessments from experts before making policies on nuclear power in the future.
KMT Legislator Ting Shou-chung (丁守中) expressed concern about the government’s plan to allocate an additional budget for the completion of the plant, adding that Ma and the KMT should support the establishment of a legislative committee on nuclear safety to address the issue.
“Issues regarding the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant should go beyond political party lines and it is lawmakers’ responsibility to reflect the voice of the people. Rather than adding to the budget for the project, the government should focus on seeking a consensus on the issue,” Ting said.
KMT Legislator Lai Shyh-bao (賴士葆), who had said that Ma insisted on the additional budget for the project, kept a low profile when asked to comment on his stance and said safety would be the government’s priority when handling the nuclear issue.
Executive Yuan Secretary-General Chen Wei-zen (陳威仁) and Minister of Economic Affairs Chang Chia-juch (張家祝) also attended the meeting last night.
KMT spokesman Yin Wei (殷瑋) said Ma would continue to communicate with the party’s lawmakers on the nuclear issue.
Ma is due to attend a Cabinet one-day forum in Taipei today, during which nuclear safety and the power plant are to be discussed.
Taipei and New Taipei City government officials are aiming to have the first phase of the Wanhua-Jungho-Shulin Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line completed and opened by 2027, following the arrival of the first train set yesterday. The 22km-long Light Green Line would connect four densely populated districts in Taipei and New Taipei City: Wanhua (萬華), Jhonghe (中和), Tucheng (土城) and Shulin (樹林). The first phase of the project would connect Wanhua and Jhonghe districts, with Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and Chukuang (莒光) being the terminal stations. The two municipalities jointly hosted a ceremony for the first train to be used
MILITARY AID: Taiwan has received a first batch of US long-range tactical missiles ahead of schedule, with a second shipment expected to be delivered by 2026 The US’ early delivery of long-range tactical ballistic missiles to Taiwan last month carries political and strategic significance, a military source said yesterday. According to the Ministry of National Defense’s budget report, the batch of military hardware from the US, including 11 sets of M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and 64 MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile Systems, had been scheduled to be delivered to Taiwan between the end of this year and the beginning of next year. However, the first batch arrived last month, earlier than scheduled, with the second batch —18 sets of HIMARS, 20 MGM-140 missiles and 864 M30
Representative to the US Alexander Yui delivered a letter from the government to US president-elect Donald Trump during a meeting with a former Trump administration official, CNN reported yesterday. Yui on Thursday met with former US national security adviser Robert O’Brien over a private lunch in Salt Lake City, Utah, with US Representative Chris Stewart, the Web site of the US cable news channel reported, citing three sources familiar with the matter. “During that lunch the letter was passed along, and then shared with Trump, two of the sources said,” CNN said. O’Brien declined to comment on the lunch, as did the Taipei
A woman who allegedly attacked a high-school student with a utility knife, injuring his face, on a Taipei metro train late on Friday has been transferred to prosecutors, police said yesterday. The incident occurred near MRT Xinpu Station at about 10:17pm on a Bannan Line train headed toward Dingpu, New Taipei City police said. Before police arrived at the station to arrest the suspect, a woman surnamed Wang (王) who is in her early 40s, she had already been subdued by four male passengers, one of whom was an off-duty Taipei police officer, police said. The student, 17, who sustained a cut about
RSS