Activists want no referendum and no nuclear plant
By Lee I-chia / Staff reporter
During the first day of the new legislative session yesterday, anti-nuclear power environmentalists again gathered in front of the Legislative Yuan in Taipei, calling on legislators to stop the construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in Gongliao (貢寮), New Taipei City (新北市), and withdraw the referendum proposal on the plant.
Taiwan Environmental Protection Union founding chairman Shih Hsin-min (施信民) said the referendum proposal suggested by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lee Ching-hua (李慶華) is aimed at exploiting the “problematic” Referendum Act (公民投票法), ignoring public opinion and supporting the Cabinet’s will of allowing the plant to go into operation.
Although Lee last week publicly announced that he wished to withdraw the proposal, Shih said the proposal has already passed the first reading and is scheduled for a second reading in this session, so even if Lee claims to want to withdraw the proposal, he still has to go through procedures to make it effective.
“Lee should finish going through the procedures as soon as possible. The Legislative Yuan should acknowledge the public’s wish to bring a halt to the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant project,” he said, urging the KMT caucus not to block the proposal withdrawal.
The protesters said President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) approval rating had already dropped to 9.2 percent and if he does not stop the construction project, it may even plunge lower.
Pan Han-shen (潘翰聲) of the Green Party Taiwan said, ahead of next month’s National Day, that “we do not have anything to celebrate, because we have so many nuclear power plants in the nation and Taiwan is the only country that builds nuclear power plants right next to its capital.”
Pan said the public is invited to join in a “Fourth Nuclear Power Plant termination” relay walk around the nation, ending at the Presidential Office on Jan. 1.
structure of the lead:
WHO-anti-nuclear power environmentalists
WHEN-yesterday
WHY-calling on legislators to stop the construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in Gongliao (貢寮), New Taipei City (新北市), and withdraw the referendum proposal on the plant.
WHAT-gathered in front of the Legislative Yuan in Taipei
WHERE-Legislative Yuan in Taipei
HOW-not given
Keywords:
- session:會議
- withdraw:撤回
- referendum proposal:公民投票提案
- exploiting:利用
- problematic:有疑問的
- halt:終止
- termination:結束
I think nuclear plant is bad for our environment. But if there is no nuclear plant, can we have sufficient electricity? I consider the government and the public have to come out a way to solve this problem instead just say no or yes. Besides, the KMT can't reject just because of the "party". If we want to have a good country, a good home and also a good future, we must work together.
回覆刪除We only have one Taiwan island, if we do not protect it by ourselves, who will take it seriously.Nuclear power plants will definitely pollute our wonderful environment and cause serious problems in Taiwan.Maybe we can find other alternation to generate power,or call on people to conserve power instead of building a nuclear power plants to make problem to our later generations.
回覆刪除Those who didn't agree to build the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant might be worry about the emission of toxic substances and caused environmental pollution. If the government still insist on the construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant, it may lead to civil's antipathy.
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