A group of 21 people demonstrating against nuclear power completed their march in Taipei yesterday after beginning it in New Taipei City’s Gongliao District (貢寮) the day before.
They were joined by supporters as they reached their destination on Ketagalan Boulevard in front of the Presidential Office Building after nearly 30 hours of walking.
Organized by the National Nuclear Abolition Action Platform, the event was aimed at encouraging people to vote “no” in a referendum on Dec. 18 that asks whether the government should restart construction on the mothballed Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in Gongliao District.
The 21 demonstrators represented the
Three-quarters of respondents in a poll plan to cast ballots in the four referendums on Dec. 18, the New Power Party (NPP) said yesterday.
The referendums ask questions related to banning imports of pork containing traces of the leanness-enhancing additive ractopamine, relocating a natural gas terminal project to protect algal reefs off Taoyuan’s Guanyin District (觀音), activating the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei City’s Gongliao District (貢寮) and holding referendums alongside nationwide elections.
The NPP poll results showed that turnout for the referendums would be high, with 59.7 percent of respondents saying that they would “certainly” vote and 16.1 percent
By Yang Cheng-yu / Staff reporterThree-quarters of respondents in a poll plan to cast ballots in the four referendums on Dec. 18, the New Power Party （NPP） said yesterday.
With the Dec. 18 referendum drawing close, former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) has been vocally endorsing the reactivation of construction on the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei City’s Gongliao District (貢寮), even though the project was mothballed during his administration.
He directed his fire at the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) for politicizing the issue of nuclear waste, but then also attacked New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) and the Yilan County commissioner for opposing the plant, citing their alleged ignorance of nuclear waste processing.
He even said that when construction began, a massive cave big enough
The initiators of four Dec. 18 referendum questions yesterday accused the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government of contravening the principle of administrative neutrality by using public resources to influence the ballot initiatives.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators Lin Wei-chou (林為洲) and Johnny Chiang (江啟臣), nuclear power proponent Huang Shih-hsiu (黃士修) and environmentalist Pan Chong-cheng (潘忠政) made the remarks at a news conference in Taipei.
Lin initiated a referendum on banning the importation of pork containing traces of ractopamine, while Chiang proposed an item on holding referendums alongside elections. Huang spearheaded a question on activating the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei