[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index ][Thread Index ]

Press Release of Green Party Taiwan



I know, some of our Burmese netters may be interested in the development of 
anti-nuke movement in Taiwan and its possible significance in Asia.

--------------------------------------Press Release of 
Green Party Taiwan 1997-11-07

The budget of the fourth nuclear power plant is going to be cut in Taiwan
Congress

On 11/05, the Taiwan Congress (Legislative Yuan) at its Whole-Member Committee
cut all of budget of its planned fourth nuclear power plant and shut down its
project by three votings. According to the Budget Law, the act will be taken
effective only after an approval of the following the second reading and the
third reading. The anti-nuke activists said it was not only a success for the
Taiwan anti-nuke movement, but also a slap to the new deal of the American
nuclear facilities export to China after the Clinton-Jiang meeting regarding
the NO-NUKE-ASIA forum.

On 11/05, hundreds anti-nuke activists gathered in front of the Legislative
Yuan to call for a cut on the budget of the fourth nuclear power plant (two
nuclear reactors). Inside the Legislative Yuan, the anti-nuke legislators (the
members of Democratic Progressive Party, New Nation Front, and New Party)
worked together to cut this budget. First they drew the agenda of the 1998
nuke budget (NT. 71,760,000.00) by a vote of 62 vs. 52. Secondly, two bills
was passed to stop the project and previous budget of the nuke plant (NT.
123,956,823.00) by the votes of 56 vs. 0, when the Kuomintang protested that
they cannot cut the already-approved budget. At finial, the anti-nuke
legislators successfully cut off the 1998 budget by a vote of 56 vs. 0.

"This is not only a success for the Taiwan ten-year anti-nuke movement", said
Kao Chen-Yuan, Convener of Green Party Taiwan, "but also a blow to the
Clinton-Jiang meeting, in which they agreed a 40 billion deal of nuclear
facilities export to China." 

Kao said that Taiwan was in a very critical and strategic position on the Asia
and worldwide anti-nuke movement. Kao explained, "the reactors of the fourth
nuclear power plant in Taiwan are the first deal that the United States sell
its nuclear reactors to Asia in the recent ten years." "It is a critical deal
to save the obsolete American nuclear industry." "It is also the first
cross-country nuclear cooperation by the United States and Japan in Asia."
"Now, we are not only anti-nuke activists in Taiwan, we have the
responsibility for the anti-nuke in Asia."

According the Budget Law of Taiwan, every budget has to be reviewed by the
following procedure: the first reading, the affiliated committee, the
Whole-Member Committee, the second reading, and the third reading. 

The Legislative Yuan has scheduled on 11/13 to review the 11/05's cut. All
parties have issued its mobilization order to ask all of its Congress members
to show up on 11/13.

The Coalition of Taiwan Anti-Nuke also urges its supporters to block the
Legislative Yuan to demonstrate its popularity of anti-nuke in Taiwan.

Anti-nuke power plant movement has a pretty strong base in Taiwan. In 1994, a
civilian-initiated referendum on the fourth power plant in Taipei county,
despite of governmental harassment, had twenty percent of voter turnout (about
400,000 voters). Almost vote against to the project of the fourth nuclear
power plant. The authorities did not recognize its legal binding. 

In 1994, the KMT passed the 8-years budget of the nuke power plant despite of
the regulation of the Budget Law, asking an annual-review base on budget
review. The anti-nuke called it illegal and asked for a judicial review.
However, this request has been hold by the inactive of the Judicial
Commission.

In 1996, the Legislative Yuan passed a resolution to stop the project of the
4th Nuke power plan. However, it was vetoed by the Executive Yuan, when
needing 2/3 majority to overrule this veto.  


best regards,

Chau-Yi Lin
[O] 886-2-362-1362    [F] 886-2-362-1361
[H] 886-2-658-6924