[3189] “No Nukes” family event highlights Women and Children’s Day on April 4

“No Nukes” family event highlights Women and Children’s Day on April 4

Reported by Chiou Kuo-rong

Written by Lydia Ma

Taiwan Shadow Government Foundation invited approximately 200 children and their parents to a special family event on April 4 to raise awareness on the dangers of nuclear energy. The foundation set up various booths offering fun games aimed at getting people to think about the dangers of nuclear energy. However, the climax of the event was when the foundation asked parents and children to stand up and form the letter “NO” together to convey their opposition to nuclear energy. As they stood to form this word, they also called out slogans such as “Nuclear-free homeland starts with me!” and “I want my kids, not nukes!”

Taiwan Shadow Government Foundation CEO Frank Hsieh said that the purpose for organizing this family event on Women and Children’s Day is to promote a nuclear-free Taiwan and to promote a different way of living. He said that all anti-nuclear energy efforts are ultimately about protecting future generations. He added that the games offered at each station are geared at helping people to realize the dangers of nuclear energy.

In response to recent headlines about the Executive Yuan’s plan to let the nation decide the fate of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant through a national referendum, Hsieh said that it’s preferable if the issue did not go through a national referendum because of the high threshold required to pass any national referendum in Taiwan, which makes referenda a poor reflector of the people’s wishes. He said that it would be best if the government could take initiative and stop building the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant. However, Hsieh warned those who are against nuclear energy to be prepared for the worst case scenario if this issue should culminate in a national referendum.

In related news, former Vice-President Annette Lu submitted two proposals to the New Taipei City Government in the past year that aim to prevent the operation of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant and she also called for the issue to be put to a local referendum. However, the use and legitimacy of holding a local referendum was thrown into doubt by the central government recently, which proposes holding a national referendum on the construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant instead. Premier Jiang Yi-huah explained that the plant’s construction is a matter of national energy policy and power generation, and should therefore be decided through a national referendum rather than a local one.

In response to the Premier’s view, Hsieh said that New Taipei City is the city in where the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant stands, and therefore, the city’s residents should have a say on this issue. “The two referendums don’t contradict each other,” said Hsieh.

Parents and children rally against nuclear energy on Women and Children’s Day.

Photo by Chiou Kuo-rong