Thousands rally for end to nuclear power in Taiwan
Thousands oppose island's atomic energy use, three years after Fukushima disaster
Tens of thousands marched in Taiwan yesterday to call for an end to nuclear energy on the island, ahead of the third anniversary of the Fukushima atomic disaster in Japan, organisers said.
In Taipei, protesters held placards and flags painted with slogans such as "No nuke, no more Fukushima" and "No nuke, save Taiwan" as they marched in the rainy, cold weather.
Worries about Taiwan's atomic facilities have grown since a 9.0-magnitude earthquake and tsunami struck Japan on March 11, 2011, crippling a nuclear power plant in Fukushima.
Protest organisers demanded the government immediately halt construction of a new nuclear power plant and remove nuclear waste from an offshore islet, while moving to stop using nuclear energy altogether, said Liu Hui-min, a spokeswoman for the National Nuclear Abolition Action Platform.
"We urge the government to face anti-nuclear demands from the people instead of trying to stall the issues or suppress different opinions," she said.
The Taipei event drew more than 50,000 people, while three other rallies held simultaneously across the island had a combined turnout of more than 30,000, according to an initial estimate by organisers. Police estimates of the crowd size were not immediately available.
Taiwan's three existing nuclear plants supply about 20 per cent of Taiwan's electricity. Construction of the fourth was originally due to be finished by 2004, but political wrangling has delayed the project.
"The fourth nuclear plant is very unsafe and we want it scrapped. We want a nuclear-free hometown," said Tzeng Jeng-nan, a teacher from Kungliao, a coastal town near Taipei where the plant is located.
