Annette Lu vows pursuit of anti-plant referendum

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Former vice president Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) yesterday said she would not give up her effort to initiate a local referendum to stop the installation of fuel rods in the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant if her appeal is rejected by the Taipei High Administrative Court next month.

Lu filed a provisional injunction in January after the Executive Yuan’s Referendum Review Committee in May last year rejected a proposal regarding the plant in New Taipei City’s Gongliao District (貢寮).

DPP proposes 25 percent threshold to scrap plant

‘EQUAL OPPORTUNITY’:：Su said a threshold based on vote share would be fairer, while Lin I-hsiung threatened suicide if medical treatment is forced on him against his wishes
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter
Mon, Apr 28, 2014 - Page 1

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday conceded its previous insistence on a simple majority threshold in the referendum for the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant to appeal to President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) to end the hunger strike of anti-nuclear advocate Lin I-hsiung (林義雄).

The party proposed a threshold based on vote share, rather than turnout, requiring one-quarter of eligible votes to pass a anti-nuclear decision via the referendum.

President visits Presbyterian church

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter
Thu, Apr 24, 2014 - Page 1

President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday visited the Gikong Presbyterian Church, where former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairman Lin Yi-xiong (林義雄) is staging an anti-nuclear hunger strike, as more support from politicians poured in for Lin risking his life as an admonition to the government.

Ma was unable to meet Lin — who is declining to see anyone during the hunger strike that began on Tuesday against the construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei City’s Gongliao District (貢寮) — during his three-minute visit and only signed his name on a notebook prepared by the church and left a card for Lin.

Jiang rejects DPP nuclear statute

PRECEDENT:：The premier said stopping the Gongliao plant’s construction via executive order is unfeasible, as it was ruled unconstitutional when the ex-DPP government did it
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter
Tue, Apr 22, 2014 - Page 1

Premier Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) yesterday turned down a Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) proposal for a special statute that would pave the way for a national referendum on the completion of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant after discussing the matter with DPP Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌).

It is not possible for the Cabinet to issue an executive order halting the construction of the plant in New Taipei City’s Gongliao District (貢寮), Jiang told a joint press conference he held with Su following their 90-minute meeting at the Executive Yuan complex in Taipei.

Su, Hau talk over nuclear power plant

CONCILIATION:：DPP Chairman Su Tseng-chang met with Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin yesterday, in the first sign of a blue-green willingness to discuss the nation’s nuclear issues
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter
Mon, Apr 21, 2014 - Page 1

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) met with Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) yesterday to discuss the DPP-proposed national referendum on the construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant, with both describing the meeting as “the first step toward conciliation” between the pan-green and pan-blue camp.

Su visited Hau, a member of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), at Taipei City Hall to seek the mayor’s support for the DPP’s plebiscite on the plant in New Taipei City’s Gongliao District (貢寮), which was submitted last week as the DPP’s solution to end the 30-year-old controversy over the plant.

DPP plans new law to resolve nuclear dispute

SIMPLE MAJORITY:The party is proposing a statute that will make it easier to vote on whether the nation should continue building a new nuclear power plant
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday said it plans to propose a special statute that will pave the way for a national referendum to resolve the decades-long controversy over the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei City’s Gongliao District (貢寮).

DPP Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) announced the plan at a press conference after it was approved at the party’s weekly Central Standing Committee meeting, saying that stopping the construction of the plant has always been a party goal.

Majority supports referendum on trade agreement: survey

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Most people favor resolving the ongoing dispute between the student activists occupying the legislative floor and the government over the cross-strait service trade agreement through a national referendum, a public opinion poll showed yesterday.

The poll, conducted by Taiwan Indicator Survey Research (TISR), showed that 74.2 percent of respondents backed holding a referendum to resolve the issue, 16.9 percent were against the idea and 8.9 percent did not give an answer.

KMT’s Lee withdraws nuclear poll proposal

By Shih Hsiu-chuan and Chris Wang  /  Staff reporters
Wed, Sep 11, 2013 - Page 1

In an unexpected move, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lee Ching-hua (李慶華) yesterday announced that he would withdraw his proposal to determine the fate of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei City’s (新北市) Gongliao District (貢寮) via a national referendum.

In a short text message, he said it would be “inappropriate” to push forward with the poll at this time.

There has been enormous political upheaval recently and if the referendum were held, it would cause chaos in the legislature, Lee said.

DPP calls on Ma to break deadlock at Legislative Yuan

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday called on President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) to make concessions on a proposal to hold a referendum to decide the fate of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant to break the political stalemate on the issue.

As the DPP caucus continued its occupation of the legislative podium to block the proposal to determine whether to complete the plant in Gongliao (貢寮), New Taipei City (新北市), through a plebiscite from being put to a legislative vote, DPP caucus convener Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) urged Ma to resolve the political standoff.

KMT vows to pass referendum proposal

DPP BOYCOTT:：About 40 DPP lawmakers have locked themselves inside the legislative chamber in a bid to prevent the speaker from opening today’s session
By Shih Hsiu-chuan, Chris Wang, Tang Chia-ling and Jake Chung  /  Staff reporters, with staff writer
Fri, Aug 02, 2013 - Page 1

The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus yesterday said it would push through the proposed referendum it initiated on the fate of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in a vote scheduled for today, but the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus said it would do whatever it takes to block the proposal.

If the proposal passes, a national plebiscite would be have to be held within six months on the question: “Do you agree that the construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant should be halted and that it not become operational” (你是否同意核四廠停止興建不得運轉)?

Annette Lu moots another nuclear referendum bid

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Former vice president Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) said yesterday that she is considering starting a petition in Taipei City for a nuclear referendum to decide whether fuel rods should be inserted into the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei City’s (新北市) Gongliao District (貢寮).

A similar proposal by Lu to hold a referendum in New Taipei City had been rejected on Thursday last week by the Executive Yuan’s Referendum Review Committee, which said the issue “concerns energy policy affecting the nation’s electricity supply, power reserves, industrial sectors, environment and other important matters” and is “an important national policy matter not suitable for a local referendum.”

Opposition boycotts plenary session

By Chris Wang and Lee I-chia  /  Staff reporters
Wed, Apr 24, 2013 - Page 1

A Legislative Yuan plenary session to discuss the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) national referendum proposal on the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei City’s (新北市) Gongliao District (貢寮) went idle again yesterday without any progress as opposition lawmakers continued to boycott the agenda and a cross-party negotiation failed.

In a repeat of Friday’s session, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) lawmakers occupied the podium and boycotted the session, saying that the government should immediately order a halt to construction of the plant, rather than pushing through the referendum.

Academics mull legality of vote

DRASTIC MEASURES:A number of civic groups have planned to file a lawsuit against Premier Jiang Yi-huah if the referendum proposal is passed by the Legislative Yuan
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Premier Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) and the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) may have violated the Referendum Act (公民投票法) through their collaboration in launching a national referendum proposal on the construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei City’s (新北市) Gongliao District (貢寮), a group of academics and lawmakers said yesterday.

Article 13 of the Referendum Act prohibits the nation’s administrative bodies from carrying out referendums or commissioning other organizations to carry out referendums, lawyer Huang Di-ying (黃帝穎) told a press conference organized by the Taiwan Association of University Professors.

DPP to repeat proposal to halt plant’s construction

HIGH HOPES:The party says it knows there are KMT legislators not supporting the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant and is hoping for their support to pass a crucial motion
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said it would repeat its proposal of a week ago to suspend construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in the Legislative Yuan tomorrow and called on Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators to support the cause.

The DPP’s Central Standing Committee (CSC) reached a resolution yesterday that the party caucus would again launch a motion to have the proposal discussed in the plenary session after the same motion failed to pass on Friday, DPP spokesperson Lin Chun-hsien (林俊憲) said.

Ma broke pledge on nuclear safety, lawmakers say

By Chris Wang and Lee I-chia  /  Staff reporters
Wed, Apr 17, 2013 - Page 3

President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration has betrayed its pledge to make the safety of the controversial construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in Gongliao Dictrict (貢寮), New Taipei City (新北市) a priority by sending the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) referendum proposal to the legislature’s plenary session, the pan-green camp said yesterday.

The Legislative Yuan’s Procedure Committee, in which the KMT enjoys a majority, on Monday listed the referendum proposal initiated by KMT Legislator Lee Ching-hua (李慶華) on the agenda for the plenary session on Friday.

Jiang stands firm on referendum plan

NUCLEAR PROPOSALS:：The premier said the DPP had pushed for a referendum on the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant for more than a decade — until he suggested one
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter
Wed, Mar 27, 2013 - Page 3

A nationwide referendum remains the best available option to determine the fate of the controversial Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in Gongliao (貢寮), New Taipei City (新北市), despite most public opinion polls showing strong opposition to the continued construction of the plant and the use of nuclear energy, Premier Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) told the legislature yesterday.

“Public policy should not — and will not, as far as I am concerned — be decided by public opinion polls,” Jiang said in response to a question from Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Huang Wei-cher (黃偉哲) in a plenary session.

TSU files lawsuit over referendum

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

The Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) yesterday filed an administrative lawsuit over the rejection by government agencies of its application to hold a referendum on a cross-strait trade pact, saying that the government’s current referendum proposal on a nuclear power plant adopted the same rationale as the TSU’s rejected initiative.

If President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration, which supports the construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant, was allowed to ask people if they support the suspension of the construction of the plant in a planned national referendum, the TSU proposal should not have been rejected for asking a question that was inconsistent with the proposer’s position, TSU Chairman Huang Kun-huei (黃昆輝) said after filing the lawsuit at the Taipei High Administrative Court.

Motions passed to cease nuclear plant construction

‘AMBUSH’:：KMT lawmakers called the vote an ‘ambush,’ saying that the resolutions were passed before they had a copy of the proposals and vowing to counteract them
By Helen Ku, Shih Hsiu-chuan and Chris Wang  /  Staff reporters
Fri, Mar 22, 2013 - Page 1

Motions demanding that state-owned Taiwan Power Co (Taipower, 台灣電力公司) suspend construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei City’s (新北市) Gongliao District (貢寮) and rejecting the company’s budget proposal for the year were passed yesterday by the legislature’s Economics Committee.

The motions, initiated by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers, shot down Taipower’s plan to spend NT$11.7 billion (US$392.99 million) on the plant this year, including NT$10.7 billion of construction work that has already been outsourced.

Absentee voting OK if it is just domestic: Cabinet

PRAGMATIC:A Cabinet report delivered to the legislature said that overseas absentee voting would be complicated to set up, so transfer voting was the best option for now
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

The Executive Yuan yesterday told lawmakers that it supports the implementation of transfer voting for domestic voters in national referendums or presidential elections to increase democratic participation and guarantee civil rights, but added that the matter would be decided by the legislature.

“The Executive Yuan recommends the adoption of transfer voting in Taiwan. For example, people who live in Pingtung County could vote in Taipei by-elections,” Executive Yuan Secretary-General Chen Wei-zen (陳威仁) told the legislature’s Internal Administration Committee.

Ma must heed the public, abort Gongliao plant: Su

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) yesterday repeated his call for President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) to “fulfil the people’s expectations” by issuing a direct executive order to suspend construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in New Tapei City’s (新北市) Gongliao District (貢寮).

The anti-nuclear movement has been “a national campaign which transcends competition between political parties and is more than a political issue,” Su told an anti-nuclear symposium organized by the DPP’s Democracy Institute, citing strong public support for the movement against finishing the plant’s construction.