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Taiwan isle residents protest against nuclear waste |
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| TAIWAN: May 2, 2002 | ||
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TAIPEI - Aboriginal residents of a tiny island off Taiwan protested outside the country's only nuclear waste dump yesterday, urging the government to speed up plans to close the facility.
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Wearing traditional fighting helmets and armour, the aboriginal tribemen - residents of tiny Lanyu island - unfurled banners and vowed to continue their protest until the government acted. "We hope the central government can send high-ranking officials to communicate and negotiate with Lanyu's organisers in charge of anti-nuclear waste activity," said Chang Hai-yu, a priest and organiser of the rally. "If they don't face our problems sincerely, we will continue to stay here and wait for them," he said. Taiwan currently dumps its nuclear waste - a by-product of its three nuclear power plants - on the tiny island, 80 km (40 miles) southeast of Taiwan. The government has pledged to close the dump by the end of this year, but no money has been allocated for the task in this year's budget. The site's 98,112-barrel capacity is nearly exhausted. Lanyu residents have protested against the dump for years, complaining that the country lacks the ability to properly process waste or deal with potential accidents.
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REUTERS NEWS SERVICE
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