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No let-up as DPP
podium sit-in stretches to day three
ENTRENCHED: DPP lawmakers have cleared their
diaries as they aim to occupy the legislative floor for six days to thwart
efforts to pass a KMT nuclear referendum proposal
By Shih Hsiu-chuan / Staff reporter
Anti-nuclear demonstrators hold
placards while sitting in front of police officers outside the legislature in
Taipei yesterday.
Photo: AFP / Mandy Cheng
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)
lawmakers yesterday continued their occupation of the legislative floor, the
third day of a planned six-day action to boycott a vote on a national referendum
on the controversial Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in Gongliao District (貢寮), New
Taipei City (新北市).
The DPP have demanded that the government halt construction of the plant
immediately in response to the findings of various surveys that show more than
70 percent of the pubic are opposed to the plant.
Due to the high threshold required for a referendum to be valid, the question
asked in the referendum — “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)?” — has been seen by some members of the opposition as a
deliberate tactic by the government to ensure the referendum motion fails and
construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant continues.
DPP caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) said DPP lawmakers have all canceled their
scheduled itineraries in constituencies until Tuesday because “we must do our
utmost to stop the vote.”
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is hoping that the motion on the proposed
referendum will clear the legislature before the new legislative session begins
next month to prevent the “seven-in-one” local elections, slated to be held
nationwide at the end of next year, from complicating the referendum issue.
KMT caucus whip Lin Hung-chih (林鴻池) said KMT lawmakers will check on the
situation inside the legislative building from time to time according to a shift
roster.
“We will try to recover the speaker’s podium if we have a chance,” Lin said.
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