by Xin Yage

A large demonstration is held in downtown Taipei against the "Big 4", the island nation's fourth nuclear power plant. Together, mothers and children call on the government to develop a safe alternative. Fr Martinson, natural disasters are "too high a risk".

Taipei (AsiaNews) - On Saturday morning, a line-up of TV stars and more than a thousand children called on the government to develop alternatives to nuclear energy. They made their demand in front of the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall (国立 中正 纪念堂) in Taipei, the political heart of the city. The protest rally was organised to protest against not only the completion of nuclear power station Number Four ("Big 4", 核四) but also against the use of nuclear energy in Taiwan.

'Moms Love Taiwan' (妈妈 监督 核 电厂 联盟) is behind the action, which involved more than a thousand children taking part in an action called "Children's Sky" (孩子 的 天空). Organised by Irene Chen (陈 蔼 玲), a mother and TV celebrity who heads the Fubon Foundation (富邦 金控), a cultural and educational charity, the morning saw a line-up of Taiwanese TV stars, speaking on the issue of nuclear energy.

During her speech, Chen focused on three points: a better government energy plan to reduce dependence on nuclear power right away; the promotion of education about energy and environmental alternatives to nuclear power; and a timetable to close the three existing nuclear power plants to safeguard the island's future and security.

"Responsibility is in our hands," the activist said. "If everyone agrees to reduce energy consumption by 6 per cent, we would not need a fourth nuclear power plant and over time we would be able to dismantle the others."

Flamboyant TV host Kevin Tsai (蔡康永) led the rally, reminding everyone that "nuclear waste cannot be eliminated and radiation that enters the body does not go away."

Using a simple language, a succession of speakers drew the attention of children and parents on the need to prevent disasters like the one that occurred in Japan.

"Taiwan is a small, densely populated island. If something happens we do not have space to move away from the disaster," Tsai Kangyong said.

Uwamae Masako (上前 昌 子), a Japanese from Fukushima who came to Taiwan after the 11 March 2011 disaster, also spoke at the rally.

"I lived 60 kilometres away from the Fukushima nuclear power plant, which is not within the nuclear-influenced range the government expected," Uwamae said.

"However," she added in a plea to dismantle unsafe nuclear power plants, "I still detected surprisingly high amounts of radiation near my house, and that is why I decided to move to Taiwan to stay with my daughter."

Fr Jerry Martinson (丁松筠 神父) made a special appearance. He noted that the island's nuclear power plants are the three most dangerous ones in the world.

"Unfortunately, here we have a fragile bio-ecological system, exposed to earthquakes and possible tsunamis from the ocean. Taiwan is such a small island. We have a prosperous and stable life, and we want all the children who are here and future generations to have the same opportunity. We must put pressure on the government, the companies and experts to find new solutions. We must all work together to reduce energy consumption."

A few months ago, the TV celebrities who took part in the rally had recorded a song titled its Children's Sky (孩子 的 天空). Since yesterday, it has been played on Taiwan's major television and radio channels.

The words of the song are a hymn of hope for children and a commitment on the part of parents to ensure that they have the best possible future.

• taiwan
• rally
• tv
• celebrities
• nuclear
• power