Anti-nuclear march reenacts a post-nuclear-disaster world scene on the streets
Yesterday (3/8), anti-nuclear marches were held simultaneously in eight places across Taiwan, in Taipei, Taichung, Kaohsiung, Taitung, Tainan, Yilan, Miaoli, Hengchun and other places. The National Anti-Nuclear Action Platform estimated that about 80,000 people took to the streets, calling on the government to halt construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant, completely abolish nuclear power, and move nuclear waste out of Lanyu.
Japan's nuclear disaster zone: local residents cannot return home in their lifetime
Taiwan is not entirely uninvolved in the impact of Japan's Fukushima nuclear disaster. At yesterday's march, Huang Jialin, former secretary-general of the Homemakers United Foundation, told the public that if food imported from Japan to Taiwan contains man-made radionuclides such as iodine-131, cesium-134, and cesium-137 - "radiation food" - there will be a cancer risk over the long term.
Huang Jialin said that Taiwan's current allowable radiation level for food does not require "zero detection," but rather passes as long as it is within a certain "trace" amount. At present, for food imported from Japan to Taiwan, Taiwan's requirements are also relatively loose and do not require the Japanese side to provide a certificate of origin or a radiation test certificate, but China, South Korea, Europe, Singapore and other countries all stipulate that these two certificates must be provided before passage is allowed.
When facing doubts about imported radiation food, Taiwan not only has relatively loose requirements, but also tests a relatively low number of samples. The Ministry of Health and Welfare has a "Food Radiation Monitoring Section" (http://www.fda.gov.tw/TC/siteList.aspx?sid=2356), which the public can consult. Hong Kong, China also has a similar website (http://www.cfs.gov.hk/tc_chi/programme/programme_rafs/programme_rafs_fc_01_30_Nuclear_Event_and_Food_Safety.html). If Taiwan and Hong Kong, China are compared, from the occurrence of the Fukushima nuclear disaster to 3/7 of this year, Hong Kong, China tested 179,301 samples of food imported from Japan, while Taiwan tested only 49,675.
Facing the risk of radiation food, Huang Jialin said: "The public must gather their strength and demand that the Taiwan government provide a risk assessment of the allowable standards for food radiation safety, and publish the sources of imported food and food radiation test reports."
At the end of yesterday's march, Cui Suxin, secretary-general of the Green Citizens' Action Alliance, said the march does not end in one day. "This year is the year of 'citizens not cooperating with nuclear power.' Every citizen can, in their own way, declare to the government that we do not obey and do not cooperate. This is the greatest significance of our action today."