March 8 Anti-Nuclear March in Yilan: Protect Yilan, Reject Nuclear Power
Text by the Yilan Citizens' Nuclear-Free Platform
In early spring, Yilan is in the thick of the farming season, yet a group of small farmers practicing eco-friendly cultivation are working in the fields by day and staying up late for meetings by night, joining with citizens from all walks of life in Yilan to launch the [Protect Yilan, Reject Nuclear Power] anti-nuclear march, calling on the people of Yilan to take to the streets together on the morning of Saturday, March 8, walking around the old city of Yilan to express, through gentle yet firm action, their determination to protect their homeland.
Yilan County lies an average of 47 km from the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant, and the northernmost township of Toucheng is less than 20 km away. According to a risk assessment by Professor Chuang Ping-chieh of National Chung Hsing University, if a Fukushima-scale nuclear disaster were to occur at the First, Second, or Fourth Nuclear Power Plant, the vast majority of Yilan would become an "exclusion zone within 30 km of the accident," and residents would be fully evacuated within four days of the disaster. Radioactive fallout would sweep straight into the Lanyang Plain, contaminating all agricultural products and soil, and Yilan's thriving agriculture, food processing, hot springs, water activities, tourism and dining, and homestay workers would all lose their jobs. Therefore, "total denuclearization" and "ending the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant" are not only the key to whether Yilan can develop sustainably, but also the number-one issue concerning the lives and property of all the people of Yilan.
On the day of the march, the procession will gather at Diudiudang Forest Plaza opposite Yilan Railway Station, and the action will begin at 9:30 a.m. with "Yilan Anti-Nuclear Gezai." The march will hold a blessing ceremony at the Wugu Temple on Shennong Road in Yilan City, swear the oath "We want children, not nuclear power" in front of National Yilan University, and hold an "Local Anti-Nuclear Action Forum" at the final stop. In addition to demanding total denuclearization and a review of the current energy structure, the organizer, the "Yilan Citizens' Nuclear-Free Platform," will also urge the local government to make full use of Yilan's abundant water resources to develop a community-based hydroelectric network, creating local sustainable food and energy. The procession will be made up of citizens from all walks of life in Yilan, and visitors are also welcome to join the anti-nuclear mini-tour on site, walking the old city alongside local residents and joining hands to show the firm will to "protect Yilan, reject nuclear power."
[Yilan Citizens' Nuclear-Free Platform - Who are we? Why are we anti-nuclear? And what are our demands?]
We are homemakers, small shop owners, small farmers, office workers, NGO workers, craftspeople and artisans, social workers, and teachers. We work in different trades, but we live together in Yilan. Yilan holds the memories and foundations of our lives, as well as our hopes for the future, so we are anti-nuclear.
We come from all directions of the plain, and our political and civic affiliations differ, but we do not want our homeland to be struck by a nuclear disaster, nor can we bear to see our dear family and friends harmed by radiation, so we are anti-nuclear.
During this march, we will walk together once around the old city of Yilan, symbolizing our determination to protect Yilan. The historical sites we pass along the way - Ewang Community, the Yang Shifang Memorial Garden, the Yilan Distillery, the Yilan Administration Hall, and the old prison entrance hall - are all part of the rich humanistic texture of Yilan, evoking the deep memories we have built together with this city; when we walk to Shennong Road and pass the Wugu Temple and National Yilan University, we are reminded that Yilan, a county founded on agriculture, must defend its good farmland, and that we are firmly anti-nuclear for the lives of this generation of citizens and the future of the next generation of children and grandchildren.
Faced with the government's delaying and ambiguous handling of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant issue, the anti-nuclear movement will be a long-term effort, so at the final stop, Songyuan Cottage, we will gather to share why the people of Yilan are anti-nuclear, and invite citizens to join the discussion on issues and actions for continued anti-nuclear attention in Yilan. The road to denuclearization is one we walk together; every day is an anti-nuclear day.
We know clearly: nuclear power is a double-edged sword, with the advantage of stable power output, but what cannot be ignored is the ten-thousand-year toxic legacy of nuclear waste and the high risk of nuclear disaster. No matter how much the economy is developed, no matter how eco-friendly the farming, a single nuclear disaster can destroy everything. Therefore we must learn the lesson of the Fukushima nuclear disaster three years ago, rein in the horse at the edge of the cliff, and not try to control everything. Nuclear power is not something humans can control; when an accident happens, there is simply no time to save the situation or regret it. What we need to work toward is more eco-friendly power and industry, not continuing down the dangerous path of nuclear power. We cannot choose what the previous generation left us, but we can decide what environment we leave to the next generation. Please choose with us: sustainable energy and a safe homeland.
Our demands:
1) Total denuclearization: immediately halt construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant, and do not extend the service life of the First, Second, and Third Nuclear Power Plants.
2) We ask the central government to revise its energy policy, stop the tens of billions in fossil fuel subsidies each year, and invest those funds in the policy development of the energy-saving industry and renewable energy.
3) Yilan's fine mountains and waters are not only agricultural production and tourism resources, but also hold rich potential for alternative energy. We ask the county government to actively develop a small, decentralized rural community hydroelectric network, to protect local food and create sustainable energy.
★March route: Gather and set off from Diudiudang Forest Plaza in front of Yilan Railway Station, walk once around the old city of Yilan (Old City East Road, Old City North Road, Old City West Road, Old City South Road), then turn onto Shennong Road and go straight to the finish at Songyuan Cottage on Jinshi Road~
★March gathering time: 2014.3.8, 9:30 a.m.
★Gathering place: Diudiudang Forest Plaza - in front of Taipower - Wugu Temple - National Yilan University - Songyuan Cottage (No. 26-1, Jinshi Road)
★March format: anti-nuclear creative costumes, anti-nuclear slogans, creative anti-nuclear activities at stops, praying to the Great Emperor Shennong to protect Yilan, local anti-nuclear action forum at Songyuan Cottage, anti-nuclear film viewing and discussion
********************************************
★Notes:
1. Please bring your own light meal:
Since the march will arrive at Songyuan Cottage at lunchtime for a picnic, friends joining the march must bring their own light meal, and come along with a hiker's pack
2. Zero-waste anti-nuclear:
The event advocates anti-nuclear, energy-saving, and love for the Earth, so please help keep the entire march zero-waste (take your trash with you)
3. Zero political parties at the event:
This event is held out of the collective independent awareness of citizens, not initiated by any political party or organization. In this spirit, we welcome every friend who identifies with the anti-nuclear idea to join, but we decline participation in this event by any political party or candidate wearing party or candidate vests or carrying flags.