President Ma Ying-jeou paid a visit on the morning of March 15 to the Executive Yuan's Atomic Energy Council (AEC), where he said the government, in response to the nuclear accident in Japan triggered by the recent earthquake, will examine safety measures for the nation's nuclear power plants, and will also strengthen disaster preparedness drills to ensure our ability to respond to a multi-pronged disaster and protect the lives and property of the public.
After receiving a briefing from the AEC on the earthquake in northeastern Japan and the ensuing nuclear accident, President Ma led Vice Premier Sean C. Chen, Minister of Economic Affairs Yen-Shiang Shih, Interior Minister Jiang Yi-Huah, and Atomic Energy Council Minister Tsai Chuen-Horng in observing a minute of silence for the disaster victims.
The president commented that the calamities in Japan include an earthquake, tsunami, fires, and a nuclear accident—a classic multi-pronged disaster—and have already caused considerable losses. Official statistics at present indicate over 2,000 people have died and damage to property exceeds US$100 billion. President Ma stated that while praying for Japan, we also need to look inward and see how we would respond to such a disaster. With regard to the nuclear accident triggered by the earthquake in Japan, the president announced that the government will examine the safety measures implemented at Taiwan's three currently operational nuclear power plants, as well as the fourth nuclear plant, which is now under construction. Should a similar incident take place here, the Taiwan Power Company and the AEC must be ready. If need be, generating units must be sacrificed to safeguard the lives and property of the public. Addressing concerns about the extended period of service of the first, second, and third nuclear plants, as well as the construction of the fourth plant, President Ma remarked that any decision must take into consideration the national energy supply, energy conservation, and carbon emissions.
President Ma stressed that facing a multi-pronged disaster presents a new type of challenge for Taiwan. Situated in the earthquake belt, Taiwan experiences over 10,000 earthquakes each year, of which more than 1,000 are perceptible. We have experience with typhoons, floods, and earthquakes, but have not dealt much with tsunamis, he said. Consequently, we must make appropriate preparations. Pointing to the Ministry of the Interior as an example, the president noted that in the future it will include text messaging in its emergency notification system, affording the public an extra 15 or 20 seconds to react. At the same time, escape routes and survival packs are being designed, which will reduce loss of life. Starting in March, four counties and cities are carrying out flood drills, and New Taipei City and Pingtung County will institute nuclear accident drills so that the public will be vigilant and know how to react in such a situation. This, he remarked, will reduce damage to a minimum.
President Ma stated that Japan provided a large amount of assistance to Taiwan after the September 21, 1999 earthquake and the flooding and landslides in southern and eastern Taiwan after Typhoon Morakot in August 2009. The people of Taiwan remember this aid, he said, adding that the government quickly sent materials relief and donated NT$100 million to Japan after the recent quake. The president added that the private sector is actively working to raise donations to help Japan through these difficult times, and called on government workers to display modesty and avoid overconfidence about our ability to handle situations of this kind. He said that every effort must be made to prepare for and combat such disasters in order to reduce damages to a minimum. At the same time, he urged the people of Taiwan to pray for Japan and to make donations.