A fourth nuclear power plant is currently under construction ^[1] in Taiwan, in Gongliao town, just 40 km away from the capital Taipei ^[2].

In 1988, eight years after the Taiwan Power Company first decided to build the plant, locals in Gongliao held the first meeting of what became their anti-nuclear organization. In 1994, they even held their own referendum ^[3] [zh], which revealed that 96% of locals were opposed to the plant's construction.

Nevertheless, the government disregarded such opinions and took steps to suppress these voices.

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A protest against Taiwan's fourth nuclear power plant in 2010. Image by Alvin Chua (CC BY 2.0).

In 1991 ^[3] [zh], after protesters put up structures on land planned for the future nuclear power plant, police tried to tear down them down.

10月3日，因警方違反協議拆除棚架並毆打自救會會長引爆激烈衝突，衝進圍籬的箱型車因撞到柱子翻倒而意外壓死一名保警，史稱1003事件。郝柏村內閣趁勢聯合媒體抹黑自救會和支持反核者，開車的反核義工林順源被判無期徒刑、自救會執行長高清南被判十年徒刑。

In 1999, after the Atomic Energy Council approved the license for construction of the fourth nuclear power plant, the government revoked the fishery rights ^[5] [zh] of locals in Gongliao without notice. Locals refused the compensation ^[3] [zh] offered by the government and went to the Executive Yuan ^[6] to protest against this decision.

憤怒的漁民把經濟部逕自撥給漁會的兩億多元補償金支票立刻退回，集結到立法院門前高喊：「還我漁業權！」「我們要給子孫代代吃，不是要給我們吃而已！」

In 2000, these anti-nuclear activists rode a rollercoaster after the Democratic Progressive Party candidate took office. The ruling party decided to suspend the construction of the fourth nuclear power plant. However, because political conflict ^[3] [zh] between the ruling party and the opposition party could not be resolved, the ‘cancellation’ itself was voided in 2001:

亞洲金融風暴的後座力到2001年在台爆發，佔立法院多數席次的國民黨把經濟衰退的帳「理所當然」地推給核四停建，民進黨則反手把黑鍋推給貢寮鄉民。

After more than 20 years of protests against the nuclear power plant, construction has resumed, leaving locals to deal with their own fear without hope ^[3] [zh]:

「看核電廠距離我家那麼近，當然馬ㄟ驚啊！」坐在澳底仁和宮前看年輕人表演的貢寮老人嘆氣說，但都快要蓋好了，你能拿政府怎麼辦？

In Japan, there are also some lonely protesters opposed to nuclear power plants there. The residents (less than 500) in Iwaishima (祝島) ^[3] [zh] have protested against the local nuclear power plant for more than 28 years:

儘管平均年齡已65歲，這群阿伯阿母、阿公阿嬤仍不放棄對抗蠻橫的國家機器，「我們不想千年流傳下來的海被污染」。

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Protest against the fourth nuclear power plant in 2010. Image by Alvin Chua (CC BY 2.0).

After the greatest earthquake in the recorded history of Japan ^[9] took place this month, there was worry ^[10] over the type of fuel used in reactor unit 3 of the country's damaged Fukushima I nuclear power plant ^[11]:

However, not many people know that six months ago a concern group ^[12] [jp] formed by Japanese elders (福島老朽原発を考える会) for the Fukushima I nuclear power plant traveled all the way to Tokyo to protest against the Tokyo Electricity Power Company and the use of MOX fuels ^[13]:

運転開始34年の老朽炉に10年以上前の古い燃料を使うという無茶をするのに、県民への説明は一切なしというのはどういうことか。

止まらぬ燃料漏えいへの対処、電源喪失事故の原因究明、格納容器の耐震強度問題等々、危険なプルサーマルの前に東電には対処すべきことが山積している。東電にプルサーマル炉の運転を任せることなどとてもできない。

Roodo blogger Summerlake, after seeing the photos ^[14] [zh] of the elders’ protest in Tokyo, said:

孤單的幾個人站在熱鬧的街頭上，顯得突兀，沒有媒體願意傾聽，沒有社會大眾願意相信，他們微弱而真實的聲音。貢寮鄉親在台北城街頭的身影，突然那麼令人難過。大家在哪裡？