TAIPEI (Pacnews) — The Marshall Islands, in the central Pacific Ocean, was named by Taiwan as one of the possible dumping grounds for its spent nuclear waste stored outside the capital, Taipei.
Retracting his earlier announcement, Taiwan’s Economics Minister Lin Yi-Fu admitted that naming the Solomon Islands, as a possible storage destination for its nuclear waste, was a “slip of the tongue.”
Clearing the air on the issue that has caused a stir among Pacific island communities, Lin said he had meant to name the Marshall Islands as one of the countries Taiwan was having negotiations with for the storage of waste.
However, according to Taiwan’s Central News Agency, that plan is unlikely to go ahead as well.
Taiwan is now saying it’s unlikely to send nuclear waste to the Marshall Islands, as it will honor any international agreement in place on the shipment and storage of hazardous materials.
The news came at the start of a four-day visit to Taipei by Marshall Islands’ President Kessai Note, who will be holding talks with his Taiwanese counterpart, President Chen Shui-bian.
Note will also meet with senior Taiwanese officials, including Minister of Economic Affairs and Council of Agriculture Chairman Fan Chen-chung, as well as visits to major industrial and economic institutions.
Meanwhile, in the Solomon Islands, the country’s Cabinet has asked for independent tests on the Taiwanese humus waste proposed for Makira Island.
The Cabinet has expressed its dissatisfaction with two test results on the content of the humus wastes, which some have suggested to contain low radiation nuclear waste.
It said government was not given the right advice by the relevant authorities.
