Hundreds of Taiwanese protested in Taipei yesterday over government plans to hold what they call an unfair referendum on the fate of a nearly completed nuclear power plant.

Chanting slogans like "Stop dangerous nuclear power," the protesters stood together in front of the legislature building to spell out the word "Stop" and held up black and yellow signs.[Internet photo]

Chanting slogans like "Stop dangerous nuclear power," the protesters stood together in front of the legislature building to spell out the word "Stop" and held up black and yellow signs.

The protest came a few days before the island's ruling Kuomintang party plans to push through a bill to host a referendum that will decide whether Taiwan's fourth nuclear plant should be completed.

A "No" vote would only be accepted if turnout reaches 50 percent of the island's 18 million people, rather than a poll based on a simple majority.

"Such a design is unfair," said Liu Hui-min, a spokeswoman for the protest.

"Since so many people have voiced against the risky power plant, the government should scrap the project instead," referring to several public surveys which indicated around 70 percent of respondents opposed the plant.

Concerns about the island's nuclear power plants have been mounting since the 2011 Fukushima crisis in Japan.

Taiwan lies near the junction of two tectonic plates and is regularly hit by earthquakes. In September 1999, a 7.6-magnitude quake killed around 2,400 people.

The controversial plant, in the coastal Kungliao district near Taipei, is due to come online in 2015, according to its operator Taiwan Power Company.

The three existing nuclear plants supply about 20 percent of Taiwan's electricity. Two of the plants and several other power stations will be shut down in the near future.

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