Fistfight among Taiwanese lawmakers delays nuclear plant vote

Vote on national referendum triggers brawl in parliament.

Lawmakers threw punches and hurled water bottles at each other ahead of an expected vote that would authorize a referendum on whether to finish a fourth nuclear power plant on Taiwan.

Scuffles between water-throwing legislators saw two male lawmakers wrestling on the floor. The fracas delayed a vote on whether to go ahead and complete Taiwan's fourth nuclear complex.

Nuclear power has long been a heated issue in Taiwan and became more so after the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan in March 2011. Many Taiwanese consider nuclear power an unacceptable safety risk for the earthquake-prone island.

Proponents, however, claim serious power shortages are inevitable if the fourth plant is not completed.

The fight on Aug. 2 pitted the pro-referendum allies of President Ma Ying-jeou’s ruling Nationalist Party against strongly anti-nuclear forces affiliated with the main opposition Democratic Progressive Party.

DPP lawmakers occupied the legislative podium on Aug.1 amid vows to disrupt the vote. With a large Nationalist majority in the 113-seat legislature, the referendum bill is expected to pass easily.

Construction of Taiwan’s fourth nuclear power plant began in 1997 but was halted while the DPP was in power between 2000 and 2008. If the referendum is passed it could become operational by 2016.