Chanting slogans like “Stop dangerous nuclear power”, the protestors stood together in front of parliament to spell out the word “STOP” and held up black and yellow signs.

The demonstration came a few days before the ruling Kuomintang party plans to push through a bill to host a nationwide referendum that will decide whether the the island’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,” Liu Hui-min, a spokeswoman for the protest, told AFP.

“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 March 2011 Fukushima crisis in Japan……