Taiwan party chief meeting break on nuclear plant dispute

A rare meeting between Taiwan leader Ma Ying-jeou and the chairman of the island's major opposition party on Friday failed to reach consensus on the fate of a planned nuclear power plant.

In his capacity as chairman of the ruling Kuomintang (KMT) Party, Ma met with Su Tseng-chang, who chairs the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), to debate issues surrounding Taiwan's fourth nuclear power plant that is under construction in New Taipei City.

Civic groups have protested against the plant over safety fears. Protests escalated on Tuesday as former DPP chairman Lin Yi-hsiung staged a hunger strike to demand construction of the plant be scrapped.

Despite deciding to put the issue to a referendum, the Ma-Su meeting failed to agree on a time, with Ma insisting holding a vote after a safety evaluation, while Su demanded an immediate one.

The two party chiefs also disagreed on the turnout threshold of the referendum on whether to continue with the construction. The Taiwan authority has promised not to install the fuel rod or activate the plant before the referendum.

Taiwan's share price closed lower on Friday with the weighted index down 171.33 points, as the market feared suspension of the power plant construction might push up electricity prices.

Civic groups have threatened street protests over the weekend.