Former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), who remained in detention when he marked his 60th birthday on Wednesday, has not eaten anything for two days in protest against government incompetence and continued judicial persecution, Chen's office said yesterday.
“Former president Chen stopped eating two days ago. He wants to express his anger [at the government] even if it means death. He is very determined,” Chiang Chih-ming (江志銘), the secretary of Chen's office, said yesterday outside the Taipei Detention Center in Tucheng, Taipei County.
Chen's daughter, Chen Hsing-yu (陳幸妤), later rushed to the detention center to visit her father, where she conveyed former first lady Wu Shu-jen's (吳淑珍) concerns about her husband's health on the couple's 34th wedding anniversary.
The former president's lawyer, Shih Yi-ling (石宜琳), later said Chen Shui-bian had been depressed over the past several days and had skipped lunch and exercise.
Shih, however, said the former president did not mention anything about fasting to death.
Lee Da-chu (李大竹), deputy head of the detention center, denied reports that Chen Shui-bian had skipped breakfast and lunch yesterday, saying he had finished his three meals on Thursday.
Lee said the center would pay extra attention to Chen Shui-bian's situation.
The former president conducted a 15-day hunger strike in November after being detained for the first time. He was sent to hospital for a check-up during his first fast.
Chen Shui-bian, who left office in May, has been detained on charges of embezzlement, taking bribes, money laundering, influence peddling and extortion. Wu, their son Chen Chih-chung (陳致中) and his wife, Huang Jui-ching (黃睿靚), and several of his former aides have also been charged with corruption and money-laundering.
Chen Chih-chung and Huang moved to Kaohsiung on Thursday to start a new life in the south. Chiang said the former president knew about their move and understood their decision.
Chen Chih-chung had said on Thursday that he would start looking for a job in Kaohsiung to support his family.
He said his mother would not be moving to his new residence anytime soon because of the difficulty in finding a caregiver.
Also See: Prosecutors quiz witnesses on
AIR DEFENSE: The Norwegian missile system has proved highly effective in Ukraine in its war against Russia, and the US has recommended it for Taiwan, an expert said The Norwegian Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS) Taiwan ordered from the US would be installed in strategically important positions in Taipei and New Taipei City to guard the region, the Ministry of National Defense said in statement yesterday. The air defense system would be deployed in Taipei’s Songshan District (松山) and New Taipei City’s Tamsui District (淡水), the ministry said, adding that the systems could be delivered as soon as the end of this year. The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency has previously said that three NASAMS would be sold to Taiwan. The weapons are part of the 17th US arms sale to
SERIOUS ALLEGATIONS: The suspects formed spy networks and paramilitary groups to kill government officials during a possible Chinese invasion, prosecutors said Prosecutors have indicted seven retired military officers, members of the Rehabilitation Alliance Party, for allegedly obtaining funds from China, and forming paramilitary groups and assassination squads in Taiwan to collaborate with Chinese troops in a possible war. The suspects contravened the National Security Act (國家安全法) by taking photos and drawing maps of key radar stations, missile installations and the American Institute in Taiwan’s headquarters in Taipei, prosecutors said. They allegedly prepared to collaborate with China during a possible invasion of Taiwan, prosecutors said. Retired military officer Chu Hung-i (屈宏義), 62, a Republic of China Army Academy graduate, went to China
INSURRECTION: The NSB said it found evidence the CCP was seeking snipers in Taiwan to target members of the military and foreign organizations in the event of an invasion The number of Chinese spies prosecuted in Taiwan has grown threefold over a four-year period, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said in a report released yesterday. In 2021 and 2022, 16 and 10 spies were prosecuted respectively, but that number grew to 64 last year, it said, adding that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was working with gangs in Taiwan to develop a network of armed spies. Spies in Taiwan have on behalf of the CCP used a variety of channels and methods to infiltrate all sectors of the country, and recruited Taiwanese to cooperate in developing organizations and obtaining sensitive information
BREAKTHROUGH: The US is making chips on par in yield and quality with Taiwan, despite people saying that it could not happen, the official said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) has begun producing advanced 4-nanometer (nm) chips for US customers in Arizona, US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said, a milestone in the semiconductor efforts of the administration of US President Joe Biden. In November last year, the commerce department finalized a US$6.6 billion grant to TSMC’s US unit for semiconductor production in Phoenix, Arizona. “For the first time ever in our country’s history, we are making leading edge 4-nanometer chips on American soil, American workers — on par in yield and quality with Taiwan,” Raimondo said, adding that production had begun in recent
RSS