Doctors at the Chi Mei Medical Center in Tainan said yesterday afternoon that both President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀連) were in stable condition after yesterday's shooting, with Chen sustaining a laceration wound to his lower abdomen and Lu a wound to her right kneecap.
"President Chen's wound was 11cm long and 2cm wide. The wound ran horizontally across his lower abdominal region and was 2 cm deep," said Chi Mei Medical Center superintendent Steve Chan (
Chan said that Chen's wound had been disinfected and that contaminated tissue was removed before he was given 32 stitches. Chan said that Chen had not sustained any internal injuries and that the wound had only reached tissue just under the skin.
PHOTO: WANG YU-TING, LIBERTY TIMES
Chan also said that Lu had sustained a 2cm external wound on her right kneecap and that she received local anesthesia. No foreign matter was found in Lu's wound.
Both Chen and Lu left the hospital at around 7pm yesterday evening, bound for Taipei.
X-rays and computerized tomography scans (CT scans) that Chen underwent after his wound had been treated revealed that metallic material, identified as part of a bullet, was deposited between his body and his jacket in his lower back area.
Hospital officials explained that damage to Chen's jacket indicated that a bullet had penetrated from Chen's right and exited on his left.
Chan said that Chen had walked into the medical center under his own power at around 2pm yesterday and that an initial examination showed his vital signs to be stable. His blood pressure was 142 over 74, his pulse was 84 beats per minute and he was breathing at a rate at 22 breaths per minute. Despite his stable vital signs, Chen was treated in the hospital's intensive care unit.
According to Chan, Chen informed doctors that at the time of the shooting he heard a sound but at first did not realize that he had been injured. A little while later, he began to feel pain in his abdominal area.
The medical team that was traveling with Chen sent him to the hospital after noticing that he was bleeding.
Center officials said that Chen's condition would remain stable as long his wound did not become infected. Chen was prescribed antibiotics in order to prevent infection.
Hospital authorities said that Chen's jacket, the bullet and other items that might be relevant to the police's investigation into the matter would be handed over to appropriate authorities.
Chan said that Chen appeared calm and alert.
Upon entering the hospital, Chen spoke with first lady Wu Shu-chen (
National Taiwan University Hospital spokesperson Lin Ho-shing (林鶴雄) said that the hospital's emergency contingency committee had held a meeting upon learning of the shooting.
He said that the hospital was on standby yesterday afternoon in the event that Chen had to be transfer-red there for treatment.
WANG RELEASED: A police investigation showed that an organized crime group allegedly taught their clients how to pretend to be sick during medical exams Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) and 11 others were released on bail yesterday, after being questioned for allegedly dodging compulsory military service or forging documents to help others avoid serving. Wang, 33, was catapulted into stardom for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代). Lately, he has been focusing on developing his entertainment career in China. The New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office last month began investigating an organized crime group that is allegedly helping men dodge compulsory military service using falsified documents. Police in New Taipei City Yonghe Precinct at the end of last month arrested the main suspect,
A cat named Mikan (蜜柑) has brought in revenue of more than NT$10 million (US$305,390) for the Kaohsiung MRT last year. Mikan, born on April 4, 2020, was a stray cat before being adopted by personnel of Kaohsiung MRT’s Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station. Mikan was named after a Japanese term for mandarin orange due to his color and because he looks like an orange when curled up. He was named “station master” of Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station in September 2020, and has since become famous. With Kaohsiung MRT’s branding, along with the release of a set of cultural and creative products, station master Mikan
LITTORAL REGIMENTS: The US Marine Corps is transitioning to an ‘island hopping’ strategy to counterattack Beijing’s area denial strategy The US Marine Corps (USMC) has introduced new anti-drone systems to bolster air defense in the Pacific island chain amid growing Chinese military influence in the region, The Telegraph reported on Sunday. The new Marine Air Defense Integrated System (MADIS) Mk 1 is being developed to counter “the growing menace of unmanned aerial systems,” it cited the Marine Corps as saying. China has constructed a powerful defense mechanism in the Pacific Ocean west of the first island chain by deploying weapons such as rockets, submarines and anti-ship missiles — which is part of its anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) strategy against adversaries — the
Eleven people, including actor Darren Wang (王大陸), were taken into custody today for questioning regarding the evasion of compulsory military service and document forgery, the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said. Eight of the people, including Wang, are suspected of evading military service, while three are suspected of forging medical documents to assist them, the report said. They are all being questioned by police and would later be transferred to the prosecutors’ office for further investigation. Three men surnamed Lee (李), Chang (張) and Lin (林) are suspected of improperly assisting conscripts in changing their military classification from “stand-by
RSS