Former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) was released from hospital and returned to a detention center yesterday after doctors said Chen was in stable condition, although he still refused to eat.
Chen left the Taipei County Hospital in Banciao (板橋) by ambulance while dozens of supporters gathered and honked air horns as he was driven back to the Taipei Detention Center in Tucheng (土城), Taipei County.
Chen has refused to eat since he was incarcerated last Wednesday. He was rushed to the Far Eastern Memorial Hospital on Sunday for a check-up after he complained about soreness and discomfort in his chest. He was transferred to Taipei County Hospital on Monday for security reasons.
PHOTO: AFP
Yang Chang-bin (楊長彬), county hospital deputy director, yesterday said that Chen could get in and out of bed by himself, bloating had been reduced and the ketone reaction in his urine had improved. His blood pressure, heartbeat, blood sugar, body temperature and liver functions remained normal, Yang said.
Chen’s lawyer, Cheng Wen-long (鄭文龍), told reporters after visiting the former president that his client was still weak and felt cold most of the time. The former president also said he missed his four grandchildren very much, Cheng said.
Cheng said he would try to get some photographs of the former president’s four grandchildren and bring them to his client.
In related developments, Next Magazine yesterday said that prosecutors were looking into whether Chen and his former right-hand man Chiou I-jen (邱義仁) had pocketed US$25 million in diplomatic funds.
The magazine alleged that Chiou claimed US$5 million in cash from the foreign ministry to promote Taiwan’s WHO bid. Another US$20 million, which Chiou also received in cash, was supposed to be given to ally Panama’s leader Martin Torrijos as a “political donation” to prevent the country from switching diplomatic recognition to China, the magazine said.
The magazine cited an unnamed source as saying prosecutors suspected Chen could have deposited the cash in overseas bank accounts while he was on state visits abroad.
In response, Chen’s office issued a statement dismissing the allegations as “a malicious attempt to confuse public opinion” and to “smear the former government’s diplomatic efforts.”
Meanwhile, in related news, US State Department Spokesman Sean McCormack yesterday said they were confident in Taiwan’s democracy and its legal system.
“We have every expectation that the process will be transparent, fair and impartial,” he said.
McCormack made the remarks in response to a question about whether the US government has concerns about Taiwan’s legal system.
Meanwhile, Chiayi County Commissioner Chen Ming-wen (陳明文), who began a hunger strike on Nov. 11, has agreed to start eating after his wife, Liao Su-hui (廖素惠), visited yesterday and urged him to eat.
Death row inmate Huang Lin-kai (黃麟凱), who was convicted for the double murder of his former girlfriend and her mother, is to be executed at the Taipei Detention Center tonight, the Ministry of Justice announced. Huang, who was a military conscript at the time, was convicted for the rape and murder of his ex-girlfriend, surnamed Wang (王), and the murder of her mother, after breaking into their home on Oct. 1, 2013. Prosecutors cited anger over the breakup and a dispute about money as the motives behind the double homicide. This is the first time that Minister of Justice Cheng Ming-chien (鄭銘謙) has
Ferry operators are planning to provide a total of 1,429 journeys between Taiwan proper and its offshore islands to meet increased travel demand during the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday, the Maritime and Port Bureau said yesterday. The available number of ferry journeys on eight routes from Saturday next week to Feb. 2 is expected to meet a maximum transport capacity of 289,414 passengers, the bureau said in a news release. Meanwhile, a total of 396 journeys on the "small three links," which are direct ferries connecting Taiwan's Kinmen and Lienchiang counties with China's Fujian Province, are also being planned to accommodate
BITTERLY COLD: The inauguration ceremony for US president-elect Donald Trump has been moved indoors due to cold weather, with the new venue lacking capacity A delegation of cross-party lawmakers from Taiwan, led by Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), for the inauguration of US president-elect Donald Trump, would not be able to attend the ceremony, as it is being moved indoors due to forecasts of intense cold weather in Washington tomorrow. The inauguration ceremony for Trump and US vice president-elect JD Vance is to be held inside the Capitol Rotunda, which has a capacity of about 2,000 people. A person familiar with the issue yesterday said although the outdoor inauguration ceremony has been relocated, Taiwan’s legislative delegation has decided to head off to Washington as scheduled. The delegation
TRANSPORT CONVENIENCE: The new ticket gates would accept a variety of mobile payment methods, and buses would be installed with QR code readers for ease of use New ticketing gates for the Taipei metro system are expected to begin service in October, allowing users to swipe with cellphones and select credit cards partnered with Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (TRTC), the company said on Tuesday. TRTC said its gates in use are experiencing difficulty due to their age, as they were first installed in 2007. Maintenance is increasingly expensive and challenging as the manufacturing of components is halted or becoming harder to find, the company said. Currently, the gates only accept EasyCard, iPass and electronic icash tickets, or one-time-use tickets purchased at kiosks, the company said. Since 2023, the company said it
RSS