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.
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) yesterday appealed to the authorities to release former Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) from pretrial detention amid conflicting reports about his health. The TPP at a news conference on Thursday said that Ko should be released to a hospital for treatment, adding that he has blood in his urine and had spells of pain and nausea followed by vomiting over the past three months. Hsieh Yen-yau (謝炎堯), a retired professor of internal medicine and Ko’s former teacher, said that Ko’s symptoms aligned with gallstones, kidney inflammation and potentially dangerous heart conditions. Ko, charged with