Former president Chen Shui-bian’s (陳水扁) secretary said yesterday that Chen had taken off the cast on his right foot, but was still hobbling when he walks.
Chiang Chih-ming (江志銘) said the former president no longer needed the cast for tendonitis in the foot, and did not need a wheelchair.
However, Chen still walks with a bit of a limp, so he may not be able to get much exercise at the detention center, Chiang said.
Last week Chen was diagnosed by Taipei Detention Center physicians with tendonitis in his right foot, caused by abnormal bone growth.
He wore a cast and used a wheelchair when he appeared at Taipei District Court last week for his corruption trial.
The former president, who has been held at the detention center since December, received visits from former college classmates yesterday.
Chen was glad to see his old friends, but said that because he had difficulty walking and exercising, he asked friends and family to refrain from giving him too much food, otherwise he might put on too much weight, Chiang said.
The former president’s daughter, Chen Hsing-yu (陳幸妤), son Chen Chih-chung (陳致中) and son-in-law Chao Chien-ming (趙建銘), as well as former Taipei Financial Center Corp chairwoman Diana Chen (陳敏薰) were charged with perjury on Friday.
On the same day, former first lady Wu Shu-jen (吳淑珍) was indicted for perjury after allegedly instructing her children to lie during a probe into the embezzlement charges against her and her husband.
‘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
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck off Tainan at 11:47am today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 32.3km northeast of Tainan City Hall at a depth of 7.3km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Tainan and Chiayi County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Chiayi City and County, and Yunlin County, while it was measured as 2 in Kaohsiung, Nantou County, Changhua County, Taitung County and offshore Penghu County, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated