A decision by judicial authorities to put off the incarceration of former first lady Wu Shu-jen (吳淑珍) after a prison hospital declined to admit her owing to her poor health drew a mixed reaction that was divided along party lines.
While politicians from the Democratic Progressive Party breathed a sigh of relief after the Kaohsiung Prosecutors’ Office ordered Wu’s son, Chen Chih-chung (陳致中), to take his partially paralyzed mother home, lawmakers from the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) questioned the rationale beyond the ruling.
Presidential Office spokesman Lo Chih-chiang (羅智強) said President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) respected the prosecutors’ decision to indefinitely postpone Wu’s incarceration based on an assessment of her health by a medical team commissioned by the Taichung Prison-run Pei Teh Hospital.
DPP spokesman Cheng Wen-tsan (鄭文燦) said Taichung Prison made the right decision not to admit Wu, who has been paralyzed from the waist down since being run over by a truck in 1985.
According to Cheng, DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) breathed a sigh of relief after learning that Wu’s incarceration had been put off indefinitely.
In contrast, KMT Legislator Chiu Yi (邱毅) questioned the prosecutors’ decision and said Minsiter of Justice Tseng Yung-fu (曾勇夫) needed to explain in detail the reasoning behind the decision.
KMT legislative whip Hsieh Kuo-liang (謝國樑) said he was afraid that the move would hinder follow-up investigations of other corruption scandals involving the former first family because other family members might simply incriminate Wu to dodge their responsibilities.
Wu reported to the Kaohsiung Prosecutors’ Office early on Friday in the company of her son in preparation for a journey to Pei Teh Hospital in Taichung.
Many supporters of former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) demonstrated in front of the tightly guarded prosecutors’ office to voice their support for Wu.
Wu traveled to Taichung on a high-speed bullet train, departing from Kaohsiung in the company of her son as well as a prosecutor, a number of police officers and medical professionals.
A medical team composed of 14 physicians from China Medical University in Greater Taichung assessed Wu’s health in 10 categories, during a series of examinations that lasted from 10am through 2pm.
Yang Mei-tu (楊美都), deputy superintendent of the private university, who took part in the assessment, said Wu suffered from low blood pressure, autonomic nervous system disorder and heart disease, adding that Wu also could not urinate by herself and suffered from chronic constipation.
“The medical team concluded that Wu’s chances of survival are unpredictable, that she cannot take care of herself on a day-to-day basis and that it is difficult to provide care for her,” Yang said.
Based on the team’s assessment, the Taichung Prison said it decided not to admit Wu, in accordance with Article 11 of the Prison Act (監獄行刑法).
Besides allowing Wu’s son to take her home, the prosecutors office also ruled that Wu should not change her residence in Greater Kaohsiung without permission and was prohibited from leaving the country under any circumstances.
Wang Chun-li (王俊力), a senior prosecutor at the office, said that as there was no home detention system in place in Taiwan, Wu’s prison term remains unchanged and if and when she begins serving her sentence in prison, she will still have 17-and-a-half years to serve.
“Wu’s incarceration has only been postponed indefinitely,” Wang said, adding that Wu would be summoned to start serving her time whenever prosecutors decide she is well enough to stay behind bars.
Wu and her husband Chen Shui-bian were each sentenced to a total of 19 years in jail by the Supreme Court in November last year for taking bribes when Chen was president. Chen Shui-bian, who had been held at a detention center since late 2008, was transferred to Taipei Prison in Taoyuan County on Dec. 2 to serve his time.
‘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
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
Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as