A member of the US Congress said on Wednesday that he considered the plight of former Taiwanese president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) to be a tragedy.
Addressing the US House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Representative Steve Chabot soundly condemned Chen’s treatment.
During a committee hearing into the threat of military and economic aggression from China, Chabot said: “I think the fact that the Taiwanese government has decided to move itself into the direction of the criminalization of politics is unfortunate.”
He added: “The previous president — president Chen Shui-bian — is still behind bars.”
“I think for an administration to come in and essentially jail the previous administration is a tragedy,” he said.
Chabot ended his statement — made during the question-and-answer period of the hearing — by saying that he thought the Ma administration should deal with Chen’s imprisonment “sooner rather than later.”
A Congressional staff member, who asked not to be quoted by name because he was not authorized to speak on this issue, said that he expected other members of the House to raise the Chen case.
He said sympathy for Chen was growing, following reports that he was in failing health and being held in a cell without a proper bed and without a table or chair.
The Formosan Association for Public Affairs (FAPA) appealed directly to US President Barack Obama last week to help Chen get medical parole so that he could receive hospital treatment.
So far, the White House has not responded.
Chen is currently serving a 17-and-a-half year term on two concurrent sentences related to corruption charges.
The former president was recently diagnosed with acute coronary syndrome, significantly reduced blood flow and a prostate tumor.
He is only allowed 30 minutes of outdoor exercise each day.
FAPA official Coen Blaauw characterized Chabot’s remarks during the Congressional hearing as “dramatic.”
“Chabot has been a very strong supporter of Taiwan. He has met Chen several times,” Blaauw said.
“There is growing awareness and growing concern among members of the US Congress about Chen’s imprisonment,” he said.
SEND A MESSAGE: Sinking the amphibious assault ship, the lead warship of its class, is meant to show China the US Navy is capable of sinking their ships, an analyst said The US and allied navies plan to sink a 40,000-tonne ship at the latest Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise to simulate defeating a Chinese amphibious assault on Taiwan. This year’s RIMPAC — the 29th iteration of the world’s largest naval exercise — involves the US, 28 partners, more than 25,000 personnel, 40 warships, three submarines and more than 150 aircraft operating in and around Hawaii from yesterday to Aug. 1, the US Navy said in a press release. The major components of the event include multidomain warfare exercises in multiship surface engagements, anti-submarine warfare and multi-axis defense of a carrier strike
Taiwanese could risk being extradited to China when traveling in countries with close ties to Beijing, Taiwan Association of University Professors deputy chairman Chen Li-fu (陳俐甫) said on Friday. Chen’s comments came after China on Friday last week announced new judicial guidelines targeting Taiwanese independence advocates. Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Djibouti are among the countries where Taiwanese could risk being extradited to China, he said. The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday elevated the travel alert for China, Hong Kong and Macau to “orange” after Beijing announced its guidelines to “severely punish Taiwanese independence diehards for splitting the country and inciting secession.” Extradition treaties
The airspace around Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport) is to be closed for an hour on July 25 and July 23 respectively, due to the Han Kuang military exercises, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday. The annual exercise is to be held on Taiwan proper and its outlying islands from July 22 to 26. During last year’s exercise, the military conducted anti-aircraft landing drills at the Taoyuan airport for the first time, for which a one-hour no-fly ban was issued. Based on a live-fire bulletin sent out by the Maritime and Port Bureau, the nation’s
Taiwan and Thailand have signed an agreement to promote and protect bilateral investment and trade, the Executive Yuan’s Office of Trade Negotiations (OTN) said on Friday. The agreement on “Promotion and Protection of Investments” was signed by Representative to Thailand Chang Chun-fu (張俊福) and Thailand Trade and Economic Office in Taipei executive director Narong Boonsatheanwong on Thursday, the OTN said in a news release. Thailand has become the fifth trading partner to sign an investment agreement with Taiwan since 2016, following earlier agreements with the Philippines, India, Vietnam and Canada, the OTN said. The deal marks a significant milestone in the development of