Former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) is to carefully consider whether to attend the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) national congress tomorrow, his son said yesterday.
Chen Chih-chung (陳致中) issued the statement in response to a proposal that his father, who is on medical parole, attend the meeting to show his appreciation of those who are promoting a motion for his pardon.
Chen Shui-bian is required to obtain Taichung Prison’s approval in advance if he wants to take part in any public activities, Taichung Prison Deputy Warden Lin Shun-pin (林順斌) said, adding that the prison has not yet received any such request.
Chen Shui-bian was convicted of corruption and sentenced to 20 years in prison shortly after the second term of his presidency ended in 2008.
He was serving his sentence at Taichung Prison, but was released in January 2015 on medical parole due to various ailments.
He has since been living in Kaohsiung.
An alliance of DPP politicians is planning to raise a motion at the upcoming national congress, calling for President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) to grant a special pardon to the former president.
DPP Kaohsiung City Councilor Hsiao Yung-ta (蕭永達), who is a leading member of the alliance, yesterday said that the motion has been endorsed by 511 of the party’s 591 representatives, showing that it is the “mainstream opinion” within the party.
The alliance urges Chen Shui-bian to seriously consider the possibility of attending the congress to show his appreciation for the party representatives pushing for his pardon, Hsiao said.
Separately yesterday, DPP legislative caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) said he believes that Tsai will use her wisdom to deal with the issue of Chen Shui-bian’s pardon and that the party will respect her handling of the matter.
The coast guard drove away 567 Chinese boats and seized seven illegally operating in Taiwanese waters in the first six months of this year, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said yesterday. They mostly operated near Kinmen and Penghu counties, resulting in fines totaling NT$1.7 million (US$52,440), it said. Three ships — two near Kinmen County and one near Penghu County — were detained in January for illegally crossing the border, while one ship each was detained near Kinmen in February and Penghu in March respectively, it said. The ship seized near Penghu in January was the Yun Ao (雲澳), detained by the CGA’s
The entire Alishan Forest Railway line is to reopen for the first time in 15 years on Saturday, with tickets to go on sale at 2pm today. The historic railway from Chiayi to Alishan (阿里山) is finally set to reopen after the completion of the final No. 42 tunnel, Alishan Forest Railway and Cultural Heritage Office Deputy Director-General Chou Heng-kai (周恆凱) said. It is to run on a new timetable, with four trains daily, he said. The 9am train is to depart from Chiayi Railway Station bound for Shizilu Station (十字路), while the 10am train departing from Chiayi is to go all the
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Beijing’s recent provocative actions against the Philippines in the South China Sea were partly meant as a “dress rehearsal” for the invasion of Taiwan, former US deputy national security advisor Matt Pottinger said at a Heritage Foundation forum in Washington on Tuesday. Beijing’s blocking of a Philippine resupply mission on June 17 with unprecedented violence had multiple implications. “What they’re doing is trying to demonstrate that they can blockade, create a sense of futility and discredit the idea that the United States is going to help not only the Philippines, but by extension Taiwan,” Pottinger said. Pottinger was referring to a clash