Minister of Justice Tseng Yung-fu (曾勇夫) yesterday said that he is to ask Taipei Prison to improve the conditions in which former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) is being held after he concludes his hospital treatment outside the jail.
Tseng said Chen is already receiving better treatment than other inmates, but the Ministry of Justice has still asked the prison to improve Chen’s conditions.
“We cannot specify how much will be done for now, but his environment will definitely be improved,” Tseng said during a question-and-answer session at the legislature.
Tseng made the remarks after Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Su Ching-chuan (蘇清泉) said that since Chen was recently diagnosed with major depression, some people from the opposition camp have expressed concern that the he should be kept in solitary confinement, away from other inmates, and that the focus should be on treatment for his condition.
Chen’s cell is “too small,” Su said.
Prison representatives have previously said Chen’s cell, which he shares with another prisoner, is 6m2.
According to political commentator Michelle Wang (王美琇), Chen and his cellmate get about 2m2 each after considering space for the latrine and other items.
Chen was admitted to the Taipei Veterans General Hospital on Sept. 21 for a detailed examination in light of his health problems.
Hospital officials said Chen is suffering from severe depression and should be transferred to a specialized psychiatric hospital and that a change of environment is considered important for his treatment.
Tseng said the question about whether Chen should be granted medical parole will only arise if doctors recommend that this would be the only way to improve his health condition.
EVA Airways today confirmed the death of a flight attendant on Saturday upon their return to Taiwan and said an internal investigation has been launched, as criticism mounted over a social media post accusing the airline of failing to offer sufficient employee protections. According to the post, the flight attendant complained of feeling sick on board a flight, but was unable to take sick leave or access medical care. The crew member allegedly did not receive assistance from the chief purser, who failed to heed their requests for medical attention or call an ambulance once the flight landed, the post said. As sick
A drunk woman was sexually assaulted inside a crowded concourse of Taipei Railway Station on Thursday last week before a foreign tourist notified police, leading to calls for better education on bystander intervention and review of security infrastructure. The man, surnamed Chiu (邱), was taken into custody on charges of sexual assault, taking advantage of the woman’s condition and public indecency. Police discovered that Chiu was a fugitive with prior convictions for vehicle theft. He has been taken into custody and is to complete his unserved six-month sentence, police said. On Thursday last week, Chiu was seen wearing a white
EVA Airways, one of the leading international carriers in Taiwan, yesterday said that it was investigating reports that a cabin crew manager had ignored the condition of a sick flight attendant, who died on Saturday. The airline made the statement in response to a post circulating on social media that said that the flight attendant on an outbound flight was feeling sick and notified the cabin crew manager. Although the flight attendant grew increasingly ill on the return flight, the manager did not contact Medlink — a system that connects the aircraft to doctors on the ground for treatment advice during medical
The Taichung District Court yesterday confirmed its final ruling that the marriage between teenage heir Lai (賴) and a man surnamed Hsia (夏) was legally invalid, preventing Hsia from inheriting Lai’s NT$500 million (US$16.37 million) estate. The court confirmed that Hsia chose not to appeal the civil judgement after the court handed down its ruling in June, making the decision final. In the June ruling, the court said that Lai, 18, and Hsia, 26, showed “no mutual admiration before the marriage” and that their interactions were “distant and unfamiliar.” The judge concluded that the couple lacked the “true intention of
RSS