Former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) yesterday started a radio show on Smile Taiwan with Smile founder Shih Chuan (石川) as his first guest.
Speaking to reporters before the program began, Chen said it was his first time hosting a show, and although he was unfamiliar with radio, he was not embarrassed to learn something new.
The program would not focus on politics, but rather life and inspiring stories, he said.
Photo: Wang Jung-hsiang, Taipei Times
His guests would be people from various professions with inspiring stories, he said, adding that among those he planned to interview was the composer of Mother’s Tears (阿母的目屎), the lyrics to which Chen wrote while in prison.
Chen was sentenced to 20 years in prison for money laundering and bribery, but was released on medical parole on Jan. 6, 2015, due to his deteriorating health.
As part of his parole, he may not appear on stage, give speeches or interviews, or discuss politics, and must abide by medical parole regulations, the prison said.
Taichung Prison deputy warden Wu Chao-ming (吳照明) has said it would collect data as part of an evaluation of Chen’s program.
Responding to reports that the prison did not approve of his radio show, Chen said that prison authorities had visited him on Wednesday, and that they had communicated about it in advance.
The show is scheduled to air every Sunday from 10am to 11am on the Kaohsiung-based station.
During yesterday’s show, Chen and Shih discussed growing up in poor families and their personal journeys.
Chen said he is grateful that his parents helped him pursue an education even if that meant borrowing money for tuition, and they respected his choice of the path he wanted to take, including changing his course of study from business to law.
He said that young people should work hard, adding that hard work can make up for a person’s shortcomings.
Alain Robert, known as the "French Spider-Man," praised Alex Honnold as exceptionally well-prepared after the US climber completed a free solo ascent of Taipei 101 yesterday. Robert said Honnold's ascent of the 508m-tall skyscraper in just more than one-and-a-half hours without using safety ropes or equipment was a remarkable achievement. "This is my life," he said in an interview conducted in French, adding that he liked the feeling of being "on the edge of danger." The 63-year-old Frenchman climbed Taipei 101 using ropes in December 2004, taking about four hours to reach the top. On a one-to-10 scale of difficulty, Robert said Taipei 101
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence
Two Taiwanese prosecutors were questioned by Chinese security personnel at their hotel during a trip to China’s Henan Province this month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. The officers had personal information on the prosecutors, including “when they were assigned to their posts, their work locations and job titles,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. On top of asking about their agencies and positions, the officers also questioned the prosecutors about the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement, a pact that serves as the framework for Taiwan-China cooperation on combating crime and providing judicial assistance, Liang
US climber Alex Honnold left Taiwan this morning a day after completing a free-solo ascent of Taipei 101, a feat that drew cheers from onlookers and gained widespread international attention. Honnold yesterday scaled the 101-story skyscraper without a rope or safety harness. The climb — the highest urban free-solo ascent ever attempted — took just more than 90 minutes and was streamed live on Netflix. It was covered by major international news outlets including CNN, the New York Times, the Guardian and the Wall Street Journal. As Honnold prepared to leave Taiwan today, he attracted a crowd when he and his wife, Sanni,
RSS