Former first lady Wu Shu-jen (吳淑珍) has been ordered to report to Taichung Prison’s Pei Teh Hospital next Friday to undergo an evaluation to see if she is well enough to serve a lengthy jail sentence, her son said yesterday.
Chen Chih-chung (陳致中) said his family was deeply worried about the decision by judicial authorities because his mother, who is paralyzed from the waist down, cannot care for herself on a daily basis.
“If she were forcibly incarcerated, it would be no different than killing her,” Chen said.
He said that under the law, prisons should reject convicts who lack the ability to look after themselves, and he urged doctors to make a careful diagnosis of his mother’s condition.
Last November, the Supreme Court ruled that Wu and her husband, former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), should serve a total of 19 years in jail for taking bribes during his term as president.
The Taiwan High Court in December set the sentence at 17.5 years each for the couple.
Chen Shui-bian, who had been held at a detention center since late 2008, was moved to Taipei Prison in Taoyuan County on Dec. 2 to begin serving his time. Prison authorities are now considering how Wu should serve her sentence, given her health condition.
The Kaohsiung District Prosecutors’ Office said yesterday that it would abide by the law in handling Wu’s case, respecting the outcome of an assessment by doctors and follow humanitarian principles.
Following legal procedures, Wu, who is living in Kaohsiung, will be driven by ambulance to the Kaohsiung District Prosecutors’ Office before being sent to Pei Teh Hospital for an evaluation.
If the former first lady is found to be well enough to serve time, she will begin serving her sentence immediately after the evaluation. Otherwise, she will be sent back home to await a further decision by prosecutors.
A car bomb killed a senior Russian general in southern Moscow yesterday morning, the latest high-profile army figure to be blown up in a blast that came just hours after Russian and Ukrainian delegates held separate talks in Miami on a plan to end the war. Kyiv has not commented on the incident, but Russian investigators said they were probing whether the blast was “linked” to “Ukrainian special forces.” The attack was similar to other assassinations of generals and pro-war figures that have either been claimed, or are widely believed to have been orchestrated, by Ukraine. Russian Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, 56, head
SAFETY FIRST: Double the number of police were deployed at the Taipei Marathon, while other cities released plans to bolster public event safety Authorities across Taiwan have stepped up security measures ahead of Christmas and New Year events, following a knife and smoke bomb attack in Taipei on Friday that left four people dead and 11 injured. In a bid to prevent potential copycat incidents, police deployments have been expanded for large gatherings, transport hubs, and other crowded public spaces, according to official statements from police and city authorities. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said the city has “comprehensively raised security readiness” in crowded areas, increased police deployments with armed officers, and intensified patrols during weekends and nighttime hours. For large-scale events, security checkpoints and explosives
PUBLIC SAFETY: The premier said that security would be tightened in transport hubs, while President Lai commended the public for their bravery The government is to deploy more police, including rapid response units, in crowded public areas to ensure a swift response to any threats, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday after a knife attack killed three people and injured 11 in Taipei the previous day. Lai made the remarks following a briefing by the National Police Agency on the progress of the investigation, saying that the attack underscored the importance of cooperation in public security between the central and local governments. The attack unfolded in the early evening on Friday around Taipei Main Station’s M7 exit and later near the Taipei MRT’s Zhongshan
REBUFFED: In response to Chinese criticism over recent arms sales, Washington urged Beijing to engage in meaningful dialogue instead of threats and intimidation Washington’s long-term commitment to Taiwan would not change, the US Department of State said yesterday, urging Beijing to stop pressuring Taiwan and engage in meaningful bilateral dialogues. The remarks came in response to a backlash from Beijing about Washington’s latest approval of arms sales to Taiwan. The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a statement on Wednesday that the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the US has asked to purchase an arms package, including Tactical Mission Network Software; AH-1W helicopter spare and repair parts; M109A7 self-propelled howitzers; HIMARS long range precision strike systems; tube-launched, optically tracked, wire-guided missiles; Javelin
RSS