US Representative Dan Lungren of the Republican Party has called on the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission and other House of Representatives members to investigate the imprisonment of former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁).
The Tom Lantos Humans Rights Commission is a bipartisan caucus in the US Congress aiming “to promote, defend and advocate internationally recognized human rights norms ... both within and outside of [the US] Congress, as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other relevant human rights instruments.”
Chen, serving a term of 17-and-a-half years on bribery and corruption charges, has complained of ailing health in recent months. The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has been calling for the administration of President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) to allow Chen to be given prison leave long enough to visit a hospital and see a doctor.
Photo provided by the Taipei Photojournalists Association.
Chen suffered from acute coronary syndrome last month and was diagnosed with a prostate tumor.
Lungren had sent a letter to the co-chairmen of the commission, Democratic Representative Jim McGovern and Republican Representative Frank Wolf, calling on them to take note of worrying developments these past few weeks about Chen’s gradually worsening health.
The letter cited section 3301 of the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA), claiming a legal basis for the commission to look into Chen’s imprisonment because “The preservation and enhancement of the human rights of all the people on Taiwan are hereby reaffirmed as objectives of the United States,” adding that the commission should strongly encourage Taiwan’s government to let Chen receive adequate medical care outside prison.
Mark Kao (高龍榮), president of the Washington-based Formosan Association for Public Affairs, applauded the motion and called on the commission to inquire into the matter.
Deputy Minister of Justice Chen Shou-huang (陳守煌) was quoted by the Central News Agency as saying that the former president’s health has not deteriorated as his family members claimed, adding that his ministry would be closely monitoring Chen Shui-bian’s health and would pay close attention to his rights.
Chen Shui-bian is serving a sentence handed down by the High Court and everything would be done in accordance with the law, Chen Shou-huang said, adding that the former president’s incarceration was not a matter in which other nations were welcome to interfere.
As for Chen Shui-bian’s family calling on the Ma administration to grant him medical leave, Chen Shou-huang cited Article 58 of the Prison Act (監獄行刑法), saying that unless an inmate has contracted a disease that could not be adequately cared for in prison, and depending on the severity of the situation, the prison administration may contact the Agency of Corrections to apply to have the prisoner sent to a prison hospital or an outside hospital.
The Taipei Prison and the agency would decide whether to give Chen Shui-bian medical leave based on his physical health, Chen Shou-haung said.
Additional Reporting with CNA
Translated by Jake Chung, Staff Writer
‘NO SECURITY RISK’: The Railway Bureau reassured the public that the technicians’ activities were limited to technical guidance and did not involve sensitive systems The Railway Bureau yesterday said it had invited eight Chinese technicians to assist with an airport MRT construction project. The bureau issued the confirmation after an Internet user said Chinese nationals had entered the construction zone of Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport’s Terminal 3 project. They asked why “individuals from an enemy state” were allowed access to such a major national infrastructure project, which raised serious concerns over Taiwan’s industrial safety, sensitive systems and information security. The bureau’s Northern Region Engineering Branch Office said subcontractor Taiwan Handle Industrial Co (台灣手把工業) of the Taoyuan airport MRT’s “Contract No. CU05 Project A14 Station Civil, MEP &
The National Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology yesterday showcased its locally developed variants of the Vision 60 robotic patrol dog, which it plans to deploy on the nation’s outlying territories in the South China Sea. The variants were produced under the Joint Lab project — created by the institute and domestic companies — and assembled with domestically produced motors, lenses and artificial intelligence (AI) systems alongside licensed tech from the US, Missile and Rocket Systems Research Division deputy director Jen Kuo-kang (任國光) told the media event at a military base in Taipei’s Dazhi (大直) area. Taiwan has built up its strengths
NOT IMMEDIATE: Taiwan has a chance to appeal the proposed 10 percent tariff before it starts, while other countries face a 12.5 percent tariff from the trade office Taiwan is among 60 economies determined by the US to have failed to impose or enforce a ban on the importation of goods produced with forced labor, according to a notice released on Tuesday by the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR), which proposed imposing an additional 10 percent or more tariff on them. The USTR in a statement said that following an investigation, it had determined under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 that the failure of the 60 economies to impose and effectively enforce a prohibition on the importation of goods produced with forced labor is
TIT-FOR-TAT: The US allegedly revoked the visa of a Chinese national working at Xinhua News Agency in the US in response to Beijing’s expulsion of Vivian Wang The Presidential Office yesterday condemned China for expelling a New York Times correspondent from Beijing following the newspaper’s interview with President William Lai (賴清德), saying the move highlighted Beijing’s suppression of press freedom and its threat to international news media. Taiwan has noted a series of recent incidents in which Beijing used similar tactics to “threaten and pressure international media outlets and journalists,” Presidential Office spokeswoman Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) said in a statement. “This concerns not only press freedom and freedom of expression, but also the safety of journalists, and Taiwan and relevant partners are paying close attention to the situation,” she
RSS