Two US lawmakers have submitted a medical report calling for immediate medical parole for former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) to the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission.
“Because it is not easily predictable how much Chen’s incarceration conditions need to improve to prevent further serious physical and mental damage, medical parole is the most appropriate effective treatment intervention,” the report said.
It was written by former medical professor Joseph Lin and current medical professors Ken Yoneda and Charles Whitcomb of the University of California.
They visited Chen in prison in Taiwan about a month ago.
The medical team also said there were “compelling humanitarian grounds” for releasing Chen.
“We went to Taiwan as private neutral American citizens, concerned about reports on the medical condition of President Chen,” Lin said.
“We came back convinced that the conditions of his confinement are utterly unacceptable having caused extreme mental stress and serious medical symptoms, some potentially life-threatening,” he said.
Lin said that Chen’s mental state was “particularly worrisome.”
The Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission was formed by the US Congress and is currently co-chaired by Republican Representative Frank Wolf and Democratic Representative James McGovern.
Democratic Representative Robert Andrews and Republican Representative Dan Lungren formally submitted the report to the commission.
The doctors hope that the commission will convene a hearing on Chen’s case and strongly urge President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) to grant medical parole.
“Taiwanese Americans are outraged by the treatment of former president Chen,” Formosan Association for Public Affairs president Mark Kao (高龍榮) said.
“The deterioration in Chen’s physical and mental health is becoming increasingly disturbing to more and more members of Congress,” Kao said.
“To safeguard the welfare of the former president, prevent the deepening of social conflict and preserve Taiwan’s status as a democratic, rights-respecting country, the Ma administration must act immediately,” he added.
Former co-chair of the Taiwan Caucus Representative Steve Chabot said during a recent US congressional hearing that Chen’s incarceration was a “tragedy.”
Saying the charges against Chen amounted to a “criminalization of politics,” he compared Taiwan to a “banana republic.”
Earlier this week, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) joined a signature drive to request medical parole for Chen, adding that he had written letters asking the public and DPP lawmakers, as well as city and county councilors, to support the drive.
It was the first time that Su has taken a public stance on the signature drive that was launched by National Taiwan University doctor Ko Wen-che (柯文哲), medical professionals and pro-DPP groups earlier this year.
Additional reporting by CNA
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS