The Presidential Office has rejected a renewed call from local governments to pardon former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), saying there are still ongoing criminal cases involving Chen.
“Presidential pardon is an issue that will only be considered after a final verdict has been reached. However, a number of criminal cases against Chen are still going on,” the Presidential Office said in a statement released yesterday.
The office issued the statement shortly after the Kaohsiung City Council passed a motion proposed by the council’s Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus urging President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) to grant a pardon to Chen before his term ends on May 20, which it said could facilitate rapprochement between the pan-blue and pan-green camps.
Photo Wang Jung-hsiang, Taipei Times
The motion was signed by 39 city councilors, four of whom are not members of the DPP.
Kaohsiung City Council Speaker Kang Yu-cheng (康裕成) of the DPP said the motion is a catalyst for “blue-green reconciliation.”
The Tainan City Council passed a similar motion proposed by two independent and two DPP city councilors on Wednesday last week, which garnered the support of 34 of the 56 participating city councilors.
Photo: Chang Chung-i, Taipei Times
On Monday last week, the Foundation of Medical Professionals Alliance in Taiwan also called for a presidential pardon for Chen, saying that the former president’s illnesses, including sleep apnea, suspected Parkinson’s disease and osteoporosis, could put his life at risk.
Speaking on the sidelines of a Kaohsiung City Council meeting yesterday, Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊), a DPP member, said she approved of the motion, calling on Ma to make an effort to assuage Taiwan’s political confrontations and break through the blue-green divide.
“I believe the motion submitted by the DPP caucus urging Ma to pardon Chen Shui-bian can help achieve social harmony... Ma’s willingness to handle the matter as a president will be extremely conducive to Taiwan’s development,” Chen Chu said.
Later yesterday, Chen Chu and former minister of health Lee Ming-liang (李明亮) accompanied vice president-elect Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) on a visit to Chen Shui-bian in Kaohsiung, where the former president is living.
Chen Shui-bian, who was in office from 2000 to 2008, has served more than six years of a 20-year prison term for several convictions on corruption charges.
Medical parole granted to the former president has been extended five times since he was first granted compassionate release in January last year. The former president’s health is re-evaluated every three months, with his sixth parole set to expire on May 4.
Meanwhile, Chen Shui-bian’s son, Chen Chih-chung (陳致中), yesterday posted a message on Facebook, thanking the public, the medical alliance and the Tainan and Kaohsiung city councils for showing concern for his father’s health.
“Restoring my father’s health, reputation and freedom is always on the minds of my grandmother and my other relatives,” Chen Chih-chung said.
Additional reporting by Tsai Wen-chu and CNA.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s largest foundry service provider, yesterday said that global semiconductor revenue is projected to hit US$1.5 trillion in 2030, after the figure exceeds US$1 trillion this year, as artificial intelligence (AI) demand boosts consumption of token and compute power. “We are still at the beginning of the AI revolution, but we already see a significant impact across the whole semiconductor ecosystem,” TSMC deputy cochief operating officer Kevin Zhang (張曉強) said at the company’s annual technology symposium in Hsinchu City. “It is fair to say that in the past decade, smartphones and other mobile devices were
US-CHINA SUMMIT: MOFA welcomed US reassurance of no change in its Taiwan policy; Trump said he did not comment when Xi talked of opposing independence US President Donald Trump yesterday said he has not made a decision on whether to move forward with a major arms package for Taiwan after hearing concerns about it from Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平). Trump’s comments on Taiwan came as he flew back to Washington after wrapping up critical talks in which both leaders said important progress was made in stabilizing US-China relations even as deep differences persist between the world’s two biggest powers on Iran and Taiwan. “I will make a determination,” Trump said, adding: “I’ll be making decisions. But, you know, I think the last thing we need right
TAIWAN ISSUE: US treasury secretary Scott Bessent said on the first day of meetings that ‘it wouldn’t be a US-China summit without the Taiwan issue coming up’ There were no surprises on the first day of the summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday, as the government reiterated that cross-strait stability is crucial to the Asia-Pacific region, as well as the world. As the two presidents met for a highly anticipated summit yesterday, Chinese state media reported that Xi warned Trump that missteps regarding Taiwan could push their two countries into “conflict.” Trump arrived in China with accolades for his host, calling Xi a “great leader” and “friend,” and extending an invitation to visit the White House
SECURITY: Taipei presses the US for arms supplies, saying the arms sales are not only a reflection of the US security commitment to Taiwan but also serve as a mutual deterrent against regional threats Taiwan is committed to preserving the cross-strait “status quo” and contributing to regional peace and stability, the Presidential Office said yesterday. “It is an undeniable fact that the Republic of China is a sovereign and independent democratic nation,” Presidential Office spokeswoman Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) reiterated, adding that Beijing has no right to claim sovereignty over Taiwan. The statements came after US President Donald Trump warned against Taiwanese independence. Trump wrapped up a state visit to Beijing on Friday, during which Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) had pressed him not to support Taiwan. Taiwan depends heavily on US security backing to deter China from carrying
RSS