Doctors at the Chi Mei Medical Center in Tainan said yesterday afternoon that both President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀連) were in stable condition after yesterday's shooting, with Chen sustaining a laceration wound to his lower abdomen and Lu a wound to her right kneecap.
"President Chen's wound was 11cm long and 2cm wide. The wound ran horizontally across his lower abdominal region and was 2 cm deep," said Chi Mei Medical Center superintendent Steve Chan (
Chan said that Chen's wound had been disinfected and that contaminated tissue was removed before he was given 32 stitches. Chan said that Chen had not sustained any internal injuries and that the wound had only reached tissue just under the skin.
PHOTO: WANG YU-TING, LIBERTY TIMES
Chan also said that Lu had sustained a 2cm external wound on her right kneecap and that she received local anesthesia. No foreign matter was found in Lu's wound.
Both Chen and Lu left the hospital at around 7pm yesterday evening, bound for Taipei.
X-rays and computerized tomography scans (CT scans) that Chen underwent after his wound had been treated revealed that metallic material, identified as part of a bullet, was deposited between his body and his jacket in his lower back area.
Hospital officials explained that damage to Chen's jacket indicated that a bullet had penetrated from Chen's right and exited on his left.
Chan said that Chen had walked into the medical center under his own power at around 2pm yesterday and that an initial examination showed his vital signs to be stable. His blood pressure was 142 over 74, his pulse was 84 beats per minute and he was breathing at a rate at 22 breaths per minute. Despite his stable vital signs, Chen was treated in the hospital's intensive care unit.
According to Chan, Chen informed doctors that at the time of the shooting he heard a sound but at first did not realize that he had been injured. A little while later, he began to feel pain in his abdominal area.
The medical team that was traveling with Chen sent him to the hospital after noticing that he was bleeding.
Center officials said that Chen's condition would remain stable as long his wound did not become infected. Chen was prescribed antibiotics in order to prevent infection.
Hospital authorities said that Chen's jacket, the bullet and other items that might be relevant to the police's investigation into the matter would be handed over to appropriate authorities.
Chan said that Chen appeared calm and alert.
Upon entering the hospital, Chen spoke with first lady Wu Shu-chen (
National Taiwan University Hospital spokesperson Lin Ho-shing (林鶴雄) said that the hospital's emergency contingency committee had held a meeting upon learning of the shooting.
He said that the hospital was on standby yesterday afternoon in the event that Chen had to be transfer-red there for treatment.
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Monday called for greater cooperation between Taiwan, Lithuania and the EU to counter threats to information security, including attacks on undersea cables and other critical infrastructure. In a speech at Vilnius University in the Lithuanian capital, Tsai highlighted recent incidents in which vital undersea cables — essential for cross-border data transmission — were severed in the Taiwan Strait and the Baltic Sea over the past year. Taiwanese authorities suspect Chinese sabotage in the incidents near Taiwan’s waters, while EU leaders have said Russia is the likely culprit behind similar breaches in the Baltic. “Taiwan and our European
The Taipei District Court sentenced babysitters Liu Tsai-hsuan (劉彩萱) and Liu Jou-lin (劉若琳) to life and 18 years in prison respectively today for causing the death of a one-year-old boy in December 2023. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said that Liu Tsai-hsuan was entrusted with the care of a one-year-old boy, nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴), in August 2023 by the Child Welfare League Foundation. From Sept. 1 to Dec. 23 that year, she and her sister Liu Jou-lin allegedly committed acts of abuse against the boy, who was rushed to the hospital with severe injuries on Dec. 24, 2023, but did not
LIKE-MINDED COUNTRIES: Despite the threats from outside, Taiwan and Lithuania thrived and developed their economies, former president Tsai Ing-wen said Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Saturday thanked Lithuania for its support of Taiwan, saying that both countries are united as partners in defending democracy. Speaking at a reception organized by the Lithuania-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group welcoming her on her first visit to the Baltic state, Tsai said that while she was president from 2016 to last year, many Lithuanian “friends” visited Taiwan. “And I told myself I have to be here. I am very happy that I am here, a wonderful country and wonderful people,” Tsai said. Taiwan and Lithuania are in similar situations as both are neighbors to authoritarian countries, she
Taiwanese indie band Sunset Rollercoaster and South Korean outfit Hyukoh collectively received the most nominations at this year’s Golden Melody Awards, earning a total of seven nods from the jury on Wednesday. The bands collaborated on their 2024 album AAA, which received nominations for best band, best album producer, best album design and best vocal album recording. “Young Man,” a single from the album, earned nominations for song of the year and best music video, while another track, “Antenna,” also received a best music video nomination. Late Hong Kong-American singer Khalil Fong (方大同) was named the jury award winner for his 2024 album
RSS