Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday called for the release of detained suspects involved in the case against former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), who has been released.
She said former National Security Council secretary-general Chiou I-jen (邱義仁) and other suspects in the case had been detained long enough and should be released as soon as possible.
Tsai told reporters that she was glad to see Chen had been released by the district court.
“I hope Chen gets a good rest at home and has a nice time being with his family and mother,” Tsai said.
“Chen’s release was the result of the judiciary’s respect for human rights and I think the judiciary felt it was not necessary to continue to detain” him, Tsai said.
She said the trial would be a difficult process for Chen, but that he should face it bravely.
Asked by reporters what sanctions the DPP would take against Chen if found guilty at his first trial, Tsai said that the party’s anti-corruption committee had decided Chen would in that case not be allowed to return to the DPP for five years.
Tsai said she was not concerned that Chen’s case would impact DPP performance in next year’s mayoral and commissioner elections.
Tsai said after Chen’s indictment on Friday that her party was willing to assume full political responsibility for what Chen did during his years in office between 2000 and last May.
Chen’s indictment marks one of the most difficult moments in the DPP’s history, Tsai said, calling on all DPP members to stand united in order not to let the party’s supporters down.
Members of the DPP should be kind-hearted and have integrity, Tsai said, adding that she expected Chen to mount a vigorous defense against the corruption charges leveled against him.
In the meantime, Tsai said, the DPP would work to defend Chen’s rights.
She dismissed media reports that the DPP would turn its back on Chen or that it regarded him as a liability to the pro-independence cause.
DPP caucus whip William Lai (賴清德) said the caucus was told that Chen had been released and hoped other defendants in the case would be released soon.
Lai said a defendant should be considered innocent until proven guilty and that the judiciary should therefore not have detained a number of suspects in Chen’s case in order to take their testimony.
The caucus will propose an amendment to the Criminal Procedure Code to set clearer criteria for detention, the lawmaker said.
POLAM KOPITIAM CASE: Of the two people still in hospital, one has undergone a liver transplant and is improving, while the other is being evaluated for a liver transplant A fourth person has died from bongkrek acid poisoning linked to the Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday, as two other people remain seriously ill in hospital. The first death was reported on March 24. The man had been 39 years old and had eaten at the restaurant on March 22. As more cases of suspected food poisoning involving people who had eaten at the restaurant were reported by hospitals on March 26, the ministry and the Taipei Department of Health launched an investigation. The Food and
The long-awaited Taichung aquarium is expected to open next year after more than a decade of development. The building in Cingshui District (清水) is to feature a large ocean aquarium on the first floor, coral display area on the second floor, a jellyfish tank and Dajia River (大甲溪) basin display on the third, a river estuary display and restaurant on the fourth, and a cafe and garden on the fifth. As it is near Wuci Fishing Port (梧棲漁港), many are expecting the opening of the aquarium to bring more tourism to the harbor. Speaking at the city council on Monday, Taichung City Councilor
A fourth person has died in a food poisoning outbreak linked to the Xinyi (信義) branch of Malaysian restaurant chain Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in Taipei, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) said on Monday. It was the second fatality in three days, after another was announced on Saturday. The 40-year-old woman experienced multiple organ failure in the early hours on Monday, and the family decided not to undergo emergency resuscitation, Wang said. She initially showed signs of improvement after seeking medical treatment for nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, but her condition worsened due to an infection, he said. Two others who
Taiwanese should be mindful when visiting China, as Beijing in July is likely to tighten the implementation of policies on national security following the introduction of two regulations, a researcher said on Saturday. China on Friday unveiled the regulations governing the law enforcement and judicial activities of national security agencies. They would help crack down on “illegal” and “criminal” activities that Beijing considers to be endangering national security, according to reports by China’s state media. The definition of what constitutes a national security threat in China is vague, Taiwan Thinktank researcher Wu Se-chih (吳瑟致) said. The two procedural regulations are to provide Chinese