Long-term independence advocate Su Beng (史明) was hospitalized in Tokyo yesterday with uremia and kidney problems.
Sources close to Su said that his condition is serious and doctors are mulling whether to begin dialysis — a treatment for kidney complications — because of his age.
Born in 1918, Su turned 91 in September.
Originally named Shih Chao-hui (施朝暉), Su played an early role in Taiwan's independence movement and later wrote the book, "Taiwan's 400-Year History" during the 40 years he was exiled in Japan.
After martial law was lifted, Su returned to Taiwan in 1993 and worked as an independence activist while appearing frequently at events held by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
Earlier this year, the Supreme Court upheld a ruling that found him guilty of using violence or threatening behavior at a public gathering and other crimes during a 2005 protest against then-Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman Lien Chan's (連戰) visit to China.
Although he was sentenced to 230 days in prison, the court allowed him the option of paying a fine in lieu of serving time in jail as Su's actions did not cause injury or death.
The sources added that they were waiting for test results to see if his condition was stable enough to return to Taiwan for treatment. However, doctors have said that because of his age and deteriorating condition, the hospital is unlikely to discharge him for the time being.
An essay competition jointly organized by a local writing society and a publisher affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) might have contravened the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例), the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said on Thursday. “In this case, the partner organization is clearly an agency under the CCP’s Fujian Provincial Committee,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said at a news briefing in Taipei. “It also involves bringing Taiwanese students to China with all-expenses-paid arrangements to attend award ceremonies and camps,” Liang said. Those two “characteristics” are typically sufficient
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake that struck about 33km off the coast of Hualien City was the "main shock" in a series of quakes in the area, with aftershocks expected over the next three days, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Prior to the magnitude 5.9 quake shaking most of Taiwan at 6:53pm yesterday, six other earthquakes stronger than a magnitude of 4, starting with a magnitude 5.5 quake at 6:09pm, occurred in the area. CWA Seismological Center Director Wu Chien-fu (吳健富) confirmed that the quakes were all part of the same series and that the magnitude 5.5 temblor was
The brilliant blue waters, thick foliage and bucolic atmosphere on this seemingly idyllic archipelago deep in the Pacific Ocean belie the key role it now plays in a titanic geopolitical struggle. Palau is again on the front line as China, and the US and its allies prepare their forces in an intensifying contest for control over the Asia-Pacific region. The democratic nation of just 17,000 people hosts US-controlled airstrips and soon-to-be-completed radar installations that the US military describes as “critical” to monitoring vast swathes of water and airspace. It is also a key piece of the second island chain, a string of
The Central Weather Administration has issued a heat alert for southeastern Taiwan, warning of temperatures as high as 36°C today, while alerting some coastal areas of strong winds later in the day. Kaohsiung’s Neimen District (內門) and Pingtung County’s Neipu Township (內埔) are under an orange heat alert, which warns of temperatures as high as 36°C for three consecutive days, the CWA said, citing southwest winds. The heat would also extend to Tainan’s Nansi (楠西) and Yujing (玉井) districts, as well as Pingtung’s Gaoshu (高樹), Yanpu (鹽埔) and Majia (瑪家) townships, it said, forecasting highs of up to 36°C in those areas
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