A number of pro-independence organizations yesterday called on the government to release former President Chen Shui-bian (蠊漵禶) from Taipei Detention Center, where he has been held in 〝detention for 499 days.
At a press conference in Taipei yesterday, political commentator Chin Heng-wei (旄恆煒) criticized the government for Chen＊s protracted detention, saying that it was based on political considerations because Chen no longer posed a flight risk.
Chen＊s family on Tuesday agreed to wire NT$700 million (US$22.1 million) from their Swiss bank accounts to prosecutors in Taiwan, citing comments made by a judge that the move could enhance Chen＊s chances of release when he comes up for review on April 23.
※Political interference from Chinese Nationalist Party [KMT] politicians as well as external pressure from China are the only reasons that Chen＊s detention has continued indefinitely,§ Chin said.
In a statement released on Wednesday by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), the party called for the courts to end Chen＊s detention in the interest of ※preserving Taiwan＊s democratic freedoms and ensuring the fairness of the judiciary."
Quoting DPP chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (齍褙湞), the statement said: ※The indefinite detention of the former president has had a serious impact on the international image of and public confidence in Taiwan＊s legal system."
Both pro-independence organizations and the opposition party are asking the government to support a revision of the Code of Criminal Procedure (?瓿慴摜跏) that would impose limits on the length of time individuals can be held.
A joint statement released by the organizations yesterday said that any law that provides for ※indefinite periods of detention is a relic of the martial law period.§
Three batches of banana sauce imported from the Philippines were intercepted at the border after they were found to contain the banned industrial dye Orange G, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. From today through Sept. 2 next year, all seasoning sauces from the Philippines are to be subject to the FDA’s strictest border inspection, meaning 100 percent testing for illegal dyes before entry is allowed, it said in a statement. Orange G is an industrial coloring agent that is not permitted for food use in Taiwan or internationally, said Cheng Wei-chih (鄭維智), head of the FDA’s Northern Center for
The Chinese military has built landing bridge ships designed to expand its amphibious options for a potential assault on Taiwan, but their combat effectiveness is limited due to their high vulnerability, a defense expert said in an analysis published on Monday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said that the deployment of such vessels as part of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s East Sea Fleet signals a strong focus on Taiwan. However, the ships are highly vulnerable to precision strikes, which means they could be destroyed before they achieve their intended
LOOKING NORTH: The base would enhance the military’s awareness of activities in the Bashi Channel, which China Coast Guard ships have been frequenting, an expert said The Philippine Navy on Thursday last week inaugurated a forward operating base in the country’s northern most province of Batanes, which at 185km from Taiwan would be strategically important in a military conflict in the Taiwan Strait. The Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted Northern Luzon Command Commander Lieutenant General Fernyl Buca as saying that the base in Mahatao would bolster the country’s northern defenses and response capabilities. The base is also a response to the “irregular presence this month of armed” of China Coast Guard vessels frequenting the Bashi Channel in the Luzon Strait just south of Taiwan, the paper reported, citing a
About 4.2 million tourist arrivals were recorded in the first half of this year, a 10 percent increase from the same period last year, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. The growth continues to be consistent, with the fourth quarter of this year expected to be the peak in Taiwan, the agency said, adding that it plans to promote Taiwan overseas via partnerships and major events. From January to June, 9.14 million international departures were recorded from Taiwan, an 11 percent increase from the same period last year, with 3.3 million headed for Japan, 1.52 million for China and 832,962 to South Korea,
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