Chen Chih-chung (陳致中), the son of former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), yesterday again appealed to the authorities to grant his father leave from prison to obtain medical treatment.
The former president is serving a 17-and-a-half year prison term for corruption.
Chen Shui-bian said that he is suffering from chest pain and has trouble breathing, according to a letter Chen Chih-chung received from his father that was sent three days previously, and a prison doctor said that the symptoms could signal pulmonary failure.
The prison should arrange a medical checkup for his father so Chen Shui-bian and his family can set their minds at ease about his health, Chen Chih-chung added.
Chen Chih-chung expressed his gratitude to the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and its acting chairperson Chen Chu (陳菊) for releasing a statement on Thursday in support of the call to have the former president granted medical leave to have a health check.
In the legislature yesterday, Minister of Justice Tseng Yung-fu (曾勇夫), in response to press queries, said he had no idea how the former president had learned that he had respiratory failure because “his doctor did not tell him that.”
Tseng said Taipei Prison had recently asked its doctor about Chen Shui-bian’s health and the doctor denied that he had diagnosed him with respiratory failure.
Chen Shui-bian has maintained his normal routine, and his heart beat and blood pressure are also normal, Tseng added,
During a question-and-answer session with Premier Sean Chen, DPP Legislator Mark Chen (陳唐山) appealed to Sean Chen (陳冲) and Tseng to take good care of Chen Shui-bian’s health and take serious heed of the growing clamor to grant Chen Shui-bian medical leave.
Tseng replied that Chen Shui-bian does not have a serious health problem.
Referring to a speech by former US president Gerald Ford when he decided to grant a full pardon to his predecessor Richard Nixon over the Watergate scandal, Mark Chen said President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) should seriously consider a pardon for Chen Shui-bian to end this tragic episode in the country’s history.
“Theirs is an American tragedy in which we all have played a part. It could go on and on and on, or someone must write the end to it. I have concluded that only I can do that, and if I can, I must,” Mark Chen quoted Ford as saying.
Likewise, Mark Chen said, Chen Shui-bian was in a historical quandary over the corruption charges in connection with the use of state funds.
“The consequences of this historical glitch should not fall on Chen Shui-bian alone,” he said.
Additional reporting by CNA
A strong continental cold air mass is to bring pollutants to Taiwan from tomorrow, the Ministry of Environment said today, as it issued an “orange” air quality alert for most of the country. All of Taiwan except for Hualien and Taitung counties is to be under an “orange” air quality alert tomorrow, indicating air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups. In China, areas from Shandong to Shanghai have been enveloped in haze since Saturday, the ministry said in a news release. Yesterday, hourly concentrations of PM2.5 in these areas ranged from 65 to 160 micrograms per cubic meter (mg/m³), and pollutants were
Taiwan’s armed forces have established response protocols for a wide range of sudden contingencies, including the “Wan Chun Plan” to protect the head of state, the Ministry of Defense (MND) said today. After US President Donald Trump on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, concerns have been raised as to whether China would launch a similar “decapitation strike” on Taiwan. The armed forces regularly coordinate with relevant agencies and practice drills to ensure preparedness for a wide range of scenarios, Vice Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) told reporters before a
EVA Airways on Saturday said that it had suspended a pilot and opened an investigation after he allegedly lost his temper and punched the first officer several times as their plane was taxiing before takeoff at Los Angeles International Airport. According to a report published on Thursday by The Reporter, the incident occurred after the flight’s Malaysian first officer tried to warn the Taiwanese pilot, surnamed Wen (文), that he was taxiing faster than the speed limit of 30 knots (55.6kph). After alerting the pilot several times without response, the first officer manually applied the brakes in accordance with standard operating
Japanese Councilor Hei Seki (石平) on Wednesday said that he plans to visit Taiwan, saying that would “prove that Taiwan is an independent country and does not belong to China.” Seki, a member of the Japan Innovation Party, was born in Chengdu in China’s Sichuan Province and became a naturalized Japanese in 2007. He was elected to the House of Concilors last year. His views on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) — espoused in a series of books on politics and history — prompted Beijing to sanction him, including barring Seki from traveling to China. Seki wrote on X that he intends
RSS