Former US attorney-general Ramsey Clark, a long-time advocate for Taiwan’s democratization, is scheduled to arrive today on a two-day visit and is due to visit former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) to get a better grasp on the conditions of his confinement and reportedly deteriorating health.
The former US official made the trip at the invitation of former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislator Chai Trong-rong (蔡同榮) amid growing concerns both in Taiwan and abroad over the state Chen’s health as well as his human rights.
Clark is scheduled to pay a visit to Chen at Taipei Prison this afternoon to inspect the state of his incarceration and learn more about his physical and mental health, sources said, adding that a report would be submitted to concerned US departments based on his findings.
Chen is serving a 17-and-a-half-year prison term on corruption charges. He has complained about several physical ailments, including chest pains.
On the second day of his trip, Clark is scheduled to visit Chen’s wife, Wu Shu-jen (吳淑珍), and DPP Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) in the afternoon before holding a press conference, sources said.
The former US official will also attend an evening banquet hosted by Chai in his honor, where several DPP heavyweights and members of pro-localization civic groups are also expected to attend.
An internationally renowned defender of human rights, Clark flew to Taiwan in 1980 to express concern for what is known as the Formosa Incident, also known as the Kaohsiung Incident. The Incident started when the pro-democracy Formosa Magazine held a demonstration commemorating International Human Rights Day on Dec. 10, 1979, in Kaohsiung, calling on the then-Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) government to respect human rights and demanding democracy. Within hours, the protesters were surrounded by military police and prominent leaders of the democracy movement were arrested.
Shortly after his arrival, Clark learned about the alleged torturing of one of the detained demonstrators, Lin Yi-hsiung (林義雄), by the government. He referred the matter to the US government and called for the protection of the rights of those who were deemed dissidents in Taiwan at the time.
On Sep. 8, 1991, when the Referendum Advocacy Association, founded by Chai, and other pro-democracy civic groups jointly staged a large-scale referendum movement, Clark also traveled to Taiwan and braved heavy downpours on the streets to join in the cause of democratization and stand side by side with Taiwanese.
SPACE VETERAN: Kjell N. Lindgren, who helps lead NASA’s human spaceflight missions, has been on two expeditions on the ISS and has spent 311 days in space Taiwan-born US astronaut Kjell N. Lindgren is to visit Taiwan to promote technological partnerships through one of the programs organized by the US for its 250th national anniversary. Lindgren would be in Taiwan from Tuesday to Saturday next week as part of the US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ US Speaker Program, organized to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said in a statement yesterday. Lindgren plans to engage with key leaders across the nation “to advance cutting-edge technological partnerships and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers,”
UNREASONABLE SURVEILLANCE: A camera targeted on an road by a neighbor captured a man’s habitual unsignaled turn into home, netting him dozens of tickets The Taichung High Administrative Court has canceled all 45 tickets given to a man for failing to use a turn signal while driving, as it considered long-term surveillance of his privacy more problematic than the traffic violations. The man, surnamed Tseng (曾), lives in Changhua County and was reported 45 times within a month for failing to signal while driving when he turned into the alley where his residence is. The reports were filed by his neighbor, who set up security cameras that constantly monitored not only the alley but also the door and yard of Tseng’s house. The surveillance occurred from July
A Japan Self-Defense Forces vessel entered the Taiwan Strait yesterday, Japanese media reported. After passing through the Taiwan Strait, the Ikazuchi was to proceed to the South China Sea to take part in a joint military exercise with the US and the Philippines, the reports said. Japan Self-Defense Force vessels were first reported to have passed through the strait in September, 2024, with two further transits taking place in February and June last year, the Asahi Shimbun reported. Yesterday’s transit also marked the first time since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi took office that a Japanese warship has been sent through the Taiwan
ANOTHER OPTION: The 13-year-old, whose residency status was revoked for holding a Chinese passport, could still apply for residency on humanitarian grounds, the government said The Executive Yuan has rejected an appeal from a 13-year-old Chinese student surnamed Lu (陸), whose permanent residency was revoked after immigration officers discovered he held a Chinese passport. Lu in December 2023 applied to settle in Taiwan to be with his mother, surnamed Lin (林), who is a Taiwan resident, an appeal decision released this month by the Executive Yuan showed. Lin settled in Taiwan after marrying a Taiwanese man in 2003, but the two divorced in 2011, and after marrying a Chinese man, she had Lu, the Executive Yuan’s appeals committee said. Lu’s application was approved in December 2024, and in
RSS