Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) and former DPP chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday visited former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) at a hospital in Taoyuan County and called for Chen’s release for medical treatment.
Chen, who is serving a 17-and-a-half-year sentence in Taipei Prison for corruption, was sent to Taoyuan General Hospital on Wednesday night after complaining of dysuria, or pain when urinating.
The former president’s health is of great concern and President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) should consider granting Chen a release for medical treatment, Su told reporters after visiting Chen at hospital.
Photo: CNA
Chen, 62, was brought back to Taoyuan General Hospital one day after receiving a medical treatment at the same hospital on Tuesday.
Su said the medical checkup on Tuesday was “sloppy,” because Chen had complained of dysuria that day, adding that many physicians who had conducted preliminary examinations on Chen expressed serious concerns over his health.
Because now almost half of the county and city councils across the country have passed resolutions demanding a release for medical treatment for Chen, Ma should “let go” consider allowing the medical parole, said Su, who was accompanied by DPP lawmakers Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘), Gao Jyh-peng (高志鵬) and Hsu Chih-chieh (許智傑).
Tsai Ing-wen, accompanied by DPP lawmakers Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁), Chen Chieh-ju (陳節如) and Liu Chien-kuo (劉建國), met with Chen in the hospital for 40 minutes later yesterday evening.
The former DPP chair reiterated her call to establish a medical task force to conduct a thorough examination of Chen’s health and release Chen for medical treatment.
Also on yesterday, Chen’s mother, Chen Lee Shen (陳李慎), traveled from Greater Tainan to meet Chen in Taoyuan and told reporters she was “heartbroken” every time she saw her son.
Chen Shui-bian’s son, Chen Chih-chung (陳致中), called again for a release of his father for treatment, saying treatment under escort was not the best way to address Chen’s health problems.
The manufacture of the remaining 28 M1A2T Abrams tanks Taiwan purchased from the US has recently been completed, and they are expected to be delivered within the next one to two months, a source said yesterday. The Ministry of National Defense is arranging cargo ships to transport the tanks to Taiwan as soon as possible, said the source, who is familiar with the matter. The estimated arrival time ranges from late this month to early next month, the source said. The 28 Abrams tanks make up the third and final batch of a total of 108 tanks, valued at about NT$40.5 billion
Travel agencies in Taiwan are working to secure alternative flights for travelers bound for New Zealand for the Lunar New Year holiday, as Air New Zealand workers are set to strike next week. The airline said that it has confirmed that the planned industrial action by its international wide-body cabin crew would go ahead on Thursday and Friday next week. While the Auckland-based carrier pledged to take reasonable measures to mitigate the impact of the workers’ strike, an Air New Zealand flight arriving at Taipei from Auckland on Thursday and another flight departing from Taipei for Auckland on Saturday would have to
A group from the Taiwanese Designers in Australia association yesterday represented Taiwan at the Midsumma Pride March in Melbourne. The march, held in the St. Kilda suburb, is the city’s largest LGBTQIA+ parade and the flagship event of the annual Midsumma Festival. It attracted more than 45,000 spectators who supported the 400 groups and 10,000 marchers that participated this year, the association said. Taiwanese Designers said they organized a team to march for Taiwan this year, joining politicians, government agencies, professionals and community organizations in showing support for LGBTQIA+ people and diverse communities. As the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex
MOTIVES QUESTIONED The PLA considers Xi’s policies toward Taiwan to be driven by personal considerations rather than military assessment, the Epoch Times reports Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) latest purge of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) leadership might have been prompted by the military’s opposition to plans of invading Taiwan, the Epoch Times said. The Chinese military opposes waging war against Taiwan by a large consensus, putting it at odds with Xi’s vision, the Falun Gong-affiliated daily said in a report on Thursday, citing anonymous sources with insight into the PLA’s inner workings. The opposition is not the opinion of a few generals, but a widely shared view among the PLA cadre, the Epoch Times cited them as saying. “Chinese forces know full well that