Two members of an independent human rights team arrived in Taipei to review the human rights case of former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and visit him at Taoyuan General Hospital yesterday.
Human right activists Hans Wahl and Harreld Dinkins visited Chen at the hospital accompanied by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators Kuan Bi-Ling (管碧玲) and Mark Chen (陳唐山). Leading the group of visitors — though not visiting Chen Shui-bian — is Jack Healey, the director of Washington-based Human Rights Action Center.
Wahl told reporters they were assessing Chen Shui-bian’s state of health and the conditions of his imprisonment, including his prison routine, the size of his cell, his opportunity to exercise and whether he had a bed to sleep on.
Photo: Lee Jung-ping, Taipei Times
Wahl said government authorities would likely improve Chen Shui-bian’s jail conditions, adding that the group’s efforts were purely concerned with his human rights and that politics played no role in their actions.
Wahl said universal human rights standards should remain constant, even for those who are incarcerated.
Meanwhile, the hospital said that the Chen Shui-bian had a new Foley catheter fitted late on Sunday as he again had difficulty urinating. The hospital also arranged for Chen Shui-bian to undergo a spinal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) test yesterday.
The hospital told a press conference in the afternoon that Chen Shui-bian should be transferred to a major medical center for further check-ups and treatment.
The hospital said it could treat the former president’s urination problems, but because the hospital does not have latest equipment for neurology and psychiatry, he ought to be transferred to a major medical center.
The hospital said a 4mm-by-4mm trace of cerebral vascular trauma was found in his right frontal lobe on Friday, indicating the former president had had a minor stroke.
Chen Shui-bian, who is serving a 17-and-a-half-year sentence for corruption, was sent to Taoyuan General Hospital on Wednesday night after complaining of pain when urinating and was admitted for extensive examinations.
His family has said that according to doctors, people who have had a thrombotic stroke have a high chance of relapse within two or three years.
Meanwhile, the DPP caucus accused the Ministry of Justice as well as Taipei Prison of malfeasance and reiterated its appeal for Chen Shui-bian to receive “complete and professional medical treatment.”
All 40 DPP legislators signed a statement which demanded Chen Shui-bian be allowed to remain in the hospital until it is proved that his life is not in danger and also called for medical parole to be granted.
Without medical expertise, the ministry and Taipei Prison cannot guarantee that Chen Shui-bian will not suffer another stroke, DPP caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) told a press conference.
Even more intolerable is that while the prison allowed the former president to go on guarded visits to hospitals, it has always rushed the treatment process and prevented him from receiving complete physical examinations, Ker said.
“The prison always sends prison officials — not physicians — to make assessments and public announcements about Chen Shui-bian’s health,” Ker added.
The caucus also demanded that three medical experts chosen by Chen Shui-bian’s family — Mackay Memorial Hospital psychiatrist Chen Chiao-chi (陳喬琪), Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital’s vice superintendent Chen Shun-sheng (陳順勝) and National Cheng Kung University Hospital’s physician Lin Hsin-nan (林信男) — be allowed to join the ministry’s medical team.
DPP Legislator Pan Men-an (潘孟安) called for President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) to “put his personal hatred for Chen aside” and respect Chen’s medical and judicial human rights.
“Even if an inmate is scheduled to be executed tomorrow, you still have to ensure his health today if he is ill,” DPP Legislator Yeh Yi-jin (葉宜津) added.
Eight Chinese naval vessels and 24 military aircraft were detected crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait between 6am yesterday and 6am today, the Ministry of National Defense said this morning. The aircraft entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones, the ministry said. The armed forces responded with mission aircraft, naval vessels and shore-based missile systems to closely monitor the situation, it added. Eight naval vessels, one official ship and 36 aircraft sorties were spotted in total, the ministry said.
INCREASED CAPACITY: The flights on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays would leave Singapore in the morning and Taipei in the afternoon Singapore Airlines is adding four supplementary flights to Taipei per week until May to meet increased tourist and business travel demand, the carrier said on Friday. The addition would raise the number of weekly flights it operates to Taipei to 18, Singapore Airlines Taiwan general manager Timothy Ouyang (歐陽漢源) said. The airline has recorded a steady rise in tourist and business travel to and from Taipei, and aims to provide more flexible travel arrangements for passengers, said Ouyang, who assumed the post in July last year. From now until Saturday next week, four additional flights would depart from Singapore on Monday, Wednesday, Friday
The Ministry of National Defense yesterday reported the return of large-scale Chinese air force activities after their unexplained absence for more than two weeks, which had prompted speculation regarding Beijing’s motives. China usually sends fighter jets, drones and other military aircraft around the nation on a daily basis. Interruptions to such routine are generally caused by bad weather. The Ministry of National Defense said it had detected 26 Chinese military aircraft in the Taiwan Strait over the previous 24 hours. It last reported that many aircraft on Feb. 25, when it spotted 30 aircraft, saying Beijing was carrying out another “joint combat
Taiwan successfully defended its women’s 540 kilogram title and won its first-ever men’s 640 kg title at the 2026 World Indoor Tug of War Championships in Taipei yesterday. In the women’s event, Taiwan’s eight-person squad reached the final following a round-robin preliminary round and semifinals featuring teams from Ukraine, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, the Basque Country and South Korea. In the finals, they swept the Basque team 2-0, giving the team composed mainly of National Taiwan Normal University students and graduates its second championship in a row, and its fourth in five years. Team captain
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