Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers yesterday said that the Ministry of Justice had lied about why it had selected the Taipei Veterans General Hospital (TVGH) as the medical center where former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) has received medical check-ups and treatment.
The lawmakers asked Minister of Justice Tseng Yung-fu (曾勇夫) to provide a report on the matter in a legislative meeting set for tomorrow.
DPP Legislator Chen Ting-fei (陳亭妃) told a press conference yesterday that the remarks made by Taipei Prison on the former president’s transfer to the TVGH are at odds with remarks made by other hospitals.
Chen Shui-bian’s family had said it would prefer that the former president be taken to Mackay Memorial Hospital in Taipei or to a hospital in southern Taiwan, but the prison decided to transfer Chen Shui-bian to the TVGH, despite the objections of the Chen family, who say the hospital is “politically affiliated” with the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT).
Taipei Prison on Friday said that Mackay Memorial Hospital declined to admit Chen Shui-bian because it has insufficient experience in functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) testing, while Far Eastern Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in New Taipei City’s (新北市) Linkou District (林口) said they had no equipment to monitor cerebral microemboli.
The National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH) said no to Chen Shui-bian because it has problems with security maintenance, the Taipei Prison added.
However, Chen Ting-fei said yesterday that Mackay said it had not been approached by the judicial authorities about functional MRI and Far Eastern said it had not received any judicial authority enquiry about Chen Shui-bian’s transfer to the hospital, Chen Ting-fei added.
Chang Gung Memorial Hospital has equipment to monitoring microemboli in cerebral circulation, according to Chen Ting-fei, adding that the NTUH, on the other hand, had declined to comment on issues surrounding the former president’s transfer.
The ministry and the prison were both lying to the public about the matter of Chen Shui-bians’ transfer, Chen Ting-fei charges, adding that as a result of which DPP lawmakers have asked Tseng to report the matter to the legislative Judiciary and Organic Laws and Statutes Committee meeting which is scheduled to take place tomorrow.
In response, Deputy Minister of Justice Chen Shou-huang (陳守煌) said transferring Chen Shui-bian to the TVGH was a medical decision, adding that the hospital has advanced equipment and services which are adequate for his treatment.
The former president, who is serving a 17-and-a-half-year sentence for corruption, was admitted to Taoyuan General Hospital on Sept. 12 after complaining of having difficulty urinating.
An MRI conducted by Taoyuan hospital showed that he had had a minor stroke. Based on a recommendation by the hospital, the Ministry of Justice decided to transfer Chen Shui-bian to a different medical center for further examination.
The Ministry of Finance this afternoon announced the winning numbers for the March-April uniform invoice lottery. The winning number for the NT$10 million (US$318,060) special prize is 19531471, and the winning number for the NT$2 million grand prize is 85941329. Three numbers were drawn for the NT$200,000 first prize: 07225810, 20231230 and 83518781. Those with receipts matching the last seven digits of any of the first-prize numbers will win the NT$40,000 second prize, while those matching the last six digits will win the NT$10,000 third prize. Those whose receipts match the last five digits of the first-prize numbers can claim the NT$4,000 fourth prize,
SIX SUBSIDIES: The monthly allowance for older farmers is to increase to NT$10,000, and NT$5,000 is to be given to homemakers under the national pension system, Lai said The government is to implement major welfare policies for disadvantaged groups, including raising the monthly allowance for older farmers to NT$10,000 and providing homemakers with NT$5,000 per month, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday. Lai made the remarks during a visit to Wangling Temple in Chiayi County, saying that the planned increases were being introduced amid economic growth and an increase in tax revenue. Touting a policy, in which the government plans to provide a monthly allowance of NT$5,000 for every child under the age of 18 in a bid to address Taiwan’s low birthrate, Lai said that if received for the
STAY COOL: The HPA recommended that people stay hydrated, use air-conditioning or fans while indoors, wear loose-fitting clothes and walk in the shade while outdoors Employers must implement measures such as installing cooling equipment, and providing drinking water and rest breaks for outdoor workers starting from Monday next week, the Taipei Department of Labor said on Sunday. Employers who fail to comply could face fines of NT$30,000 to NT$300,000 under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (職業安全衛生法), the department said. Businesses in Taipei employing fewer than 100 workers, as well as registered self-employed workers with labor insurance coverage, could receive on-site assessments and guidance from occupational safety consultants to help them apply for central government subsidies to implement or improve heat-protection measures, it said. Under the Ministry of
NATIONAL SECURITY: Authorities are working to confirm the identities of the military personnel involved and investigating possible illegal conduct and regulatory violations Authorities are probing possible national security implications after Kinmen police and immigration officers on Sunday found a Chinese woman allegedly posing as a tourist while engaging in prostitution involving more than 10 military personnel. The woman, surnamed Chen (陳), has since been deported, authorities said, adding that investigators are still working to confirm the identities of those implicated, as the records only listed code names and aliases. The case stemmed from a report received by the Kinmen District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday last week from the Jinhu Precinct of the Kinmen County Police Bureau. On Sunday, police, along with the National Immigration
RSS