Minister of Justice Tseng Yung-fu (曾勇夫) yesterday said Taipei Prison counted 22 prisoners who were granted medical parole, most of whom suffered from serious conditions including advanced cancers, intracerebral hemorrhage caused by stroke, heart failure and other ailments, adding that former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) did not suffer from such conditions and was therefore not eligible for medical parole.
Tseng made the remarks at a legislative Judiciary and Organic Laws and Statutes Committee meeting to answer questions by legislators on Chen’s medical check-ups and treatment.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Hsieh Kuo-liang (謝國樑) said the public wanted to know why the ministry chose the Taipei Veterans General Hospital (TVGH) for Chen’s medical check despite objections from Chen’s family.
Photo: Chien Jung-feng, Taipei Times
Tseng asked Taipei Prison warden Fang Tzu-chieh (方子傑) to answer the question.
Fang said the prison suggested five hospitals to which Chen could be sent and Chen said he did not want to go to Tri-Service General Hospital or Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in New Taipei City’s (新北市) Linkou District (林口).
The former president said he preferred to go to Mackay Memorial Hospital and that he did not rule out going to the TVGH, Fang said.
Fang said the prison also contacted Chen’s son, Chen Chih-chung (陳致中), and that Chen Chih-chung said his father could go to National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH) or TVGH.
Fang said the prison had records of the conversations and they could be made public if necessary.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus whip Ker Chien-Ming (柯建銘) accused Tseng and Fang of lying.
“When did Chen Chih-chung say Chen Shui-bian was willing to go to the TVGH?” he asked.
“How often did you report the Chen Shui-bian matter to President Ma Ying-jeou [馬英九]?” he asked Tseng, adding: “I suspect Ma was directing the ministry on handling Chen’s matter.”
Tseng said: “I never discuss Chen’s matter with President Ma.”
“You are lying,” Ker said.
The ministry always thinks “Chen is pretending he is ill,” Ker said.
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 scan carried out by the Taoyuan hospital showed that Chen had had a minor stroke. Based on the hospital’s recommendation, the ministry decided to transfer Chen to a different medical center for further examination.
Chen’s family had said it would prefer the former president be taken to Mackay Memorial Hospital in Taipei or one in southern Taiwan, adding that the TVGH is “politically affiliated” with the KMT.
Meanwhile, Chen Shui-bian’s office issued a three-point statement demanding a “complete, professional and trustworthy” physical examination for the former president as well as transparent information disclosure and joint review of medical records by the hospital, Chen’s family and his medical team throughout the entire treatment process.
The office also demanded Chen’s examination results be disclosed and explained by the hospital, rather than the non-medical institutions, such as the Ministry of Justice and the Taipei Prison.Additional reporting by Chris Wang
More than half of the bamboo vipers captured in Tainan in the past few years were found in the city’s Sinhua District (新化), while other districts had smaller catches or none at all. Every year, Tainan captures about 6,000 snakes which have made their way into people’s homes. Of the six major venomous snakes in Taiwan, the cobra, the many-banded krait, the brown-spotted pit viper and the bamboo viper are the most frequently captured. The high concentration of bamboo vipers captured in Sinhua District is puzzling. Tainan Agriculture Bureau Forestry and Nature Conservation Division head Chu Chien-ming (朱健明) earlier this week said that the
Kenting National Park service technician Yang Jien-fon (楊政峰) won a silver award in World Grand Prix Photography Awards Spring Season for his photograph of two male rat snakes intertwined in combat. Yang’s colleagues at Kenting National Park said he is a master of nature photography who has been held back by his job in civil service. The awards accept entries in all four seasons across six categories: architectural and urban photography, black-and-white and fine art photography, commercial and fashion photography, documentary and people photography, nature and experimental photography, and mobile photography. Awards are ranked according to scores and divided into platinum, gold and
NAMING SPAT: The foreign ministry called on Denmark to propose an acceptable solution to the erroneous nationality used for Taiwanese on residence permits Taiwan has revoked some privileges for Danish diplomatic staff over a Danish permit that lists “Taiwan” as “China,” Eric Huang (黃鈞耀), head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Department of European Affairs, told a news conference in Taipei yesterday. Reporters asked Huang whether the Danish government had responded to the ministry’s request that it correct the nationality on Danish residence permits of Taiwanese, which has been listed as “China” since 2024. Taiwan’s representative office in Denmark continues to communicate with the Danish government, and the ministry has revoked some privileges previously granted to Danish representatives in Taiwan and would continue to review
The first bluefin tuna of the season, brought to shore in Pingtung County and weighing 190kg, was yesterday auctioned for NT$10,600 (US$333.5) per kilogram, setting a record high for the local market. The auction was held at the fish market in Donggang Fishing Harbor, where the Siaoliouciou Island-registered fishing vessel Fu Yu Ching No. 2 delivered the “Pingtung First Tuna” it had caught for bidding. Bidding was intense, and the tuna was ultimately jointly purchased by a local restaurant and a local company for NT$10,600 per kilogram — NT$300 ,more than last year — for a total of NT$2.014 million. The 67-year-old skipper
RSS