Former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) is suffering from various ailments, and it would not be good for him to return to prison, his attending physician told lawmakers yesterday.
Chou Yuan-hua (周元華), a psychiatrist in charge of Chen’s care at Taipei Veterans General Hospital (TVGH), added that it would be better for the former president to be looked after at home or to stay in a hospital that has a psychiatry department near his home.
When Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) asked if there was a possibility that Chen might commit suicide if he were sent back to Taipei Prison, Chou said: “There is definitely a possibility.”
Photo: Chen Chih-chu, Taipei Times
Chou was giving a report on the former president’s current condition at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee.
After nasal septum deviation surgery recently, Chou said Chen’s sleep apnea has improved, but there was a high risk of a relapse.
Chou added that Chen’s speech impediment had not visibly improved over the past half year. Two brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) exams found that he has cerebral atrophy and hand tremors, and doctors are still monitoring these conditions.
While there seem to be signs that Chen is recovering from severe depression, he still suffers from anxiety and insomnia, Chou added.
“I know that Taipei Prison has tried to improve Chen’s environment in the prison, but the treatment of severe depression should factor in the atmosphere and the patient’s mental state. I believe it would not be good for Chen to go back to prison now,” Chou said.
TVGH superintendent Lin Fang-yue (林芳郁) told the meeting that TVGH is a hospital for the treatment of severe and emergency conditions. While Chen’s immediate symptoms have been treated, depression is a chronic disease that requires lengthy treatment in a psychiatric ward.
Despite the doctors’ report, Deputy Minister of Justice Chen Ming-tang (陳明堂) reiterated that Chen’s current medical treatment is sufficient to care for his long-term health, and his condition does not qualify him for medical parole.
DPP Legislator Chen Ting-fei (陳亭妃) said it was very clear that the medical report says Chen should be cared for at home and that he should not go back to the prison, but the ministry does not seem to comprehend the report.
Chen Ming-tang said the ministry would evaluate TVGH’s report and make a decision in three weeks.
The former president is serving a 20-year sentence for corruption.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday voiced dissatisfaction with the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans- Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), whose latest meeting, concluded earlier the same day, appeared not to address the country’s application. In a statement, MOFA said the CPTPP commission had "once again failed to fairly process Taiwan’s application," attributing the inaction to the bloc’s "succumbing to political pressure," without elaborating. Taiwan submitted its CPTPP application under the name "Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu" on Sept. 22, 2021 -- less than a week after China
ALIGNED THINKING: Taiwan and Japan have a mutual interest in trade, culture and engineering, and can work together for stability, Cho Jung-tai said Taiwan and Japan are two like-minded countries willing to work together to form a “safety barrier” in the Indo-Pacific region, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) yesterday said at the opening ceremony of the 35th Taiwan-Japan Modern Engineering and Technology Symposium in Taipei. Taiwan and Japan are close geographically and closer emotionally, he added. Citing the overflowing of a barrier lake in the Mataian River (馬太鞍溪) in September, Cho said the submersible water level sensors given by Japan during the disaster helped Taiwan monitor the lake’s water levels more accurately. Japan also provided a lot of vaccines early in the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic,
Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) on Monday announced light shows and themed traffic lights to welcome fans of South Korean pop group Twice to the port city. The group is to play Kaohsiung on Saturday as part of its “This Is For” world tour. It would be the group’s first performance in Taiwan since its debut 10 years ago. The all-female group consists of five South Koreans, three Japanese and Tainan’s Chou Tzu-yu (周子瑜), the first Taiwan-born and raised member of a South Korean girl group. To promote the group’s arrival, the city has been holding a series of events, including a pop-up
A home-style restaurant opened by a Taiwanese woman in Quezon City in Metro Manila has been featured in the first-ever Michelin Guide honoring exceptional restaurants in the Philippines. The restaurant, Fong Wei Wu (豐味屋), was one of 74 eateries to receive a “Michelin Selected” honor in the guide, while one restaurant received two Michelin stars, eight received one star and 25 were awarded a “Bib Gourmand.” The guide, which was limited to restaurants in Metro Manila and Cebu, was published on Oct. 30. In an interview, Feng Wei Wu’s owner and chef, Linda, said that as a restaurateur in her 60s, receiving an
RSS