US Republican Representative Steve Chabot met with Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) yesterday to discuss former president Chen Shui-bian’s (陳水扁) condition.
Chabot and fellow US Representative Eni Faleomavaega visited Chen, who is serving a 20-year jail sentence for corruption, in Taichung Prison’s Pei Teh Hospital on Thursday.
Chabot said that during the visit Chen’s hands visibly shook and he stuttered when he spoke, adding that he and Faleomavaega were very worried about his situation.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
Chen has been diagnosed with depression, sleep apnea, non-typical Parkinson’s disease, a speech disorder and mild cerebral atrophy.
Faleomavaega added that while he is not a doctor, it was evident to him that Chen was not in good physical condition.
Sources said that Chabot said to Su yesterday during their meeting that Chen’s contribution to the advances of Taiwanese democracy should not be forgotten.
Chabot said that as Chen’s friend, he was worried and said that Chen’s human rights should be respected.
Chabot said that because he has no right to interfere in Taiwan’s judicial procedures, he was merely offering his personal viewpoint.
In response to media queries after a meeting with Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) yesterday afternoon, Chabot said that US representatives cannot tell Taiwan what to do, but “we think there is a humanitarian way to resolve the situation, and we would like to see that happen.”
“Ultimately, it’s up to the leadership in Taiwan to make that decision,” he added.
Separately yesterday, French political economist Guy Sorman, said in a speech in Taipei, hosted by former DPP chairperson Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) Thinking Taiwan Foundation, that he was sad to see that as a democratic country, Taiwan has imprisoned a former president.
Sorman said that he was not familiar with the case and has no intention of interfering in Taiwanese politics, but added that he hopes that the nation’s democratic achievements could serve as a model for China.
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was sentenced to six months in prison, commutable to a fine, by the New Taipei District Court today for contravening the Personal Data Protection Act (個人資料保護法) in a case linked to an alleged draft-dodging scheme. Wang allegedly paid NT$3.6 million (US$114,380) to an illegal group to help him evade mandatory military service through falsified medical documents, prosecutors said. He transferred the funds to Chen Chih-ming (陳志明), the alleged mastermind of a draft-evasion ring, although he lost contact with him as he was already in detention on fraud charges, they said. Chen is accused of helping a
SECURITY: Starlink owner Elon Musk has taken pro-Beijing positions, and allowing pro-China companies to control Taiwan’s critical infrastructure is risky, a legislator said Starlink was reluctant to offer services in Taiwan because of the nation’s extremely high penetration rates in 4G and 5G services, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said yesterday. The ministry made the comments at a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, which reviewed amendments to Article 36 of the Telecommunications Management Act (電信管理法). Article 36 bans foreigners from holding more than 49 percent of shares in public telecommunications networks, while shares foreigners directly and indirectly hold are also capped at 60 percent of the total, unless specified otherwise by law. The amendments, sponsored by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Ko
UNREASONABLE SURVEILLANCE: A camera targeted on an road by a neighbor captured a man’s habitual unsignaled turn into home, netting him dozens of tickets The Taichung High Administrative Court has canceled all 45 tickets given to a man for failing to use a turn signal while driving, as it considered long-term surveillance of his privacy more problematic than the traffic violations. The man, surnamed Tseng (曾), lives in Changhua County and was reported 45 times within a month for failing to signal while driving when he turned into the alley where his residence is. The reports were filed by his neighbor, who set up security cameras that constantly monitored not only the alley but also the door and yard of Tseng’s house. The surveillance occurred from July
‘SAME OLD TRICK’: Even if Beijing resumes individual travel to Taiwan, it would only benefit Chinese tourism companies, the Economic Democracy Union convener said China’s 10 new “incentives” are “sugar-coated poison,” an official said yesterday, adding that Taiwanese businesses see them clearly for what they are, but that Beijing would inevitably find some local collaborators to try to drums up support. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, made the remark ahead of a news conference the General Chamber of Commerce is to hold today. The event, titled “Industry Perspectives on China’s Recent Pro-Taiwan Policies,” is expected to include representatives from industry associations — such as those in travel, hotels, food and agriculture — to request the government cooperate with China’s new measures, people familiar with
RSS