US Representative Steve Chabot is urging Washington to become directly involved in the case of former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), asking US Secretary of State John Kerry to pressure Taipei into granting Chen permanent medical parole.
Last month, the Ministry of Justice granted Chen 30 days of medical parole amid reports that his health was failing fast. The parole was extended earlier this month.
Chen, 64, is serving a 20-year prison sentence after being convicted of corruption.
Kerry on Wednesday appeared before the US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee to answer questions about the US Department of State’s budget for next year.
Chabot said that he had visited Chen in prison last year and found him to be suffering from “a whole range” of medical conditions, including severe depression, Parkinson’s disease and the effects of multiple strokes.
Chabot said that together with former non-voting delegate to the US House of Representatives Eni Faleomavaega, he had “beseeched” President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) to grant his predecessor medical parole.
Chen was released for 30 days of medical parole last month, but Chabot told Kerry that it was not enough.
Chabot said that unless there was some new health setback, Chen would probably be taken back to prison soon.
“His condition was just startling,” Chabot said. “I would urge you to look at the case.”
Chabot said that while the Chen case might be considered an “internal problem” for Taiwan, there could still be a US role.
He said that while China would not admit it, Taiwan was a de facto country and “for the most part,” the US considered that to be the case.
“You can’t tell them what to do,” Chabot said.
However, he urged US President Barack Obama’s administration to “look at this matter, to the extent that we can exercise some reason on the Taiwanese government.”
Chabot said that the medical parole should be made permanent and that Chen should be allowed to stay at home under the care of his family.
Answering Chabot’s plea to consider the situation, Kerry replied: “Will do.”
The committee ran out of time before members could ask Kerry all of the questions they had prepared. As a result, Kerry agreed to answer questions submitted in writing.
Committee sources said it was likely that some of the questions — to be sent to the Department of State over the next few days — would concern Taiwan. They said that some members may ask written questions about Taiwan’s security, strategic importance, self-defense and lack of international space.
At least one representative had planned to ask Kerry about the risks of cross-strait economic integration.
Alain Robert, known as the "French Spider-Man," praised Alex Honnold as exceptionally well-prepared after the US climber completed a free solo ascent of Taipei 101 yesterday. Robert said Honnold's ascent of the 508m-tall skyscraper in just more than one-and-a-half hours without using safety ropes or equipment was a remarkable achievement. "This is my life," he said in an interview conducted in French, adding that he liked the feeling of being "on the edge of danger." The 63-year-old Frenchman climbed Taipei 101 using ropes in December 2004, taking about four hours to reach the top. On a one-to-10 scale of difficulty, Robert said Taipei 101
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence
Taiwanese and US defense groups are collaborating to introduce deployable, semi-autonomous manufacturing systems for drones and components in a boost to the nation’s supply chain resilience. Taiwan’s G-Tech Optroelectronics Corp subsidiary GTOC and the US’ Aerkomm Inc on Friday announced an agreement with fellow US-based Firestorm Lab to adopt the latter’s xCell, a technology featuring 3D printers fitted in 6.1m container units. The systems enable aerial platforms and parts to be produced in high volumes from dispersed nodes capable of rapid redeployment, to minimize the risk of enemy strikes and to meet field requirements, they said. Firestorm chief technology officer Ian Muceus said
MORE FALL: An investigation into one of Xi’s key cronies, part of a broader ‘anti-corruption’ drive, indicates that he might have a deep distrust in the military, an expert said China’s latest military purge underscores systemic risks in its shift from collective leadership to sole rule under Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), and could disrupt its chain of command and military capabilities, a national security official said yesterday. If decisionmaking within the Chinese Communist Party has become “irrational” under one-man rule, the Taiwan Strait and the regional situation must be approached with extreme caution, given unforeseen risks, they added. The anonymous official made the remarks as China’s Central Military Commission Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia (張又俠) and Joint Staff Department Chief of Staff Liu Zhenli (劉振立) were reportedly being investigated for suspected “serious
RSS