The medical team formed to assess jailed former president Chen Shui-bian’s (陳水扁) health scheduled a third round of re-evaluation of Chen’s condition for Monday after visiting Chen yesterday without concluding a report for the Ministry of Justice’s Agen++cy of Correction.
Chen, on charges of corruption, has been imprisoned since late 2008 and his health is steadily worsening.
Former Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮),who served as vice president under Chen’s administration from 2000 to 2008, said yesterday that she would launch a hunger strike beginning tomorrow at 4pm if the government does not release Chen on medical parole by tonight and would continue until Chen’s release for medical treatment is approved.
Photo: CNA
Lu visited Greater Kaohsiung to congratulate new Council Speaker Kang Yu-cheng (康裕成) and called for city councilors from her party, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), to join her planned hunger strike.
Lu requested that the city council set up a designated location for councilors to participate in the strike, suggesting that they rotate on six-hour shifts.
According to previous medical examinations, Chen was diagnosed with serious sleep apnea, major depressive disorder, prostatitis, delusional disorder and a stammer. Chen’s previous medical team suggested that he be released for home care, but the ministry turned down the suggestion and allegedly postponed appropriate treatment for Chen.
Lu cited Article 58 of the Prison Act (監獄行刑法) for legal basis of Chen’s release on medical parole, adding that she believed there were more prisoners who were not receiving adequate healthcare.
The ministry has neglected its duty, Lu said in a statement, adding a call for the Control Yuan to conduct further investigations.
Article 58 of the Prison Act says: “If inmates suffering from diseases cannot receive appropriate treatment in prison, it may be taken into account to release them on bail for medical treatment, transferring them to relevant prisons or hospitals with the permission of a supervisory authority.”
Lu called on the government to adhere to both the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, both of which call for humane treatment to protect prisoners’ human rights. Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan had ratified the former in 2009, while the latter is still being pushed for ratification.
The hunger strike hopes to help secure the release of Chen for appropriate medical treatment and to reconcile the pan blue-pan green political standoff, Lu said.
Meanwhile, the Agency of Correction said that Chen had undergone X-ray examinations and blood tests, as well as undergoing MRI scans at the Greater Taichung General Veteran’s Hospital on Wednesday, while having a sleep apnea risk assessment on Thursday.
The re-evaluation was headed by the hospital’s deputy director Hsu Hui-heng (徐惠恒) and was concluded, but the results are unknown, the agency said.
Additional reporting by Yang Cheng-chun
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
RSS