Former president Lee Teng-hui’s (李登輝) health has drawn public attention amid reports that he suffered a minor stroke more than a week ago, but Lee’s office director Wang Yan-chun (王燕軍) yesterday said Lee is recovering well, and might be checked out of hospital next week.
“After more than a week in recovery, Lee’s right index finger and middle finger are still not moving freely. This affects his ability to write and to use chopsticks,” Wang said on the sidelines of a Taipei concert held in the name of the former president.
“Other than that, he is able to dress himself, as well as eat, drink, think and speak on his own without problems,” Wang said.
The 92-year-old former president was taken to Taipei Veterans General Hospital at about 2:30am on Nov. 27, because he was feeling unwell.
After a medical examination, he was found to have suffered a transient ischemic attack, commonly called a mini-stroke which, the doctor said could have been caused by fatigue or the rapid change of weather.
Wang said that Lee was scheduled to attend yesterday’s concert, but that he is still recovering, adding that it is still not the right time for him to make a public appearance.
Wang said that he was aware of rumors that Lee had passed away, but that Lee is recovering well.
“According to the current plan, the [former] president is to undergo another medical examination next week. We will keep the public updated on the latest results of the checkup,” Wang said.
“He should be able to leave hospital next week,” he added.
Wang said that Lee’s mood has not been affected and that he is working on his recovery, while his family has been very supportive.
Lee’s granddaughter Lee Kun-yi (李坤儀) is to wed on Tuesday next week and Wang said that, at this time, there has been no change to the plans and the former president is looking forward to the event.
Organizing one national referendum and 26 recall elections targeting Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators could cost NT$1.62 billion (US$55.38 million), the Central Election Commission said yesterday. The cost of each recall vote ranges from NT$16 million to NT$20 million, while that of a national referendum is NT$1.1 billion, the commission said. Based on the higher estimate of NT$20 million per recall vote, if all 26 confirmed recall votes against KMT legislators are taken into consideration, along with the national referendum on restarting the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant, the total could be as much as NT$1.62 billion, it said. The commission previously announced
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday welcomed NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte’s remarks that the organization’s cooperation with Indo-Pacific partners must be deepened to deter potential threats from China and Russia. Rutte on Wednesday in Berlin met German Chancellor Friedrich Merz ahead of a ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of Germany’s accession to NATO. He told a post-meeting news conference that China is rapidly building up its armed forces, and the number of vessels in its navy outnumbers those of the US Navy. “They will have another 100 ships sailing by 2030. They now have 1,000 nuclear warheads,” Rutte said, adding that such
Tropical Storm Nari is not a threat to Taiwan, based on its positioning and trajectory, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Nari has strengthened from a tropical depression that was positioned south of Japan, it said. The eye of the storm is about 2,100km east of Taipei, with a north-northeast trajectory moving toward the eastern seaboard of Japan, CWA data showed. Based on its current path, the storm would not affect Taiwan, the agency said.
The cosponsors of a new US sanctions package targeting Russia on Thursday briefed European allies and Ukraine on the legislation and said the legislation would also have a deterrent effect on China and curb its ambitions regarding Taiwan. The bill backed by US senators Lindsey Graham and Richard Blumenthal calls for a 500 percent tariff on goods imported from countries that buy Russian oil, gas, uranium and other exports — targeting nations such as China and India, which account for about 70 percent of Russia’s energy trade, the bankroll of much of its war effort. Graham and Blumenthal told The Associated Press
RSS