Former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) yesterday started a radio show on Smile Taiwan with Smile founder Shih Chuan (石川) as his first guest.
Speaking to reporters before the program began, Chen said it was his first time hosting a show, and although he was unfamiliar with radio, he was not embarrassed to learn something new.
The program would not focus on politics, but rather life and inspiring stories, he said.
Photo: Wang Jung-hsiang, Taipei Times
His guests would be people from various professions with inspiring stories, he said, adding that among those he planned to interview was the composer of Mother’s Tears (阿母的目屎), the lyrics to which Chen wrote while in prison.
Chen was sentenced to 20 years in prison for money laundering and bribery, but was released on medical parole on Jan. 6, 2015, due to his deteriorating health.
As part of his parole, he may not appear on stage, give speeches or interviews, or discuss politics, and must abide by medical parole regulations, the prison said.
Taichung Prison deputy warden Wu Chao-ming (吳照明) has said it would collect data as part of an evaluation of Chen’s program.
Responding to reports that the prison did not approve of his radio show, Chen said that prison authorities had visited him on Wednesday, and that they had communicated about it in advance.
The show is scheduled to air every Sunday from 10am to 11am on the Kaohsiung-based station.
During yesterday’s show, Chen and Shih discussed growing up in poor families and their personal journeys.
Chen said he is grateful that his parents helped him pursue an education even if that meant borrowing money for tuition, and they respected his choice of the path he wanted to take, including changing his course of study from business to law.
He said that young people should work hard, adding that hard work can make up for a person’s shortcomings.
‘NON-RED’: Taiwan and Ireland should work together to foster a values-driven, democratic economic system, leveraging their complementary industries, Lai said President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday expressed hopes for closer ties between Taiwan and Ireland, and that both countries could collaborate to create a values-driven, democracy-centered economic system. He made the remarks while meeting with an Irish cross-party parliamentary delegation visiting Taiwan. The delegation, led by John McGuinness, deputy speaker of the Irish house of representatives, known as the Dail, includes Irish lawmakers Malcolm Byrne, Barry Ward, Ken O’Flynn and Teresa Costello. McGuinness, who chairs the Ireland-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Association, is a friend of Taiwan, and under his leadership, the association’s influence has grown over the past few years, Lai said. Ireland is
A saleswoman, surnamed Chen (陳), earlier this month was handed an 18-month prison term for embezzling more than 2,000 pairs of shoes while working at a department store in Tainan. The Tainan District Court convicted Chen of embezzlement in a ruling on July 7, sentencing her to prison for illegally profiting NT$7.32 million (US$248,929) at the expense of her employer. Chen was also given the opportunity to reach a financial settlement, but she declined. Chen was responsible for the sales counter of Nike shoes at Tainan’s Shinkong Mitsukoshi Zhongshan branch, where she had been employed since October 2019. She had previously worked
FINAL COUNTDOWN: About 50,000 attended a pro-recall rally yesterday, while the KMT and the TPP plan to rally against the recall votes today Democracy activists, together with arts and education representatives, yesterday organized a motorcade, while thousands gathered on Ketagalan Boulevard in Taipei in the evening in support of tomorrow’s recall votes. Recall votes for 24 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers and suspended Hsinchu City mayor Ann Kao (高虹安) are to be held tomorrow, while recall votes for seven other KMT lawmakers are scheduled for Aug. 23. The afternoon motorcade was led by the Spring Breeze Culture and Arts Foundation, the Tyzen Hsiao Foundation and the Friends of Lee Teng-hui Association, and was joined by delegates from the Taiwan Statebuilding Party and the Taiwan Solidarity
TRANSPORT DISRUPTION: More than 100 ferry services were suspended due to rough seas and strong winds, and eight domestic flights were canceled, the ministry said Tropical Storm Wipha intensified slightly yesterday as it passed closest to Taiwan, dumping more than 200mm of rain in Hualien and Taitung counties, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 11am, Wipha was about 210km southwest of Cape Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻) and was moving west-northwest at 27km per hour (kph). The storm carried maximum sustained winds of 101kph and gusts reaching 126kph, with a 150km radius of strong winds, CWA data showed. Wipha’s outer rainbands began sweeping across Taiwan early yesterday, delivering steady rainfall in the east and scattered showers in other regions, forecasters said. More heavy rain was expected, especially in the eastern