Former Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) is in urgent need of medical treatment as he has blood in his urine and is experiencing pain and nausea, the TPP said today.
He might be suffering from acute renal failure as he has been experiencing pain on the two sides of his lower back due to having kidney stones and vomiting, Ko’s wife Peggy Chen (陳佩琪), a retired pediatrician, told a news conference this afternoon.
This is what usually happens to patients suffering from kidney failure in the early stages, she said, adding that if it is not taken care of soon, the patient could enter the end stage quickly.
Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times
“My conclusion is that my husband is not well,” she said, drawing from her expertise as a doctor, adding that it could cause irreversible harm if the current situation continues.
Ko could die in jail if it is aortic dissection, said Hsieh Yen-yau (謝炎堯), a retired professor of internal medicine who was Ko’s teacher, as he expressed willingness in being the convener of Ko’s medical team.
Ko has been in pain for three weeks with the pain being experienced in different parts of his body, he said.
Ko would have to undergo an ultrasonic check to find out what is inside his abdomen, Hsieh said.
TPP Legislator Chen Gau-tzu (陳昭姿) asked who would bear responsibility if Ko really dies of aortic dissection.
She called for the Taipei Detention Center to guarantee Ko’s human rights, saying that Ko is not even a prisoner.
The Taipei Detention Center said Ko is doing well and does not have any of the problems that he is being claimed to have.
Ko was sent to visit a doctor under supervision on Tuesday and returned to the Taipei Detention Center on the same day, people familiar with the matter said.
The Taipei Detention Center said it would closely monitor Ko’s condition and follow doctors’ advice to provide medical assistance to ensure his health and safety during his detention.
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
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
President William Lai (賴清德) has appointed former vice president Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) to attend the late Pope Francis’ funeral at the Vatican City on Saturday on his behalf, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today. The Holy See announced Francis’ funeral would take place on Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square. The ministry expressed condolences over Francis’ passing and said that Chen would represent Taiwan at the funeral and offer condolences in person. Taiwan and the Vatican have a long-standing and close diplomatic relationship, the ministry said. Both sides agreed to have Chen represent Taiwan at the funeral, given his Catholic identity and
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