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.
Eight Chinese naval vessels and 24 military aircraft were detected crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait between 6am yesterday and 6am today, the Ministry of National Defense said this morning. The aircraft entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones, the ministry said. The armed forces responded with mission aircraft, naval vessels and shore-based missile systems to closely monitor the situation, it added. Eight naval vessels, one official ship and 36 aircraft sorties were spotted in total, the ministry said.
INCREASED CAPACITY: The flights on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays would leave Singapore in the morning and Taipei in the afternoon Singapore Airlines is adding four supplementary flights to Taipei per week until May to meet increased tourist and business travel demand, the carrier said on Friday. The addition would raise the number of weekly flights it operates to Taipei to 18, Singapore Airlines Taiwan general manager Timothy Ouyang (歐陽漢源) said. The airline has recorded a steady rise in tourist and business travel to and from Taipei, and aims to provide more flexible travel arrangements for passengers, said Ouyang, who assumed the post in July last year. From now until Saturday next week, four additional flights would depart from Singapore on Monday, Wednesday, Friday
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) today said that if South Korea does not reply appropriately to its request to correct Taiwan’s name on its e-Arrival card system before March 31, it would take corresponding measures to alter how South Korea is labeled on the online Taiwan Arrival Card system. South Korea’s e-Arrival card system lists Taiwan as “China (Taiwan)” in the “point of departure” and “next destination” fields. The ministry said that it changed the nationality for South Koreans on Taiwan’s Alien Resident Certificates from “Korea” to “South Korea” on March 1, in a gesture of goodwill and based on the
The Ministry of National Defense yesterday reported the return of large-scale Chinese air force activities after their unexplained absence for more than two weeks, which had prompted speculation regarding Beijing’s motives. China usually sends fighter jets, drones and other military aircraft around the nation on a daily basis. Interruptions to such routine are generally caused by bad weather. The Ministry of National Defense said it had detected 26 Chinese military aircraft in the Taiwan Strait over the previous 24 hours. It last reported that many aircraft on Feb. 25, when it spotted 30 aircraft, saying Beijing was carrying out another “joint combat