Taiwan’s jailed ex-president’s hopes for parole dashed as court quashes request
Hunger strike threatened by supporters of Chen Shui-bian, who is four years into a 20-year sentence for corruption
The Taiwan High Court on Friday rejected a request by disgraced former president Chen Shui-bian to be released on medical parole, dashing fresh hopes that Chen might be released before Christmas.
The court said that the ailing Chen, who is four years into a 20-year sentence for graft, has received adequate care in prison, making it unnecessary for him to recuperate at home.
“We suggest that he seek administrative proceeding to resolve his case,” the court said.
The ex-president’s supporters, including his former deputy Annette Lu Hsiu-lien, said they would go ahead to stage a hunger strike on Christmas Eve to force the authorities to release Chen.
Chen has also filed two different requests at the Taipei District Court and the Corrections Agency to seek his release on medical parole. The two agencies have yet to make any ruling.
Chen and his supporters had renewed their hopes of his being granted medical parole this month, after the ruling Kuomintang’s crushing defeat in the recent local elections.
His latest diagnosis, issued by the Taichung Veterans General Hospital, showed Chen, Taiwan's president from 2000 to 2008 and a founder of the Democratic Progressive Party , was suffering from serious depression and chronic neurological disease, Chen's office said.
"It also notes that the ex-president has symptoms of stammering, trembling hands and urinary incontinence, and should recuperate at home," the office said.
Chen, 64, appeared on television on Wednesday, looking feeble and grim with shaggy grey hair, his body trembling uncontrollably as Lu visited him in his cell in the central city of Taichung.
She was leading six newly elected mayors and magistrates, and about 50 city and county councillors from the opposition DPP to visit Chen in prison.
She had asked the island's President Ma Ying-jeou, to back Chen's release on medical parole, warning that allowing him to die in custody would sour relations between the two political parties.
During her visit to Chen on Wednesday, Lu had said the group would go on a hunger strike in front of President Ma's office on December 25 if Chen was not granted release on medical parole.
"Chen told me, 'no, no, you don't need to [go on hunger strike] … I am willing to die for the sake of Taiwan'," she told reporters after the visit.
Chen has applied several times to be released on medical parole, but the judicial authorities have turned down all his applications on the grounds that the prison authority had a medical team that gave him adequate care.
But the KMT's crushing defeat in the November 29 local elections saw increased calls - including from outgoing Taipei mayor Hau Lung-bin and New Taipei Mayor Eric Chu Li-luan - for Chen to be released on humanitarian grounds.
