White House will not interfere in Chen trial, new US envoy says

A top US envoy to Taiwan says Washington has no intention of interfering in the trial of Chen Shui-bian, dealing a fresh blow to the graft-tainted former Taiwanese president.

William Stanton, the new US representative in Taiwan, said yesterday his meeting with the island's justice minister, Wang Ching-feng, was misinterpreted by the media as being pressure from Washington for Chen's release.

'I simply noted that there have been some people in the US commenting about the trial of the former president,' Stanton said, referring to his September 30 meeting with Wang. 'I certainly did not advocate any particular view on the issue.'

Chen, convicted of corruption on September 11 and sentenced to life in prison, has been held at Taipei Detention Centre since he was indicted on graft charges in December. His supporters have sought US intervention, saying the government has seriously violated human rights by continuing to detain Chen since he was indicted.

Stanton's meeting with Wang had raised hopes that Chen would be released on bail.

In his first news conference since assuming his post in August, Stanton said his meeting with Wang had nothing to do with the issue. Rather, they discussed the possibility of an extradition treaty between the US and Taiwan, and of a training programme for Taiwanese judges and prosecutors.