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US politician urges
Chen Shui-bian to be freed from jail
MEDICAL PAROLE: Howard Berman, a key member of a
US foreign affairs committee, has appealed to Taiwanese-Americans on the issue
By William Lowther / Staff reporter in WASHINGTON
Ranking member of the US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee US
Representative Howard Berman has written to President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) to
appeal for the medical parole of former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁).
“Releasing Chen from prison on humanitarian grounds would allow him to receive
the thorough, long-term medical treatment that he needs and would aid in his
physical and mental recovery,” the letter says.
It was written as Berman, a Democrat from California, becomes increasingly
involved in a bitter re-election battle with fellow Democratic US Representative
Brad Sherman. Berman, 71, and Sherman, 57, are fighting for the same Los
Angeles-area seat as a result of their separate districts being combined in a
restructuring plan for the state’s political boundaries.
In what has become one of the highest-spending US House of Representatives races
in the nation, the two veteran Congressmen almost came to blows during one
recent debate and a sheriff’s deputy had to come between them.
According to one report, Sherman aggressively seized Berman by the shoulder as
they discussed immigration and shouted into his face: “You want to get into
this?”
Small and frail, Berman was clearly shaken. In an effort to win support from
voter groups, Berman has turned to the large numbers of Taiwanese-Americans in
the Los Angeles area. Over the past few years, he has regularly backed
pro-Taiwanese issues before the Foreign Affairs Committee and taken time to
speak at Taiwanese-American meetings.
The release of Chen on medical grounds is a popular issue with
Taiwanese-Americans. In his letter to Ma, Berman mentions recent reports of
Chen’s deteriorating health and says one should “consider the possibility of
directly intervening in this matter, based on empathy and compassion.”
“Your action on behalf of Chen would be seen by the rest of the world as
magnanimously transcending politics and could mitigate any tensions in Taiwan
over this situation,” he wrote.
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