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Chen allowed to
attend funeral
SHACKLED: The former president must wear
handcuffs and leg shackles while attending the ceremony, and he can only stay
for 30 minutes before being taken back
By Chris Wang and Rich Chang / Staff Reporters
Taipei Prison yesterday announced it would grant former president Chen Shui-bian
(陳水扁) permission to attend his mother-in-law’s funeral on Jan. 10, but said that
Chen, who is serving a 17-and-a-half-year sentence for corruption, would wear
handcuffs and leg shackles and be barred from granting interviews with the
media.
Taipei Prison spokesperson Su Kun-ming (蘇坤銘) told a press conference that
according to regulations, detainees can apply to leave the prison to pay their
last respects at one event, but they must be accompanied by guards and return to
the prison within 24 hours. The regulation applies to an inmate’s immediate
family, as well as his or her spouse’s immediate family.
Wu Wang Hsia (吳王霞), the mother of Chen’s wife, Wu Shu-jen (吳淑珍), passed away at
the age of 85 on Saturday at Sin-Lau Medical Foundation in Madou (麻豆), Greater
Tainan.
Deputy Minister of Justice Chen Shou-huang (陳守煌) said at a separate setting that
the ministry would grant Chen’s application on compassionate grounds.
As per regulations, the former president will not be allowed to have his
restraints removed, Chen Shou-huang said.
Chen Shui-bian will be allowed to stay at the service for no more than 30
minutes.
Taipei City Councilor Chiang Chih-ming (江志銘) said that after visiting Chen
Shui-bian yesterday, he has begun to prepare the required documents for the
leave application, which will be submitted today.
Chen Chih-chung (陳致中) and Chen Hsin-yu (陳幸妤), the former president’s son and
daughter, -expressed their desire for their father to be released during a press
conference yesterday morning at the campaign headquarters of Chen Chih-chung,
who is running as an independent candidate in the Greater Kaohsiung legislative
election.
During the press conference, Chen Hsing-yu read a letter from her father.
In the statement, the former president reiterated his endorsement of Democratic
Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and accused
the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) of trying to disparage Tsai in a recent
campaign.
Chen Shui-bian condemned “the KMT’s political oppression of his family” and
appealed to voters to support his son, saying that Chen Chih-chung would be a
good legislator and strong advocate for Taiwanese, as well as the DPP’s partner
in the legislature.
The DPP played down the potential impact of Chen’s one-day release on the Jan.
14 presidential and legislative elections, with party spokesperson Chen Chi-mai
(陳其邁) saying the DPP hoped Chen’s request would be granted.
Tsai told reporters in the afternoon that she had designated her running mate,
DPP Secretary--General Su Jia-chuyan (蘇嘉全), as the party’s representative to
attend Wu Wang Hsia’s memorial service and she hoped that the incident would not
be viewed as a campaign issue. Tsai is not expected to attend the service.
At a different setting, DPP Legislator Tsai Huang-liang (蔡煌瑯) said the former
president should not be made to wear handcuffs and shackles at the funeral.
Asked whether the chances of Kuo Wen-cheng (郭玟成), the DPP candidate from Chen
Shui-bian’s home district, would be hurt by the former president’s release, Tsai
Huang-liang said he did not think that would be the case.
Controversy surrounding the former president has existed for more than three
years and different groups of people have fixed opinions on the case, he said,
adding that it would not have an impact on the election results.
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