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Former first lady
urges medical release for Chen
By Chris Wang / Staff Reporter
On behalf of her husband, former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), former first
lady Wu Shu-jen (吳淑珍) yesterday urged judicial authorities to grant Chen a
release from prison for medical treatment.
Wu, who is subject to house arrest during her 17-and-a-half-year prison sentence
because of bad health, said she did not rule out organizing a protest against
President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) if the release were not granted.
Wu, who lives in Greater Kaohsiung, visited Chen, who is also serving a
17-and-a-half-year prison sentence for corruption, at Taipei Prison yesterday.
She said Chen’s deteriorating health was worrisome.
Wu said Chen appeared to have been suffering from exhaustion and liver problems
since he was granted a release to go to the funeral of Wu’s mother in Tainan in
January.
Noting the poor health of his mother and aging grandmother, who is 85 years old,
the former president’s son, Chen Chih-chung (陳致中), said he would file a request
to have Chen Shui-bian relocated to a prison in southern Taiwan so that it would
be more convenient for his family to visit.
In related news yesterday, the former president wrote in his column published in
a weekly magazine that former DPP chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) needed to take
a hard look at her election loss.
The Jan. 14 presidential election was “winnable” for Tsai as early as eight
months before the election and as late as two months before polling day, he
said, adding that “everything the DPP had expected to happen, did not happen,”
including its vote-share simulation, mobilization and the impact of its slogan:
“Hakka girl for president.”
The DPP has been trying to appeal to swing voters, but “history has shown that
mobilizing the DPP’s core support is the winning formula,” he said.
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