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Bill urging medical
parole for Chen introduced in US
By William Lowther / Staff reporter in WASHINGTON
A new bill has been introduced into the US Congress calling on the Taiwanese
government to grant medical parole to former president Chen Shui-bian (³¯¤ô«ó).
¡§Chen has not been able to receive adequate medical treatment in accordance with
his wishes, such as selecting either doctors or hospitals, and has not been able
to have complete access to his medical records,¡¨ the bill says.
Sponsored by US Representative Robert Andrews, the bill urges medical parole
¡§effective immediately.¡¨
The bill says that since the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) came to office in
2008, a large number of investigations and prosecutions have been brought
against members of the Democratic Progressive Party administration.
¡§Most of these prosecutions were politically motivated, in an apparent pattern
of political score-settling,¡¨ the bill says.
Earlier this month, the New York Times ran an article on Chen, saying that his
time in power ¡§vexed Beijing with his advocacy of Taiwanese independence and
riveted Washington, which saw him both as democratic pioneer and mercurial
troublemaker.¡¨
It said if Ma showed leniency, he would anger Chen¡¦s old KMT opponents, ¡§but
doing nothing has left him looking heartless and vulnerable to continuing
criticism.¡¨
¡§Taiwan authorities need to understand that Chen¡¦s imprisonment is severely
damaging the international image of Taiwan as a free and democratic nation,¡¨
Formosan Association for Public Affairs president Mark Kao (°ªÀsºa) said.
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