Detained former president still on hunger strike
ROC Central News Agency
Taipei, Nov. 25 (CNA) Detained former President Chen Shui-bian continued his hunger strike Tuesday -- six days after he was sent back to his cell following three days of hospital care to treat his irregular heart beat and other symptoms caused by his refusal to take food for five days.
Chen was taken into custody Nov. 12 on suspicion of money laundering, taking bribes, forgery and embezzlement during his two terms in office between 2000-2008. A marathon court hearing concluded that there was enough evidence to detain him to prevent him from colluding with other co-conspirators.
Chen denied any wrongdoing and immediately began a hunger strike in protest of what he called political persecution.
Li Da-chu, deputy warden of the Tucheng detention center in suburban Taipei, quoted a medical doctor who checked Chen's physical condition Tuesday as saying that Chen's blood pressure, heart beat and blood sugar had all dropped further from the previous days, but still remained within normal range.
According to Li, the former president was able to walk, but complained of abdominal pain and gas.
"He drank a full bottle of a sports drink yesterday, but today he drank less than half a bottle," Li said, adding that Chen appeared more dejected than in earlier days and that he was spending most of his time going through his files and writing in his diary.
Li said medical doctors at the detention center will monitor Chen's condition closely and continuously.
Chen was diagnosed with dehydration after he was sent to the Far Eastern Memorial Hospital on the evening of Nov. 17 when he began experiencing an excessively fast heartbeat and tightness in the chest.
The next day, he was transferred to Taipei County Hospital's Banciao Branch for observation and remained in stable condition after being treated and given intravenous fluids at the hospital.
On Nov. 19, he was taken back to the detention center after doctors determined that his condition had improved to the point where he could get in and out of bed on his own.
Under Taiwanese law, Chen can be detained for up to 120 days to facilitate the investigation before prosecutors decide whether to indict him.
Chen and his family have been dogged by corruption scandals since 2006 and are being investigated on a series of money-related criminal charges.
By mid-November, prosecutors of the Special Investigation Unit had detained nine suspects involved in the corruption and money laundering cases, including Chen's former treasurer Chen Cheng-hui, former Presidential Office director Lin Teh-hsun, former Presidential Office deputy secretary-general Ma Yung-cheng.
Some of the suspects were released last week after prosecutors determined that there was no need to detain them further to prevent collusion. (By Han Nai-kuo) ENDITEM /pc
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