Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

The conditions of former president Chen Shui-bian’s (陳水扁) confinement in prison are “unacceptable” and have affected his physical as well as mental health, US-based medical experts said yesterday.

Joseph Lin, Ken Yoneda and Charles Whitcomb, professors at the University of California at Davis, told the Taipei Times that Chen’s health and the conditions of his confinement were “disturbing” and an issue of human rights and humanitarianism.

The torrential rains this week revealed that many parts of the country remain very vulnerable to the forces of nature. In central and southern Taiwan, the storm destroyed bridges and seriously damaged roads, with casualties reported from landslides and flash floods. In the north, the public witnessed extensive flooding, which inundated homes and vehicles and damaged roads following an overnight deluge on Tuesday.

However, while one may quickly blame Mother Nature for spewing fury and showing no mercy over vast swathes of land, there are always actions people could take to prepare for such calamities, hence the role of the government, whose priority should be to protect the public’s well-being and keep people from harm by mitigating dangers and damage efficaciously and expeditiously.