Chen Shui-bian, former President of the Republic of China in-exile, is serving a lengthy sentence for corruption in Taiwan. Revelations that Chen was drugged without his knowledge or consent by ROC authorities with a psychiatric medication while in prison have shaken Chen’s many supporters.
The outrage has spread from Taiwan to the United States. The influential Formosan Association for Public Affairs has taken up Chen’s case and FAPA head Mark Kao has asked members to write to Congress requesting assistance from the United States. Kao wants American intervention with the ROC to end Chen’s harsh imprisonment and permit him a comprehensive medical evaluation.
Chen was convicted months after leaving office following a controversial trial marred by a skit performed by courtroom personnel mocking Chen. Chen’s alleged corruption arose out of so-called soft money. Chen told Examiner in 2010 in an exclusive prison interview that his actions were no different than his successor Ma Ying-jeou regarding political funds.
Chen’s health has deteriorated while in prison and during a hospitalization last week at Taoyuan General Hospital it was disclosed to Chen by doctors reviewing his medical history that he had been drugged with lorazepan. Lorazepan, marketed as Ativan, is a benzodiazepine tranquilizer often prescribed for anxiety.
FAPA members are asked to inform their Representatives in Congress of the drugging. Kao supplied a form letter with the details to share with politicians.
“During President Chen’s brief stay in the hospital, it was also discovered that for the last 14 months he has been prescribed a psychiatric drug, Ativan, without his knowledge or consent. This drug is known to be aggressive and can affect “chemicals in the brain that may become unbalanced and cause anxiety.”
Kao described Chen’s current prison conditions: “Chen has been serving out his 19-year sentence in Taoyuan County prison, where he is confined virtually 24 hours a day to a damp, undersized cell of about 50 square ft, which he shares with one other cellmate. The cell has a toilet, but no bed, desk or chair; in order to read or write, he must sit or lie on the floor.”
Kao says that Chen’s treatment is “inhumane” and that the United States should intervene.
Under the San Francisco Peace Treaty that controls Taiwan’s status, the United States is the “principle occupying Power” of the island. In 2009, the District of Columbia U.S. Court of Appeals urged President Barack Obama to end the “political purgatory” of Taiwan.
Chen Shui-bian believes that he was imprisoned by Ma Ying-jeou to pave the way for Taiwan’s alignment with the People’s Republic of China, a move Chen opposes.
Source: Michael Richardson - Boston Progressive Examiner
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