Opposition speaks out against Chen detention
Written by Writer on Thursday, November 13th, 2008
Opposition speaks out against Chen detention
TAIPEI, Taiwan — The main opposition camp yesterday condemned the court for ordering former President Chen Shui-bian detained on corruption charges, while President Ma Ying-jeou and the ruling Kuomintang remained low key.
Lawmakers from the Democratic Progressive Party lawmakers said they were furious at the court decision, which they claimed was political persecution and a violation of the former president’s human rights.
DPP spokesman Cheng Wen-tseng said the reasons the court gave to back up the detention of the retired president were hardly convincing.
But President Ma and KMT Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung both said that the Chen case was not something to be celebrated — remarks clearly made to avoid provoking the opposition camp.
The Taipei District Court yesterday morning ordered Chen be held incommunicado after hours of drama-filled questioning.
On Tuesday afternoon when he emerged from the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office, he held his hands up in the air to show off his handcuffs to hundreds of supporters blocked from him by barricades.
Chen also cried out that he was being politically persecuted before boarding a car taking him to the courthouse.
He is now being locked up in the Taipei Penitentiary in Tucheng, Taipei County, pending prosecutors further investigation that may result in a formal indictment.
The DPP spokesman, Cheng, faulted the prosecutors for handcuffing Chen in public, describing it as an utmost humiliation to his supporters.
Cheng said it was unnecessary to handcuff Chen, as he had not intent to escape of struggle with law enforcement officials.
Other heavyweights from the DPP, including former Vice President Annette Lu, and former legislators Yu Ching and Yao Chia-wen, also condemned the handcuffing of Chen even before teh court handed down the detention order.
“How can political figures run away? The handcuffing is trampling on human rights,” said Huang Tien-fu, who had been jailed together with Chen some three decades ago during the martial law years.
DPP Tainan Mayor Hsu Tain-tsair said it was the “darkest day” of the party, warning the KMT against celebrating the court’s decision to put Chen behind bars.
The former president’s detention has disrupted a chance of dialogue between Ma and DPP Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen to ease the tensions between the opposition and the government.
Ma has extended an invitation to Tsai to a meeting in the wake of the opposition camp’s violent protests against visiting China envoy Chen Yunlin.
“I believe many people will not want to see me meeting the president at this time,” said Tsai yesterday.
She reminded the president of his duty to maintain a transparent legal system and to protect human rights.
She also echoed other DPP leaders’ anger over the handcuffing of the former president.
“My feelings are sympathy rather than joy, and I take (Chen’s detention) as a lesson and as a reminder, just as other events in society can bring inspiration,” Ma said during a radio interview.
But he denied allegations that he had ordered Chen’s detention.
Thursday, November 13, 2008 9:36 am TWN, The China Post news staff
