Control Yuan releases interview recording of President Chen in Prison on his medical condition

Control Yuan releases interview recording of President Chen in Prison on his medical condition

Translated by Jay Tu

According to the report by The Taiwan People News, Mr. Huang Huan-Hsiung, a Control Yuan member who embarked a 626 days of investigation into the imprisonment condition of President Chen, released the audio recording of his interviews of President Chen in prison (see the report in Hanji below). Mr. Huang told the reporters that he wrote a letter to Ma with his complete report attached, but Ma never responds to his letter. Mr. Huang also provided his report to DOJ and Executive Yuan, but similarly, none of them bother to respond except a simple note to acknowledge that the report had been received.

In the recording, President Chen told Mr. Huang grimly, while stuttering worse than ever, that he would refuse any medical treatment if his condition becomes critical. "It is worse than death. I don't want endless torture in prison. I would rather die, just like Korean President Kim (who jumped to death to protest the charges against him)."

Mr. Huang interviewed President Chen five times and recorded the interview in 28 tapes. The first interview was conducted on Oct. 4, 2012 and the last one was on May 23, 2014. Mr. Huang recalled that President Chen was in a worst physical condition when he first interviewed him on Oct. 4, 2014. (Note that in September, 2012, President Chen was rushed to Taoyuan Municipal Hospital because he was forcefully fed over 2000 CC water by the prison authority to see if he was faking his inability to urinate after a "drive-through" colonoscopy on the same day.) Mr. Huang also warned of the worst because he has personally witnessed the rapid deterioration of President Chen's health in the last 13 months. Below are some excepts of the audio recording of President Chen on his own condition, in his own words, during the interviews on Jan. 23, 214 and May 23, 2014.

Jan. 23, 2014

"When Dr. Ko described me as ruined (incapable of taking himself, not to mention mounting a political comeback), I was a little offended by his blunt statement. ... However, I agree now that his description has some truth in it. In conducting my daily live, I am ruined, a complete wreck. In the last two months, there are several new symptoms, while there are no improvement in my existing conditions. ... The doctors at Taichung Veteran General Hospital told me that they had tried their best and there was no cure for my conditions." 

"The severeness of the medical condition needed to qualify for a trial suspension is stricker than the one qualified for a medical parole. Now that the Court has suspended all the trials against me because of my severe medical condition, they still insist on imprisoning me. Just like what Dr. Ko stated, their intent is to kill, wanting me to die in the prison. The doctors have prescribed home care as my treatment, which means medical parole. There is no reason that I should not be allowed to go home to receive proper treatment." 

"... I was told that all my medical conditions (such as sleep apnea, low blood oxygen, loss of bladder control, etc.) originated from my brain degeneration. I am most frustrated by my brain condition. Doctors told me no medicine can stop this degeneration."

May 23, 2014

Question: "Do you drink a lot of water each day?"

"Yes, I drink a lot of water because I sweat a lot and feel thirsty all the time. My bladder control problem is getting worse. Early this year, it (wetting paints) probably happened 4 to 5 times a day. Then, it became more than 10 times, then 20 times, 30 times, and now over 40 times a day. I drank probably 4 to 5000 CC of water a day in the past, but my bladder control problem was not this bad six months ago. ... Doctors told me that the bladder control and my unsteady steps were due to my central nerve system..."

"The first surgery alleviated my sleep apnea but it has progressed worse again. ... The second surgery did not help much. ... I am again suffering severe sleep apnea as I stopped breathing over 40 times a night. The doctors similarly confirm that it is due to the central nerve system."

"A few days ago, I choked while eating my meal here. I had to see a doctor and coughed up many grains of rice. A few days later, I woke up in the middle of the night because I could not breathe. I don't know if it was due to my sleep apnea or due to food choking. It was so bad that I thought I would suffocate to death."

"Late last year, during my recovery in Taichung Veteran Gerneral Hospital after the surgery, I fell 9 times over two weeks. After that, I fell almost every day. This prompted the prison authority to have people assist me 24/7. A caretaker is assigned to hold me unless I am in bed or in a chair. When I woke up in the morning, someone will help me to get out of the bed. When I ring for help, someone will come to hold me. They will help me to the shower until I sit on the shower chair. My wife's condition is the same. This is the reason why the doctors state that I need full time caretakers in their diagnosis and treatment plan report."

"Dr. Chen Shuen-Shun advises me that I should walk diligently everyday. He told me to walk at least 10,000 steps twice a day. He gave me a counter. It takes well over an hour each time and nearly three hours all together. Somebody needs to hold me so that I could walk with my walking stick. When I walk, I would easily be out of breath and I would sweat so much to wet my trousers, while my loss of bladder control would cause me to wet my underwear. I can't take care of myself unless someone is holding me. It bothers me very much. My bladder control problem is getting worse. Every day, I am facing seemly endless changing of paints, underwear, and diapers."

"Yesterday, the prison staff was teaching my caretakers how to perform CPR. ... I told them there would be no need for it. I told them that I would sign an affidavit to refuse all medical treatments if my condition becomes critical. Don't waste ECMO or any medical resources on me. I would refuse a tube insertion or any surgery to save my life."