The Taichung Prison has rejected a request by former President Chen Shui-bian to attend the national day celebrations on October 10. The decision was announced following a meeting on Sunday by prison officials and Chen’s medical team.
The former president is on medical parole while serving a 20-year sentence for corruption committed during his presidency.
The president’s son, Chen Chih-chung, had said Thursday that his father was invited to attend the National Day celebrations at the Presidential Office.
But prison officials denied the request, saying that they had taken the president’s health and safety into consideration. They said they had considered whether the organizers of the national day festivities would be able to provide special medical care for the former president.
However, organizers of Monday’s celebrations said that it would be difficult to provide for the former president’s needs with so little time remaining before the event is scheduled to begin. Also, officials say they already have intelligence of possible protests. They say it is difficult to predict what might happen, and that an unexpected event could have a negative impact on the president’s recovery.