《TAIPEI TIMES 焦點》 Ex-president speaks at clinic opening

HIGH PRAISE Chen Shui-bian thanked his daughter for the opportunity to speak publicly at her dental clinic opening in a 23-minute talk that shied away from politics

/ Staff writer, with CNA

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Former president Chen Shui-bian （陳水扁） yesterday attended the opening of his daughter’s dental clinic in Tainan and spoke with hundreds of his supporters, the first time he has done so since being released from prison on medical parole.

Chen, who lives in Kaohsiung, was greeted by hundreds of supporters when he arrived at Chen Hsing-yu’s （陳幸妤） clinic in Tainan.

Chen, his wife, Wu Shu-jen （吳淑珍）, and their son, Chen Chih-chung （陳致中）, had to be helped to make it through the large crowds before entering the clinic, amid shouts of “Go. Go. Go, president A-bian.”

A-bian is a nickname for the former president.

Chen Shui-bian, joined by Tainan Mayor William Lai （賴清德）, cut the ribbon at the opening ceremony.

Chen Shui-bian said that he had been thinking about how he could make a statement without breaching his parole regulations, but as the opening of a dental clinic is not a political activity he thought it should be okay.

The former president called his daughter his “lucky star,” allowing him to speak in public for the first time in eight years, stressing that he was making remarks for the clinic’s opening, not a speech.

He thanked President Tsai Ing-wen （蔡英文） for allowing him to attend a private gathering with his supporters in Taipei in June and a concert in Kaohsiung in October, as well as for allowing him to speak at the clinic opening.

He also thanked former president Ma Ying-jeou （馬英九）, saying that although he lost his freedom shortly after Ma came to power in May 2008, he has rediscovered familial love.

During his time in prison, he spoke with his daughter more often than at any other time in the past three decades, he said, adding that she had bought him snacks every Monday.

He also thanked the Tainan media, saying that the local media were starkly different from their counterparts in Taipei.

Being a member of the former presidential family has been tough for his wife and children, he said, adding that each of them has suffered because of his participation in politics.

Chen Hsing-yu was born when his law firm was inaugurated four decades ago, Chen Shui-bian said, and he was glad to see his daughter now has her own clinic.

He also said that when Chen Hsing-yu was still a medical student, she saved her mother’s life by correctly determining that her health problems were related to a change of medication.

Chen Shui-bian spoke for 23 minutes.

Chen Hsing-yu’s husband, Chao Chien-ming （趙建銘）, an orthopedist, her father-in-law and sons were also at the opening ceremony.

Chen Shui-bian, 66, was sentenced to 20 years in prison and fined NT$250 million （US$7.77 million） in a series of corruption cases that surfaced shortly after his second term ended in 2008.

He began serving his sentence on Nov. 11, 2010, but was detained for nearly two years prior to that during the investigation.

Chen Shui-bian’s supporters have said that his imprisonment was a vendetta carried out by the Ma administration in retaliation over his pro-Taiwanese independence stance.

Chen Shui-bian was released on medical parole on Jan. 5 last year.

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES