THRAC President visits Chen Shui-bian

Chen Shui-bian thanks THRAC for cards and concern

 THRAC President Michael Stainton spent an hour visiting with Chen Shui-bian 陳水扁at the Taichung Prison on January 24, accompanied by former legislator Michael Tsai (蔡明憲) and Kaohsiung Legislator Qiu Zhiwei (邱志偉) . Chen's situation was not as bad as expected. He looked good, though he has some trembling of his hands and an occasional slight stutter. He was using a wheel-chair because his balance is bad. Seven prisoners work on shifts as his caregivers. Chen spoke for most of the hour discussing DPP chances in the upcoming year-end election. So though his brain has some shrinkage, which is the source of his other physical problems, he is still very much engaged in Taiwan's political life.

 Michael gave him a new book on George Leslie Mackay, and they all prayed together. The visit took place around a big table in a pleasant living room in his small house with an official from the prison sitting at the other end taking occasional notes, but not interfering in the visit. There was no time limit imposed on the visit by the prison.

Chen remembered and expressed thanks for the concern THRAC has shown for him. He said he has received the cards we have mailed him.

We Condemn President Ma's Traitorous Speech

On Thursday, representatives of the Association of Taiwanese Organizations in Toronto (ATOT) presented the attached statement - We Condemn Ma's Traitorous Speech - to TECO Toronto, and issued it to the media. THRAC is a member of ATOT.  Michael Stainton helped edit the statement and translated it into English, shown below:

 Also:

THRAC received a request from FAPA USA to help file a complaint against air Canada for refusing two Taiwanese people, with ROC (Taiwan) passports  boarding on a flight from Washington to Toronto - because they were citizens of "China" and so needed a visa to visit Canada. Austin Yan is working on this case. 

This past weekend, the Federation for a Democratic China held a major international conference in Markham, on democratizing China. THRAC members Albert Lin and Michael Stainton spoke at the conference.

THRAC Statement on Constitutional Crisis in Taiwan 對台灣憲政危機的聲明