theSun | WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 31 2008
news without borders
Indicted Taiwan former
president returns to jail
TAIPEI: Former Taiwan president
and anti-China firebrand Chen
Shui-bian was sent back to jail
yesterday because of the sever-
ity of the graft charges against
him, a court spokesman said.
Chen became the first former
Taiwan president to be indicted
after prosecutors charged him
and more than 10 other family
members and aides
on Dec 12 with cor-
ruption, forgery and
money laundering.
Chen was arrested
last month and was
held in jail until his
conditional release
on Dec 13.
The Taipei District
Court ordered Chen back to jail
after a long deliberation because
of the gravity of his alleged
crime and for fear he could alter
evidence, court officials said.
Chen, whose pursuit of inde-
pendence for self-ruled Taiwan
upset rival China and Taiwan’s
main ally the United States dur-
ing his presidency from 2000 to
2008, denies wrongdoing and
has described the probe involv-
ing him as a political plot.
“Chen Shui-bian thanks the
outside world for his support,”
his lawyer, Cheng Wen-lung, told
reporters. “He will continue to
stick up for his good name.”
Prosecutors said they would
recommend the heaviest sen-
tence possible for the charges.
They accuse Chen and his wife
together of embezzling T$104
million (RM10.8 million) from a
special presidential fund when
he was president from 2000-
2008.
They also accuse
him of accepting
bribes totalling around
US$9 million (RM32.4
million) related to a
land procurement deal
and another US$2.73
million (RM9.7 million)
in kickbacks to help
a contractor win a tender for a
construction project.
Chen’s fate is likely to affect
public opinion of Taiwan’s op-
position Democratic Progressive
Party, which backed him when
he was in office and faces tough
local elections next year. Chen
left the party in August.
China has claimed sov-
ereignty over Taiwan since
1949. Beijing wants to bring
Taiwan under its rule, by force
if necessary. Chen’s trial is due
to begin in March, local media
said. – Reuters
Hasina sweeps through with
big majority
DHAKA: An alliance under
Bangladesh’s former prime
minister Sheikh Hasina won
a massive parliamentary
majority in the country’s first
polls in seven years, officials
Year of said yesterday, but a rival party
political complained of irregularities.
Analysts said it was unclear
tsunami if the losers would accept the
pg 16 results or take their supporters
onto the streets to protest, despite
comments from independent
monitors as well as many voters
that the election appeared largely
fair and credible.
Political confrontations, strikes
and street violence have often
hampered the effectiveness of
Bangladeshi governments.
“It’s critical that both sides
accept the result ... If not,
Bangladesh risks sliding back
into the anarchy, violence
and corruption that have
characterised its past,” US-based
Asian Society Fellow Sheridan
Prasso said.
Results from election centres
around the country – not
13
technically considered official democracy after two years of
until a formal announcement emergency rule imposed by an
from the Election Commission army-backed government.
– showed the “Grand Alliance” Aside from economic
led by Hasina’s Awami League problems, the winner will have to
had so far won 255 seats in the tackle the endemic corruption
300-seat parliament. and chronic political and
With just 31 seats going social unrest that prompted
so far to a party led by Begum the military to intervene in
Khaleda Zia, another former January 2007, cancelling an
prime minister, it was the election due that month.
worst showing ever for her, Hasina’s Awami League
and the best for Awami League urged supporters to stay
since before independence from calm and not celebrate until
Pakistan in 1971. final results are announced.
Hasina had been widely seen – Reuters
as having the election edge, but
the size of her landslide surprised
some analysts – and could
actually prove a problem for
her by raising expectations she
should be able to deliver on all
her election promises.
“People might now think
that with the biggest election
success of the Awami League
since 1970, Hasina will arrange
for them everything she listed
in the election manifesto
– including cutting prices and
improving the economy,”
said professor Ataur
Rahman,a political scientist.
The Monday vote
returned Bangladesh to