Taiwan's Ex-President Tries to Kill Self—With a Towel

Chen Shui-bian was found in time
Posted Jun 3, 2013 10:33 AM CDT
Taiwan's Ex-President Tries to Kill Self—With a Towel
Taiwan's jailed former president Chen Shui-bian crawls to the funeral home of his late mother-in-law, as part of a Taiwanese custom honoring the deceased, in Tainan, southern Taiwan, Jan. 6, 2012.   (AP Photo/Johnson Liu, Pool)

The former president of Taiwan, serving a 20-year prison sentence on corruption charges, tried to commit suicide last night—with a towel. The Justice Ministry says wardens found Chen Shui-bian in a prison bathroom in time, and "no serious abnormalities were found after a health check." No word on the truly intriguing question of "how," but Reuters reports the "why": Chen was protesting his conviction; he says the charges against him were politically motivated due to his anti-China position. Now, his "mood is gradually improving," and a psychologist will see him. (More Chen Shui bian stories.)

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