Mr Chen, who was detained on Wednesday for suspected graft and money laundering, has gone without food for more than 24 hours, his lawyer Cheng Wen-lung said yesterday.

Surviving only on water, Mr Chen is determined to continue his fast 'to protest the death of justice and the regression of democracy', his lawyer told reporters after visiting his client at a detention centre in suburban Taipei.

The former president - known for his strident anti-China stance - has alleged that he was a victim of political persecution by the Beijing-friendly Kuomintang (KMT) government. In a statement issued through his office, Mr Chen gave the 'top 10' reasons for his hunger strike, such as protesting against 'authoritarianism, dictatorship and communism'.

His lawyer said Mr Chen was in 'an okay condition now'. Officials at the detention centre said they were monitoring the situation closely.

Following his high-profile arrest, Mr Chen - who was once Taiwan's most powerful man - is now simply known as inmate 2630 at the Tucheng detention centre, where he was jailed eight months for defamation back in 1986.

Trading his suit and tie for T-shirt and shorts, he now stays alone in Room No. 46, a stripped-down 'en suite' cell about 50 times smaller than his luxurious apartment in Taipei's prime district.

But he was not lying down quietly, and had spent his waking hours reading documents about his case, said his lawyer.

Mr Chen is suspected of crimes, including embezzling NT$14.8 million (S$675,000) in special presidential expenses, accepting bribes from businessmen and money laundering. He has not been formally charged but observers say it is likely to happen soon. He can be held for up to four months without charge.

About 30 supporters stood outside the detention centre to voice support for Mr Chen, with a rally planned for Nov 22.

But he is hardly the first opposition politician to go on a hunger strike, a tactic associated with opposition pioneers such as former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chief Shih Ming-teh.

Mr Shih, who had served 25 years in jail as a political prisoner, once refused food consecutively for four years and two months and had to be force-fed.

Mr Chen's hunger strike also came in the wake of a similar move by DPP Yunlin county chief Su Chih-fen, who was arrested on Nov 4 for alleged corruption and has since been hospitalised.

Another DPP member, Chiayi county chief Chen Ming-wen, has also been refusing to eat for the past two days. He has been detained since late last month for suspected corruption.

'It's obvious that they want to show political persecution. But do they know the real meaning of hunger strikes?' asked political analyst Shih Cheng-feng of National Dong Hwa University.

Hunger strike or not, he could not see many DPP politicians or supporters stepping out to back Mr Chen for now.

The KMT has to be careful and not be seen to gloat or do anything wrong that the opposition can seize on as evidence of persecution, he added.

Stepping up investigations into money laundering allegations implicating the former president and his family, prosecutors are expected to summon Mr Chen's daughter, son and daughter-in-law for questioning today.

hoailli@sph.com.sg