Taipei  - Taiwan former president Chen Shui-bian has written a poem to lament his detention on corruption allegations and say he would die for Taiwan's independence, a newspaper said Wednesday.

In the poem "To My Wife," published by the Liberty Times, Chen compared the Taipei Penitentiary, where he is being held, to the Bastille, the Paris prison whose storming in 1789 is considered the beginning of the French Revolution:

Waking up with the morning call. Surprised to find I can still breathe. Surrounded by barbed wire. Tiny and dark cell. Every move watched by the security camera. This is not a detention centre for beggars But is the Taipei Penitentiary - the Bastille.

In the poem, which was given to the press by Chen's attorney, Chen expressed love for his wife, Wu Shu-chen, who is being investigated for money laundering:

I hurriedly said good-bye to her at the Baolai Apartment Building. It is like yesterday. Thirteen days is like 13 years. You said you regretted becoming the First Lady. It's not your fault. I should not have embarked on the road of politics.

In his poem, Chen blasted what he called the cruelty of politics, saying, "The former master in the presidential office is now the prisoner of the new master."

Despite his detention, which began November 12, Chen vowed to carry on the fight for Taiwan's independence, even if means he should die for it:

The cause of building our nation Is still up in the air. If I cannot walk out of the detention centre alive, I would rather die on the cross of Taiwan's history.

Chen, 57, who ended his second four-year presidential term in May, is accused of embezzling millions of US dollars under the pretext of using the money as a "secret diplomatic fund" to launch or strengthen ties with foreign countries.

He is also accused of laundering 21 million US dollars abroad and accepting millions of dollars in bribes from Taiwan businessmen.

Prosecutors said they intend to indict him soon on at least five charges that carry a maximum jail term of 30 years.

Since his detention, Chen has launched a hunger strike but drinks water. (dpa)