Lei Tien-hung had such a hard time finding a job in Taiwan after completing his two-year compulsory military service that he went to the US for advanced studies and then relocated to the Philippines 12 years ago.
Born in 1897 in China's Chechiang Province, Lei Chen developed a close relationship with the KMT after returning from four years of studying in Japan.
After the KMT lost the civil war and withdrew from China to Taiwan in 1949, Lei proposed that the KMT should conduct democratic reforms in a bid to compete with the communists.
Free China was established in Taipei in 1950 with the financial support of the KMT. In the beginning, the publication was must-read material for the armed forces. Lei was also appointed as one of Chiang's advisers.
However, as Lei's pro-democracy stance became evident, the tension between Lei and Chiang gradually grew.
Lei was finally arrested for treason in 1960 when he tried to form an opposition party. He died in 1979 of prostate cancer.
See story and editorial:
One man's struggle for a nation's freedom
Editorial: Belated recognition still timely
RSS