Taiwan's Soviet-born former first lady Faina Chiang Fang-liang (
"At 11:45am today, Chiang experienced a sudden drop in blood pressure and ventricular fibrillation. The medical team's efforts at resuscitation unfortunately failed," said Lee Shou-tung (
PHOTO: AFP
Lee said that Chiang checked into the hospital on Oct. 6, displaying inflammation of the oesophagus and acute asthma. Her condition had stabilized after treatment.
PHOTO: AFP
In addition to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Chiang had also battled with diabetes and a heart condition over a long period.
Once the news of her death broke, a number of senior government officials and representatives of political parties visited Chiang's family to express their condolences.
In the afternoon, President Chen Shui-bian (
"Though Chiang was born in Siberia, she displayed the virtues of a traditional Chinese woman -- she was a good mother and a good wife who always put her family before everything else," Chen said.
Vice President Annette Lu (
Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (
People First Party (PFP) Chair-man James Soong (宋楚瑜), who also served as Chiang Ching-kuo's English secretary, sent PFP Vice Chairman Chang Chao-hsiung (張昭雄) to meet Chiang's family in his absence. Soong is in San Francisco.
In a statement, Soong said that Chiang's "quiet and sparing lifestyle" was to be commended. He also telephoned Chiang's family in Taiwan to express his condolences.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan (連戰), after visiting Chiang's family at the hospital, said that the KMT would do its best to assist them with funeral arrangements.
After his own visit to the hospital, Premier Yu Shyi-kun said the Executive Yuan would provide assistance for the funeral and burial.
The Ministry of National Defense is understood to have set aside space for her in the military mausoleum on Wuzhishan to the northwest of Taipei, next to the plot where her husband's body will be moved from his current, temporary resting place.
The remains of Chiang Ching-kuo and his father, former president Chiang Kai-shek (
In January, Chiang Fang-liang asked the defense ministry to have the two late KMT presidents buried at the Wuzhishan site.
Construction of the site will not be completed until June next year, meaning that Chiang will not be able to be buried there until that time.
Also see story:
DEFENDING DEMOCRACY: Taiwan shares the same values as those that fought in WWII, and nations must unite to halt the expansion of a new authoritarian bloc, Lai said The government yesterday held a commemoration ceremony for Victory in Europe (V-E) Day, joining the rest of the world for the first time to mark the anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe. Taiwan honoring V-E Day signifies “our growing connections with the international community,” President William Lai (賴清德) said at a reception in Taipei on the 80th anniversary of V-E Day. One of the major lessons of World War II is that “authoritarianism and aggression lead only to slaughter, tragedy and greater inequality,” Lai said. Even more importantly, the war also taught people that “those who cherish peace cannot
Taiwanese Olympic badminton men’s doubles gold medalist Wang Chi-lin (王齊麟) and his new partner, Chiu Hsiang-chieh (邱相榤), clinched the men’s doubles title at the Yonex Taipei Open yesterday, becoming the second Taiwanese team to win a title in the tournament. Ranked 19th in the world, the Taiwanese duo defeated Kang Min-hyuk and Ki Dong-ju of South Korea 21-18, 21-15 in a pulsating 43-minute final to clinch their first doubles title after teaming up last year. Wang, the men’s doubles gold medalist at the 2020 and 2024 Olympics, partnered with Chiu in August last year after the retirement of his teammate Lee Yang
The Philippines yesterday criticized a “high-risk” maneuver by a Chinese vessel near the disputed Scarborough Shoal (Huangyan Island, 黃岩島) in a rare incident involving warships from the two navies. The Scarborough Shoal — a triangular chain of reefs and rocks in the contested South China Sea — has been a flash point between the countries since China seized it from the Philippines in 2012. Taiwan also claims the shoal. Monday’s encounter took place approximately 11.8 nautical miles (22km) southeast” of the Scarborough Shoal, the Philippine military said, during ongoing US-Philippine military exercises that Beijing has criticized as destabilizing. “The Chinese frigate BN 554 was
US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer began talks with high-ranking Chinese officials in Switzerland yesterday aiming to de-escalate a dispute that threatens to cut off trade between the world’s two biggest economies and damage the global economy. The US delegation has begun meetings in Geneva with a Chinese delegation led by Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng (何立峰), Xinhua News Agency said. Diplomats from both sides also confirmed that the talks have begun, but spoke anonymously and the exact location of the talks was not made public. Prospects for a major breakthrough appear dim, but there is
RSS