Former president Lee Teng-hui’s (李登輝) condition has stabilized after he had a minor stroke, but he is to remain hospitalized under observation, Lee’s office said yesterday.
“Lee was sent to the Taipei Veterans General Hospital in the early hours of Friday after experiencing numbness in his right hand,” Lee’s office director Wang Yan-chun (王燕軍) said in a statement issued yesterday afternoon.
Following a series of examinations, Wang said the hospital concluded that Lee’s symptoms were caused by an embolism that occurred in the small peripheral arteries of the left hemisphere of his brain.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
Due to the hospital’s attentive care and treatment, Lee’s condition has stabilized and he will remain in the hospital to recuperate, Wang said.
“We appreciate everyone’s concerns, but we have to decline any visitors during Lee’s time in hospital in accordance with doctors’ advice,” Wang said.
Separately yesterday, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said she was aware of Lee’s condition, but has not had the time to visit him in person, adding that DPP Secretary-General Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) has called Lee’s office to pass on her regards.
Lee, 92, served as president from 1988 to 2000.
In 1988, then-vice president Lee became the first Taiwan-born president when then-president Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國) passed away. Lee became the first popularly elected president of Taiwan in 1996.
In July 2013, Lee underwent vertebral artery stenting surgery after he suffered from a vertebral artery occlusion.
He was diagnosed with colon cancer in November 2011, when he had a tumor estimated at 3.5cm by 2.5cm removed.
Taiwan is gearing up to celebrate the New Year at events across the country, headlined by the annual countdown and Taipei 101 fireworks display at midnight. Many of the events are to be livesteamed online. See below for lineups and links: Taipei Taipei’s New Year’s Party 2026 is to begin at 7pm and run until 1am, with the theme “Sailing to the Future.” South Korean girl group KARA is headlining the concert at Taipei City Hall Plaza, with additional performances by Amber An (安心亞), Nick Chou (周湯豪), hip-hop trio Nine One One (玖壹壹), Bii (畢書盡), girl group Genblue (幻藍小熊) and more. The festivities are to
Auckland rang in 2026 with a downtown fireworks display launched from New Zealand’s tallest structure, Sky Tower, making it the first major city to greet the new year at a celebration dampened by rain, while crowds in Taipei braved the elements to watch Taipei 101’s display. South Pacific countries are the first to bid farewell to 2025. Clocks struck midnight in Auckland, with a population of 1.7 million, 18 hours before the famous ball was to drop in New York’s Times Square. The five-minute display involved 3,500 fireworks launched from the 240m Sky Tower. Smaller community events were canceled across New Zealand’s
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday said it is closely monitoring developments in Venezuela, and would continue to cooperate with democratic allies and work together for regional and global security, stability, and prosperity. The remarks came after the US on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who was later flown to New York along with his wife. The pair face US charges related to drug trafficking and alleged cooperation with gangs designated as terrorist organizations. Maduro has denied the allegations. The ministry said that it is closely monitoring the political and economic situation
‘SLICING METHOD’: In the event of a blockade, the China Coast Guard would intercept Taiwanese ships while its navy would seek to deter foreign intervention China’s military drills around Taiwan this week signaled potential strategies to cut the nation off from energy supplies and foreign military assistance, a US think tank report said. The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) conducted what it called “Justice Mission 2025” exercises from Monday to Tuesday in five maritime zones and airspace around Taiwan, calling them a warning to “Taiwanese independence” forces. In a report released on Wednesday, the Institute for the Study of War said the exercises effectively simulated blocking shipping routes to major port cities, including Kaohsiung, Keelung and Hualien. Taiwan would be highly vulnerable under such a blockade, because it
RSS