Taiwanese yesterday offered messages of condolence after Taiwanese independence advocate Su Beng (史明) died late on Friday at the age of 100.
Doctors said he died from multiple organ failure.
Su Beng Education Foundation chairwoman Huang Min-hung (黃敏紅) thanked people who offered their condolences on Facebook.
Photo provided by Avanguard Publishing
“Su lived a long and fulfilling life, he does not owe Taiwan anything. Now it is up to Taiwan to determine its own path,” Huang told a news conference in Taipei.
Su’s last words were that “Taiwan must win, and to do so, [President] Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) must win a second term,” Huang said.
Su had no children or wealth, having dedicated his life and fortune to the independence movement, Huang said, adding that the foundation would find a suitable location for a memorial.
Many people left messages on Su’s Facebook page, thanking him for his efforts to promote democracy and independence.
Tsai late on Friday wrote on Facebook that she had just visited Su two days earlier, and that while his condition was critical, she had not expected him to pass away so soon.
They had Lunar New Year’s Eve dinner together every year, Tsai said, adding that she would leave a chair for him at next year’s dinner table to commemorate his life of dedication.
Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) yesterday said that Su Beng had dedicated his life to Taiwan, not only writing about its history, but also forgoing personal pleasures and dedicating his time to bringing about Taiwanese autonomy.
“We must cherish his memory and legacy, and guard it well, so that our progeny can be independent,” the premier said.
The Democratic Progressive Party tipped its hat to Su Beng for his efforts and said in a statement that it would continue efforts to reinforce the concept of Taiwanese sovereignty based on its Resolution on Taiwan’s Future.
Su Beng was born to a wealthy family in Taipei’s Shilin District (士林) on Nov. 9, 1918.
He left Taiwan to study at Waseda University in Japan, where he seemed to adopt Marxism. After graduating in 1942, he went to China, where he worked undercover as part of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) anti-Japanese efforts.
He returned to Taiwan in 1949 because he was discontented with the CCP’s actions, and since then pushed for Taiwanese independence.
In 1952, he was a fugitive from the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) under Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) because of a plot to assassinate Chiang.
He stowed away on a boat to Japan, which gave him political asylum, and from 1952 to 1993 he operated a noodle shop in Tokyo, the proceeds of which he used to promote Taiwanese independence.
While there, he also began writing Taiwan’s 400-Year History (台灣人四百年史).
Named Shih Chao-hui (施朝暉) at birth, he changed his name to Su Beng — which means “historically clear” in Hoklo (commonly known as Taiwanese) — to underline the importance of having a clear understanding of history.
Su Beng returned to Taiwan in 1993 after martial law ended and his status as a political dissident was lifted.
LONG FLIGHT: The jets would be flown by US pilots, with Taiwanese copilots in the two-seat F-16D variant to help familiarize them with the aircraft, the source said The US is expected to fly 10 Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Block 70/72 jets to Taiwan over the coming months to fulfill a long-awaited order of 66 aircraft, a defense official said yesterday. Word that the first batch of the jets would be delivered soon was welcome news to Taiwan, which has become concerned about delays in the delivery of US arms amid rising military tensions with China. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said the initial tranche of the nation’s F-16s are rolling off assembly lines in the US and would be flown under their own power to Taiwan by way
OBJECTS AT SEA: Satellites with synthetic-aperture radar could aid in the detection of small Chinese boats attempting to illegally enter Taiwan, the space agency head said Taiwan aims to send the nation’s first low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite into space in 2027, while the first Formosat-8 and Formosat-9 spacecraft are to be launched in October and 2028 respectively, the National Science and Technology Council said yesterday. The council laid out its space development plan in a report reviewed by members of the legislature’s Education and Culture Committee. Six LEO satellites would be produced in the initial phase, with the first one, the B5G-1A, scheduled to be launched in 2027, the council said in the report. Regarding the second satellite, the B5G-1B, the government plans to work with private contractors
‘OF COURSE A COUNTRY’: The president outlined that Taiwan has all the necessary features of a nation, including citizens, land, government and sovereignty President William Lai (賴清德) discussed the meaning of “nation” during a speech in New Taipei City last night, emphasizing that Taiwan is a country as he condemned China’s misinterpretation of UN Resolution 2758. The speech was the first in a series of 10 that Lai is scheduled to give across Taiwan. It is the responsibility of Taiwanese citizens to stand united to defend their national sovereignty, democracy, liberty, way of life and the future of the next generation, Lai said. This is the most important legacy the people of this era could pass on to future generations, he said. Lai went on to discuss
MISSION: The Indo-Pacific region is ‘the priority theater,’ where the task of deterrence extends across the entire region, including Taiwan, the US Pacific Fleet commander said The US Navy’s “mission of deterrence” in the Indo-Pacific theater applies to Taiwan, Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Stephen Koehler told the South China Sea Conference on Tuesday. The conference, organized by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), is an international platform for senior officials and experts from countries with security interests in the region. “The Pacific Fleet’s mission is to deter aggression across the Western Pacific, together with our allies and partners, and to prevail in combat if necessary, Koehler said in the event’s keynote speech. “That mission of deterrence applies regionwide — including the South China Sea and Taiwan,” he