Former DPP heavyweight Wei Ting-chao (
Along with Peng ming-min (
Refusing to join the KMT as a young man, Wei instead joined the opposition movement. He was jailed for activities surrounding the Kaohsiung Incident of 1979.
According to his wife, Wei went to jail several times for his political activities -- for a total of 17 years. The harsh prison conditions contributed to heart problems and high blood pressure, she said.
To maintain his health and following doctors' orders, Wei exercised every morning around 5 am at an elementary school near his home in Chungli.
Yesterday, Wei was doing his exercise routine on the school grounds when he collapsed from an apparent heart attack. Taken to a nearby hospital and placed in the intensive care unit, Wei died an hour later, according to his wife.
Getting around
A few months ago, we told you about a new magazine that was making waves in Kaohsiung called, appropriately enough, Around Kaohsiung. Now the second issue is out -- 40 pages of news, photographs, charts and features. Editor Karen Schmitt says the January/February issue, which is also available on the Internet at http://www.aroundkaohsiung.freeservers.com, shines the spotlight on Kaohsiung's popular Yen Cheng district.
Full of detailed features, directories and how-to articles (and advertisements) the bi-monthly magazine seems to be making a good start and serving an important need in the Kaohsiung area.
All proceeds after printing are donated to local charities, according to Schmitt.
E-mail news tips and stories to:
offthebeat@taipeitimes.com
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