Family selects KMT over government to arrange Hsieh funeral

The family of the late Hsieh Tung-ming (謝東閔) yesterday refused an offer from the presidential office to make arrangements for the former vice president's funeral.

Instead it chose to accept help from Hsieh's former party, the KMT, in arranging the service.

"We will assist the family in handling the funeral but will not form a funeral committee," said the KMT's spokeswoman Chen Feng-hsin (陳鳳馨).

Hsieh died on Sunday in the US and on Monday both the KMT and the government offered their help in handling the funeral.

The presidential office held a meeting yesterday, hosted by advisor to the president Lee Yuan-tsu (李元簇), in hopes of making the arrangements.

KMT Chairman Lien Chan (連戰), who was invited to the meeting, refused to attend. During the meeting, Hsieh's daughter-in-law, Helen Lin (林澄枝), turned down the government's offer, saying the family wanted to keep the funeral as simple as possible.

Because Hsieh had been a vice president, President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) felt it was the presidential office's responsibility to make the funeral arrangements.

Chen insisted on assigning 12 government officials to assist the family with the funeral, including Lee, Premier Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄) and Legislative Yuan Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平).

The group concluded that a funeral committee would not be formed to hold the service, but that the government would instead later publish a commemorative anthology, to be compiled by Academia Historica President Chang Yen-hsien (張炎憲).

The Executive Yuan will also require government agencies to lower their national flags to half-mast on April 22, the day of the funeral.

Participants in yesterday's meeting suggested that Hsieh's family be presented with the national flag at the funeral. But Hsieh's relatives insisted that the service be kept simple and that such a presentation not be made.