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Newsmaker: Taiwan loses a fiery independence fighter

Lee Chen-yuan, seated, and President Chen Shui-bian, left, greet a crowd of well-wishers at a ceremony to honor Lee which was held earlier this year. PHOTO: GEORGE TSORNG, TAIPEI TIMES

On Thursday, Lee Chen-yuan (李鎮源), an internationally recognized expert on snake venom research and a fanatical advocate of Taiwan independence, passed away at the National Taiwan University Hospital at the advanced age of 86.

It is the same hospital where he was educated and trained to be a toxicologist.

Lee, who had suffered asthma and myelo dysplaisia, had been hospitalized since May for pneumonia. On Oct. 29 he fell into critical condition after respiratory failure and he eventually died of multiple organ failure on Thursday.

The presidential office, the Academia Sinica and the Taiwan Independence Party (TAIP) have announced that they will jointly organize the funeral for Lee in order to recognize his outstanding contributions to the country.

"His idealistic persistence is a model for us to follow," said Wu Shuh-min (吳樹民), a presidential advisor and the chief executive of the Foundation of Taiwan Medical Professionals Alliance (台灣醫界聯盟, FTMPA) during Lee's presidency, "nowadays, we rarely see such consistency in a person in the pursuit of his ideals."

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"I am touched by the efforts he made toward the goal of Taiwan's independence and its inclusion in international organizations like the UN and the WHO," Wu said after being informed of Lee's death.

Wu divides Lee's life-long passion for Taiwan into two phases -- first his academic achievements, followed by his devotion to Taiwan's political reform.

"His advanced studies on snake venom are so well-known that I don't have to talk about it again. But his decision to leave his lab to pursue politics has boosted the idea of Taiwanese intellectuals caring for their society," Wu told the Taipei Times.

In Taiwan the study of snake venom is the only basic scientific research being done for medical purposes. The nation's achievements in this regard has a good reputation internationally and Lee, undoubtedly, was the driving force behind Taiwan's successes in this field.

When Lee graduated from Taipei Imperial University's Faculty of Medicine during the time of Japanese rule, he was approached by several Japanese-taught professors who wanted him to be their assistant. But he decided to follow Dr. Tu Tsong-ming (杜聰明), the only indigenous Taiwanese professor at the university back then -- and the first Taiwanese to earn a medical doctorate, majoring in pharmacology.

His paper entitled Toxicological research into the venom of Russell's viper, was published in 1945 and won him international recognition as a specialist on neurotoxins. This paper -- the first study to reveal how the venom of Russell's viper causes death -- also earned him a doctorate from the medical school of National Taiwan University.

Lee devoted most of his laboratory study to isolating neurotoxins from the venom of two poisonous snakes -- Familly-Elapidae (cobra) and Bungarus-multicinitus (many-banded krait). He published more than 100 papers in prominent international scientific periodicals during his lifetime.

His pharmacological analysis on the neurotoxins was highly esteemed by academics for its great impact on the study of how acetylcholine functions in relation to its carrier animals.

He was not involved in any political activities before 1990, the year he decided to leave laboratory work. In March, he joined the so-called "March Student Demonstration" (三月學運), the biggest student movement ever in Taiwan, and quietly participated in the students' sit-in at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial.

In 1991, Lee led the Action 100 Alliance (一百行動聯盟), whose aim was the abolition of Article 100 of the criminal code, the so-called law on "crime of internal disruption of the peace."

Partly because Lee's appeal was vigorously supported by Taiwanese intellectual circles and public opinion, the legislature finally passed an amendment of Article 100. This granted the Taiwanese freedom of thought and speech, as well as freedom of association.

In 1992, Lee founded the FTMPA to unite the medical community to play a more active role in curing the nation of its malais. He also led the medical group to push for Taiwan's entry into the UN and the WHO under the name of "Taiwan."

In 1995, when Hsu Shin-liang (許信良) -- widely regarded as a deal-making politician in terms of his ideas on cross-strait relations -- chaired the DPP, Lee formed the TAIP to counter Hsu's concept of "march westward boldly, open to three full links" (大膽西進，開放三通).

After the 2000 presidential election, when Chen Sui-bian (陳水扁) was elected president, Lee announced he was quitting the TAIP -- with some other party heavyweights. Yet, the TAIP yesterday released a statement to mourn Lee's death and praised his leadership as the founding chairman of the party.

Lee said he quit the party he established because its transitional mission had been fullfilled (with Chen's election victory).

"Thanks to Lee's efforts the establishment of the TAIP served successfully as a firewall against the DPP's possible China policies under the chairmanship of Hsu.

That is why the voice of Taiwanese independence is still heard by the international community," said William Huang (黃玉炎), vice chairman of the TAIP.

"Each time when I saw him, at such an advanced age, fighting so hard for the dignity of Taiwan's people and Taiwanese independence, whether in the crowds or on the campaign podium, it made me feel that how can we younger generation be absent in this historical mission?" Huang told the Taipei Times.

"It's sad that his dream of Taiwanese independence wasn't realized during his lifetime, but his contribution should be remembered," commented Huang.

Even so, Huang -- and certainly also a number of other prominent TAIP members -- won't forget his abandonment of the party he helped to found.

"It's hard to forgive. Since the goal of Taiwan independence has not been reached yet, how could he abandon the party?" Huang said.
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