"He always stressed that with the power of an international alliance, we would not only empower Taiwan but also help weaker nations," she said.
One of APACT's achievements was its mobilization of international support when Thailand became the target of the US 301 trade regulations in 1989 in a bid to open up the kingdom's market to the US tobacco giants.
To help Thailand resist the pressure, the APACT submitted a petition to the US government, urging it to stop using the 301 for tobacco exports and launched measures a lobbying effort in the US Congress with the cooperation of the American Public Health Association and US health leaders.
Royal decoration
Thanks to APACT's efforts, Thailand was able to ban cigarette advertising and raise import tariffs against foreign tobacco. For his help Yen received a royal decoration -- "Commander of the Most Admirable Order the Direkguna-bhorn" -- from King Bhumibol Adulyadej in 2000.
"I will not stop [fighting tobacco] until the day when there are no cigarettes in the world and when everyone can breathe fresh air," Yen said at the award ceremony.
In 1996, Yen was diagnosed with third-stage prostate cancer. Instead of being discouraged, however, Yen cooperated fully with his doctors and tried to learn more about the disease.
When he met others suffering from serious diseases, he used himself as an example to encourage them by saying, "I am an old man with an illness that is much more serious than yours. If I can be optimistic about my life, you can do it as well."
"I understand the meaning of life and I respect all lives as much as my own. I have never regretted what I have done and I see every single day as a treasure waiting for me to cherish it," he said.
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