Taiwan's Soviet-born former first lady Faina Chiang Fang-liang (
"When the services are done, the former first lady's body will be cremated in Keelung. After that, her ashes will be located along with former president Chiang Ching-kuo's (蔣經國) coffin in the temporary mausoleum in Touliao, Taoyuan County," said navy Captain Liou Chih-chien (劉志堅), spokesman for the ministry.
"She will be eventually buried with the two former president Chiangs at Wuchih Military Cemetery in the spring," he added.
According to the ministry, at the funeral services Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) heavyweights Lee Huan (李煥), Hau Pei-tsun (
Asked why Faina Chiang would be cremated in Keelung, Liou said that it was a decision made by the Chiang family.
The spokesman said that only the hospital's funeral chapels and the Touliao temporary mausoleum will be open to the public. The rest of the funeral services will be restricted to family members only.
Currently, the embalmed bodies of former presidents Chiang Kai-shek and Chiang Ching-kuo were put in temporary mausoleums in Taoyuan County's Tzuhu (慈湖) and Touliao (頭寮) respectively, originally awaiting proper burial in their hometown in Zhejiang Province in southeastern China once the KMT's forces conquered China, which they were unable to do.
At the family's behest, the ministry will help relocate the coffins to the Wuchih Military Cemetery in March or April.
In the meantime, their tomb designer also prepared another two sites for their wives -- Soong Mayling (蔣宋美齡) and Faina Chiang. However, the Chiangs do not have a plan to use one of the extra sites for Soong since she was buried in Manhattan, New York.
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
President William Lai (賴清德) has appointed former vice president Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) to attend the late Pope Francis’ funeral at the Vatican City on Saturday on his behalf, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today. The Holy See announced Francis’ funeral would take place on Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square. The ministry expressed condolences over Francis’ passing and said that Chen would represent Taiwan at the funeral and offer condolences in person. Taiwan and the Vatican have a long-standing and close diplomatic relationship, the ministry said. Both sides agreed to have Chen represent Taiwan at the funeral, given his Catholic identity and
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if the next president of that country decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said today. “We would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said during a legislative hearing. At the same time, Taiwan is paying close attention to the Central American region as a whole, in the wake of a visit there earlier this year by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Lin said. Rubio visited Panama, El Salvador, Costa Rica and Guatemala, during which he