Family members and close friends bade farewell to former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) at a private funeral service at Taipei’s Che-Lam Presbyterian Church yesterday morning, after which a funeral procession made a symbolic lap around the Presidential Office Building before winding its way to the Taipei City Second Funeral Parlor.
Lee, dubbed “Mr. Democracy” after he ended Taiwan’s autocratic rule in favor of free elections, died on July 30 at the age of 97.
Lee’s body was transported in a hearse, departing from Taipei Veterans General Hospital at 6:38am, where about 300 doctors and nurses lined the road to pay their respects.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
“The medical staff came out of their own volition to send off the former president,” said Hwang Shinn-jang (黃信彰), the hospital’s deputy director and spokesman. “They wanted to express their gratitude and regret on the departure of a good friend, especially the medical team who cared for him over the past decade.”
“We believe the former president has become ‘1,000 winds’ that are free across the vast sky to always watch over us and protect Taiwan,” Hwang said, alluding to lyrics from A Thousand Winds (千風之歌), one of Lee’s favorite songs.
At the funeral service, a church bell rang 21 times at 10am.
Photo: CNA
Pastors Yeh Chi-hsiang (葉啟祥) and Huang Chun-sheng (黃春生) presided over the service.
A funeral procession made a symbolic lap around the Presidential Office Building, where Lee held office from 1988 to 2000, during which he became Taiwan’s first president by direct popular vote.
Presidential Office Secretary-General David Lee (李大維) and National Security Council Secretary-General Wellington Koo (顧立雄) headed groups of presidential staff and military officers in front of the building in a guard of honor until the motorcade departed.
Screen grab from iChungLi’s Facebook page
The procession wound through Taipei’s streets without a portrait of Lee or music.
People lining the route watched in a somber, reflective mood. Some waved and shouted: “Thank you, A-hui Peh” or “We love you, A-hui Peh” (阿輝伯, or “Uncle A-hui”).
From the Presidential Office Building, the motorcade traveled along Roosevelt, Sinsheng S and Sinhai roads to the funeral parlor for the cremation of the body.
At shortly before 2pm, Lee Kun-yi (李坤儀), the former president’s granddaughter, departed with an urn containing his ashes to return to the Lee family residence.
A burial is planned for Oct. 7 at the Wuchihshan Military Cemetery in New Taipei City.
Lee Tung-hui’s wife, Tseng Wen-hui (曾文惠), was at the home to receive the urn. She did not attend the rest of the day’s events over concern for her health, sources said.
Meanwhile, veteran entertainer Lisa Cheng (鄭惠中) was arrested at the Taipei Guest House after allegedly throwing a balloon containing red paint on a portrait of Lee Teng-hui.
A memorial to the former president is open to the public at the site, with people leaving messages in his memory.
However, Cheng, who has opposed efforts to remove memorials to Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石), was arrested immediately after the incident at about 1pm and taken to the Taipei Prosecutors’ Office for questioning.
Prosecutors said that they intend to charge her and have ordered her to remain at home pending the judicial process.
Presidential Office spokesman Xavier Chang (張惇涵) said: “We condemn such irrational, violent acts... Our office urges all people who visit the memorial to respect the wishes of President Lee and his family in a solemn and dignified manner.”
Additional reporting by Huang Hsin-po, Liu Ching-ho, Jason Pan and Reuters
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
BULLY TACTICS: Beijing has continued its incursions into Taiwan’s airspace even as Xi Jinping talked about Taiwan being part of the Chinese family and nation China should stop its coercion of Taiwan and respect mainstream public opinion in Taiwan about sovereignty if its expression of goodwill is genuine, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday. Ministry spokesman Jeff Liu (劉永健) made the comment in response to media queries about a meeting between former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) the previous day. Ma voiced support for the so-called “1992 consensus,” while Xi said that although the two sides of the Taiwan Strait have “different systems,” this does not change the fact that they are “part of the same country,” and that “external
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source