President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and other politicians yesterday mourned the passing of veteran democracy activist Shih Ming-te (施明德).
Shih, a former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairman, died at the age of 83 yesterday after battling cancer for years.
In a Facebook post, Tsai described Shih as a pioneer of democracy and human rights who devoted himself to the democratic movement during Taiwan’s authoritarian period.
Photo: CNA
Taiwan has navigated through periods of political party bans and newspaper restrictions, culminating in the eighth direct presidential election, said Tsai, who visited Shih in hospital on Sunday.
Tsai expressed gratitude to Shih for his dedication, stating that the public would “consolidate all our endeavors and persist in building a better Taiwan.”
Vice President William Lai (賴清德), who won the presidential election on Saturday, also paid tribute to Shih’s contributions and legacy on Facebook.
“Former chairman Shih was a trailblazer for democracy, a staunch defender of human rights, and a wise and courageous politician,” Lai said.
Shih, who dedicated his life and career to the advancement of human rights in Taiwan, has been called the “Nelson Mandela of Taiwan.”
He was jailed from 1962 to 1977 for sedition after calling for Taiwan’s independence from China, and again from 1980 to 1990 for his role in the Kaohsiung Incident.
Shih was chairman of the DPP from 1993 to 1996, and served as a lawmaker from 1993 to 2002.
He split with the party after then-president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) of the DPP became embroiled in several corruption scandals, later leading a mass movement calling for Chen’s resignation in 2006.
Chen, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison after being convicted on corruption and bribery charges in 2010, expressed his condolences on social media.
Reflecting on their shared history during the Kaohsiung Incident, Chen said he remembered watching Shih stand strong in front of the military court while serving as his lawyer.
On Dec. 10, 1979, Shih and other opposition leaders held a rally in Kaohsiung to commemorate Human Rights Day and call for democracy in Taiwan. The then-Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) government cracked down on the demonstration and arrested Shih and the other leaders in what became known as the Kaohsiung Incident.
Chen said Shih had advocated throughout his life that Taiwan should move toward a Cabinet system.
“Prophets often tread a lonely path,” Chen said, expressing his conviction that, given time, Shih’s proposal for Taiwan to adopt a Cabinet system would become mainstream public opinion in Taiwan.
Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安), a member of the KMT, conveyed his condolences on Facebook, adding that Shih had effectively fulfilled a role in monitoring the government, displaying profound compassion for the people residing in this land.
LONG FLIGHT: The jets would be flown by US pilots, with Taiwanese copilots in the two-seat F-16D variant to help familiarize them with the aircraft, the source said The US is expected to fly 10 Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Block 70/72 jets to Taiwan over the coming months to fulfill a long-awaited order of 66 aircraft, a defense official said yesterday. Word that the first batch of the jets would be delivered soon was welcome news to Taiwan, which has become concerned about delays in the delivery of US arms amid rising military tensions with China. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said the initial tranche of the nation’s F-16s are rolling off assembly lines in the US and would be flown under their own power to Taiwan by way
‘OF COURSE A COUNTRY’: The president outlined that Taiwan has all the necessary features of a nation, including citizens, land, government and sovereignty President William Lai (賴清德) discussed the meaning of “nation” during a speech in New Taipei City last night, emphasizing that Taiwan is a country as he condemned China’s misinterpretation of UN Resolution 2758. The speech was the first in a series of 10 that Lai is scheduled to give across Taiwan. It is the responsibility of Taiwanese citizens to stand united to defend their national sovereignty, democracy, liberty, way of life and the future of the next generation, Lai said. This is the most important legacy the people of this era could pass on to future generations, he said. Lai went on to discuss
MISSION: The Indo-Pacific region is ‘the priority theater,’ where the task of deterrence extends across the entire region, including Taiwan, the US Pacific Fleet commander said The US Navy’s “mission of deterrence” in the Indo-Pacific theater applies to Taiwan, Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Stephen Koehler told the South China Sea Conference on Tuesday. The conference, organized by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), is an international platform for senior officials and experts from countries with security interests in the region. “The Pacific Fleet’s mission is to deter aggression across the Western Pacific, together with our allies and partners, and to prevail in combat if necessary, Koehler said in the event’s keynote speech. “That mission of deterrence applies regionwide — including the South China Sea and Taiwan,” he
UNPRECEDENTED: In addition to the approved recall motions, cases such as Ma Wen-chun’s in Nantou are still under review, while others lack enough signatures The Central Election Commission (CEC) announced yesterday that a recall vote would take place on July 26, after it approved the first batch of recall motions targeting 24 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers and Hsinchu Mayor Ann Kao (高虹安). Taiwan is in the midst of an unprecedented wave of mass recall campaigns, following a civil society push that echoed a call made by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) in January to initiate signature drives aimed at unseating KMT legislators. Under the Civil Servants Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法), Taiwanese can initiate a recall of district-elected lawmakers by collecting