President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) paid tribute yesterday to the late Yin Tsung-wen (殷宗文), former secretary-general of the National Security Council, praising his dedication to safeguarding the the nation's security for decades.
Yin, also a senior adviser to the president, died of adenocarcinoma, a kind of lung cancer, at Taipei Veterans General Hospital yesterday morning. He was 71 years old.
Chen offered his condolences to Yin's family at the hospital yesterday afternoon. He praised Yin as the staunchest guard of the nation, who had made invaluable efforts toward bolstering the nation's defenses, refining the nation's security strategies and planning the nation's intelligence systems.
Yin had in 1999 checked into Taipei Veterans General Hospital for an examination after suffering chest pains and shortness of breath while hiking in the mountains. He was diagnosed as having a malignant tumor originating in the glandular tissue. Chemotherapy failed to cure the disease and his condition deteriorated.
In mid-February of this year, he checked into the hospital for the last time and died in intensive care.
Other important posts that Yin held during his career included director general of the National Security Bureau, director general of the Military Intelligence Bureau and commander of the Penghu Defense Command.
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