More than 1,500 people, including foreign representatives, are expected to attend a memorial service for former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) in New Taipei City’s Tamsui District (淡水) today.
Lee passed away on July 30 at the age of 97 and his body was cremated on Aug. 14.
The memorial is to be held across three venues — an Aletheia University auditorium, and an auditorium and concert hall at Tamkang Senior High School.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
The main service at the university is expected to be attended by nearly 800 people, including government officials, Lee’s relatives and friends, political representatives and members of the Presbyterian Church.
Foreign representatives include former Japanese prime minister Yoshiro Mori and a delegation led by US Undersecretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy and the Environment Keith Krach.
The service is to be held in accordance with Christian rituals — Lee was a Christian — as well as conventions for a deceased president.
Photo: CNA
President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) is to present a presidential order of commendation in Lee’s honor, while Vice President William Lai (賴清德) would lead ministers to cover Lee’s image with the national flag, followed by Christian rituals, sources said.
After a 21-gun salute, a motorcade carrying a portrait of Lee would travel to the school and after the ceremonies there to Zueishan Villa in Taipei’s Shilin District (士林), where Lee lived, they said.
The venues at the school are to livestream the main venue’s service and accommodate about 700 people.
It is the Japanese delegation’s second trip to Taiwan after it paid respects to Lee at the Taipei Guest House on Aug. 9.
Following their arrival at Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport) yesterday afternoon, the delegation, led by Mori, met with Tsai.
Tsai thanked Mori for visiting, despite not feeling well before departure, and said that Taiwan-Japan relations would become more solid.
Mori said that he fell down at home on Sunday last week.
His wife was worried about him, although doctors said that he could make the trip, he said.
Mori said he did not want to break his word after former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe asked him to attend Lee’s service in person.
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga also asked him to relay his best wishes to Tsai and Taiwan, he said.
Additional reporting by CNA
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