Former minister of foreign affairs Francisco Ou (歐鴻鍊) has passed away, sources said yesterday. He was 81.
Sources from the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) said they learned from Ou’s family on Sunday that he had recently passed away. The sources did not disclose the date nor the cause of death out of respect for his family’s privacy.
KMT sources said that Ou had major surgery in August. His condition continued to deteriorate and he had been hospitalized before his family decided to end life support.
Photo: Lu Yi-hsuan, Taipei Times
Ou was accompanied by his family when he passed away in the hospital.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs would not confirm Ou’s death out of respect to his family.
Ou served as the nation’s top diplomat from May 2008 to September 2009 under former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) of the KMT.
Prior to becoming the minister of foreign affairs, Ou, who had served as a Spanish interpreter for the late presidents Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) and Chiang Ching-Kuo (蔣經國), had served in government in several diplomatic capacities during his 45-year diplomatic career, mostly with Spanish-speaking Central and South American nations.
Ou had served as ambassador in Nicaragua from 1984 to 1985; twice in Guatemala from 1990 to 1996, and again from 2003 to 2008; and in Spain from 2000 to 2003.
Ou resigned as the foreign minister on Sept. 10, 2009, along with outgoing premier Liu Chao-Shiuan (劉兆玄) and the rest of the Cabinet in Ma’s administration, mostly over the government’s slow response in handling the aftermath of Typhoon Morakot.
In retirement, Ou served as head of several non-governmental organizations promoting Taiwan’s foreign relations, and had frequently attended conferences organized by a KMT think tank.
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
A magnitude 4.1 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan's Hualien County at 2:23pm today, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). The epicenter of the temblor was 5.4 kilometers northeast of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 34.9 km, according to the CWA. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was the highest in Hualien County, where it measured 2 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 1 in Yilan county, Taichung, Nantou County, Changhua County and Yunlin County, the CWA said. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
‘WORSE THAN COMMUNISTS’: President William Lai has cracked down on his political enemies and has attempted to exterminate all opposition forces, the chairman said The legislature would motion for a presidential recall after May 20, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday at a protest themed “against green communists and dictatorship” in Taipei. Taiwan is supposed to be a peaceful homeland where people are united, but President William Lai (賴清德) has been polarizing and tearing apart society since his inauguration, Chu said. Lai must show his commitment to his job, otherwise a referendum could be initiated to recall him, he said. Democracy means the rule of the people, not the rule of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), but Lai has failed to fulfill his
RSS