Lee Teng-hui, Taiwan's 'Father of Democracy,' dies at 97

[The_King]

TAIPEI/TOKYO -- Lee Teng-hui, Taiwan's first democratically elected president, died of multiple organ failure at a Taipei hospital on Thursday. He was 97.

His death was confirmed by the hospital in a statement.

Lee, who long advocated the democratization of Taiwan, was elected as president by popular vote in 1996 after decades of martial law. While a member of the nationalist Kuomintang, he worked to improve the island's standing in the international community. His policies created friction with Beijing.

 

The office of President Tsai Ing-wen said in a statement: "No one could replace former President Lee's contribution and position in pushing forward Taiwanese democracy. And his death is a great loss for Taiwan. President Tsai has ordered all the related departments to fully support Lee's family with his funeral and other related events."

Born during Japanese colonial rule in northern Taiwan in 1923, he studied agriculture at Japan's Kyoto University. After World War II in 1945, he returned to Taiwan to teach at a university.

Lee entered politics and became vice president in 1984 under former President Chiang Ching-kuo, becoming party chair and president in January 1988 after Chiang's death.

The first native-born in Taiwanese to become president, Lee gradually stripped power from Chinese who came from the mainland after World War II, introducing direct elections and freedom of speech.

In 1991, he formally ended the civil war with the Chinese Communist Party and started a semi-official dialogue with Beijing in 1993. Lee sought to expand the island's diplomatic activities as "Chinese Taipei," and in 1995 became the first president of Taiwan to visit the U.S.

But relations with the mainland soured. In 1995 and 1996, the Chinese People's Liberation Army conducted a series of missile tests in the Taiwan Strait, leading to the Third Taiwan Strait Crisis. Lee urged Taiwanese companies to reduce business with their counterparts on the mainland, while the CCP criticized Lee as one of the main people on the island seeking independence.

Lee did not run in the 2000 presidential elections, and Chen Shui-bian, from the Democratic Progressive Party, became president. This was the first time that a Taiwanese leader was not from Kuomintang in the 55 years since the end of World War II.

When a Kuomintang government mended relations with Beijing in 2008, Lee criticized the administration for undermining Taiwan's sovereignty.

Lee spoke Japanese fluently and was close to many Japanese politicians. Under Kuomintang's authoritarian rule, he relaxed a ban on Japanese pop culture and strengthened relations with Tokyo.

In 2007, he visited Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine, which honors those who died in the service of Japan, including 14 Class-A war criminals. Lee's brother is also commemorated at the shrine.

 

 

 

https://asia.nikkei.com/Life-Arts/Obituaries/Lee-Teng-hui-Taiwan-s-Father-of-Democracy-dies-at-97

[meng.huat]

he liberated TW from the old corrupted  KMT

[socrates469bc]

idiot who is an overrated president and did basically nothing significant during his 2 terms.

 

the person who actually industrialized, technologized and democratized ROC is Chiang Ching Kuo.

 

[socrates469bc]

17 minutes ago, meng.huat said:

he liberated TW from the old corrupted  KMT

 

this idiot is over-rated.

 

he contributed nothing to ROC except for making the country more corrupt.

 

at least the KMT under Chiang Ching Kuo created the taiwan miracle.

[socrates469bc]

37 minutes ago, The_King said:

 

In 1991, he formally ended the civil war with the Chinese Communist Party and started a semi-official dialogue with Beijing in 1993. Lee sought to expand the island's diplomatic activities as "Chinese Taipei," and in 1995 became the first president of Taiwan to visit the U.S.

 

 

 

 

https://asia.nikkei.com/Life-Arts/Obituaries/Lee-Teng-hui-Taiwan-s-Father-of-Democracy-dies-at-97

 

nihon keizai shimbun has its facts all mixed up.

 

CCK started negotiating with CCP in 1986 as a result of pressure from army veterans and this laid the grounds for the eventual thawing of relations.

 

chinese taipei has been in use since 1979 and this is the name which allows ROC to join international organizations.

 

these r contributions of CCK, not this idiot lee.

[meng.huat]

12 hours ago, socrates469bc said:

the person who actually industrialized, technologized and democratized ROC is Chiang Ching Kuo.

 

 

yes, agree that Chiang Ching Kuo (Chiang Kai Shek's son) initiated the democracy and industrialization work.

 

corruption and cronyism was rampant within KMT, even until recent years. 

lee teng hui or ma ying jeou didnt fixed it properly.

[ZyringChu]

[socrates469bc]

4 hours ago, meng.huat said:

 

yes, agree that Chiang Ching Kuo (Chiang Kai Shek's son) initiated the democracy and industrialization work.

 

corruption and cronyism was rampant within KMT, even until recent years. 

lee teng hui or ma ying jeou didnt fixed it properly.

 

lee restarted the corruption after he came into power.

 

ma tried cleaning it up during his stint as justice minister under lee but was 'fired' as ma was too effective.

 

when ma was president, his govt was basically clean but he failed to make investigating corruption an independent institution.

 

thats why investigating corruption in taiwan has become much politicized like many countries.