Taiwan Plans State Funeral for Ex-President Lee Teng-hui Labelled as ‘Sinner’ by Mainland Media
FILE PHOTO: Former Taiwan president Lee Teng-hui waves to the group outdoor the presidential palace in Taipei Might 20 after his successor, Chen Shui-bian, was once sworn in as Taiwan’s subsequent president./Report Photograph
Vice President William Lai will lead a committee to organise the funeral and the federal government has ordered flags to fly at part mast around the island.
- Reuters Taipei
- Final Up to date: July 31, 2020, 12:10 PM IST
The Taiwanese executive on Friday stated it’s going to cling a state funeral for former President Lee Teng-hui, a determine revered at the island for finishing autocratic rule however branded through mainland Chinese language state media as a “nationwide sinner”.
Dubbed “Mr. Democracy” for ushering freewheeling pluralism and defying China’s force to take in an island it regards as a wayward province, Lee died overdue on Thursday elderly 97 in Taipei.
Vice President William Lai will lead a committee to organise the funeral and the federal government has ordered flags to fly at part mast around the island.
A venue will probably be arrange for the general public to pay their respects in Taipei, the Presidential Place of work stated. The date of the funeral has no longer been determined, it stated.
“We need to display our recognize to former president Lee, who ushered the rustic’s new technology of democracy and pluralism,” Presidential Place of work spokesman Alex Huang informed journalists.
Global leaders presented condolences, with Jap Top Minister Shinzo Abe praising Lee for laying Taiwan’s basis for liberty in addition to boosting Japan-Taiwan members of the family.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo known as Lee a the most important participant in remodeling Taiwan right into a “beacon of democracy”.
“We can honour President Lee’s legacy through proceeding to reinforce our bond with Taiwan and its colourful democracy,” he stated in a remark.
Responding to Lee’s loss of life, Zhu Fenglian, spokeswoman for China’s Taiwan Affairs Place of work, in a remark stated Taiwan independence is a “lifeless finish” and nationwide unification is “unstoppable”.
Broadly learn Chinese language state-backed tabloid the International Instances labelled Lee a “traitor” for being the “godfather of Taiwan secessionism”.
“Lee’s loss of life is for sure no longer unhappy information to most of the people within the Chinese language mainland,” the newspaper revealed in an opinion piece overdue on Thursday.
“His symbol as a countrywide sinner won’t ever be modified within the historical past of China, and the separatists of the island can by no means alternate the ancient pattern that Taiwan will in the end be reunified with the mainland.”
Lee’s largest act of defiance was once turning into Taiwan’s first democratically elected president in 1996, completed with a landslide vote following 8 months of intimidating warfare video games through Beijing in waters across the island.
Beijing has no longer renounced the usage of pressure to carry Taiwan underneath its keep watch over and has stepped up threatening army task close to the island in contemporary months.
