A memorial service for Taiwan’s late President Lee Teng-hui Lee Teng-hui was held Saturday at Danshui Truth University in New Taipei City, Taiwan, with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John Klatsch attending the ceremony.
President Tsai Ing-wen and other party and government officials attended the two-hour memorial service, Taiwan’s Central News Agency reported.
In a speech at the memorial service, Tsai Ing-wen said that while she was impressed by Lee’s lifelong dedication, she could not forget that Taiwan’s future is in her own hands. She said that Taiwan “has the responsibility to follow in the footsteps of former President Lee, to remember the concept of change, to continue to establish Taiwan’s identity, to deepen and carry forward Taiwan’s democratic achievements, and to establish a strategy for future development in the midst of the current changes, to go out into the world with confidence and courage.
Former Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori also attended the memorial ceremony. Yutai Izumi, representative of the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association’s Taipei office, read a memorial message from former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. In his eulogy, Shinzo Abe said that Lee made a significant contribution to the mutual understanding and friendship between Japan and Taiwan.
The Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibet, also sent a memorial tribute through a video clip. He said he was grateful for Lee’s efforts and “prayed that he would be reincarnated and that his spirit would continue to be reborn, whether he recognized it or not.”
Lee Teng-hui died on July 30 at the age of 98.
The White House said in a statement on July 31 that Lee was the architect of Taiwan’s modern democracy, which is now a shining model of citizen-centered governance in the region and around the world. The statement said Lee is forever remembered for his steadfast pursuit of democratic principles and human dignity.
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