Shih Ming-teh, Taiwan activist who pushed for democracy, dies at 83

By HUIZHONG WU
Associated Press

BANGKOK (AP) — Taiwanese democracy activist Shih Ming-teh, who helped lead the island from authoritarianism to democracy and a former chairman of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, has died at 83. His family said in a Facebook post that he died on Monday. He was being treated at Taipei’s Veterans General Hospital. Shih was born in Kaohsiung, in Taiwan’s south, and became politically engaged at a young age. In all, he was in prison for about 25 years for his activism for democracy in Taiwan. He was one of the leaders in the Kaohsiung Incident, today seen as one of the major moments in pushing Taiwan to eventually transition to democracy.