Ex-Premier Chang Chun-hsiung dies at 87; Lai offers condolences

Taipei, Sept. 27 (CNA) Two-time Premier Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄) died Saturday at the age of 87, with President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) mourning the death of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) founding member for his dedication to Taiwan's democracy and human rights.

In a news statement, the Presidential Office said Lai, who also chairs the DPP, expressed deep condolences upon learning of Chang's passing and praised him for "a lifetime of service to Taiwan's democracy and human rights," as well as his long-standing concern for disadvantaged communities.

Born in Chiayi County in 1938, Chang graduated from National Taiwan University's law school before beginning his legal career in Kaohsiung.

He later defended an individual connected with the 1979 Kaohsiung Incident, a landmark event that catalyzed Taiwan's transition from authoritarian rule to democracy.

A core member who co-founded the DPP in 1986, Chang served six terms as a legislator and also held posts such as DPP secretary-general, Presidential Office secretary-general, and twice as premier -- from Oct. 2000 to Feb. 2002 and from May 2007 to May 2008 -- both under former President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁).

During his first tenure as premier, Chang suspended construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in October 2000, a move that sparked a major political dispute and was later reversed.

Following his one-year stint as premier for a second time from 2007 to 2008, Chang stepped back from politics and devoted himself to charitable work, mainly volunteering in prisons to support inmate rehabilitation.

Chang was appointed a senior adviser to the president when the DPP returned to power in 2016 under then President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), a role he continued in under Tsai's successor, Lai.

While neither the Presidential Office nor the DPP disclosed the cause of death, former legislator Huang Chao-hui (黃昭輝) of the DPP told CNA that Chang passed away peacefully at home on Saturday afternoon, attributing it to natural causes associated with aging.