Ex-lawmaker, activist Chen Wan-chen dies at 75

Taipei, June 11 (CNA) Chen Wan-chen (陳婉真), a former legislator and Taiwan independence activist, died of cancer Wednesday morning at a hospital in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

She was 75 years old.

The Taiwan Transitional Justice Association, a non-governmental organization founded by Chen in 2016, on Wednesday mourned her death, calling her a "founding member of the association."

Lu Chien-hsing (呂建興), a board member of the association who goes by the pseudonym Lu Yu (呂昱), said Chen had been undergoing cancer treatment for an extended period.

Chen's friend Lee Kuan-ling (李冠伶) said Chen appeared strong and remained upbeat around others, making it difficult for many to tell she was ill.

Writer Hsieh Chien-ping (謝建平) wrote in a Facebook post that Chen was "the bravest female warrior in Taiwan's founding," wishing she would "forever protect this beautiful country."

Chen worked as a journalist in the 1970s, covering the Taiwan Provincial Council -- which became obsolete in 1998 -- and developed an interest in Taiwan's democratic movement.

She was blacklisted for her political activities and barred from returning to Taiwan by then-ruling Kuomintang (KMT) in 1979.

She returned to Taiwan in 1989 for Nylon Cheng's (鄭南榕) funeral.

In 1992, Chen ran for legislator representing the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in then-Taipei County (now New Taipei) and was elected.

However, she was expelled from the DPP in 1997 for slandering party members.

In 1998, she ran for Legislator for the "New National Alliance" (新國家連線), but was not elected.

Chen then transitioned to cultural and historical work while continuing her efforts in social activism.

(By Yeh Su-Ping and Wu Kuan-hsien)

Enditem/kb