Family members, friends and colleagues yesterday mourned and paid tribute to the 48 people killed in the crash of a TransAsia Airways (復興航空) plane on Penghu on Wednesday evening.
The Ministry of Culture’s Bureau of Cultural Heritage confirmed that 82-year-old Yeh Ken-chuang (葉根壯), a carpenter and master of traditional Taiwanese architecture, was among those who died when Flight GE222 crashed into Sisi Village (西溪) while making a second approach to Magong Airport.
Yeh was certified in 2010 as a preserver of timber framing (or “big woodworking”) techniques by the Penghu County Government and was due to be named as a “living national treasure” candidate at a meeting scheduled for Tuesday, bureau head Shy Gwo-long (施國隆) said.
Photo: Sam Yeh, AFP
Known as “Master Chuang” among other carpenters, Yeh specialized in designing and constructing large traditional wooden architecture such as temples, but was also skilled in wood carving and decoration. His works include Wang An Wu Fu Temple and Long Men Kuanyin Temple in Penghu.
Minister of Culture Lung Yin-tai (龍應台) said the ministry was shocked by the loss of Yeh and the bureau would contact his family and offer it full assistance.
The bureau has also been told to help preserve Yeh’s records on timber-framing techniques, Lung said.
A 47-year-old Penghu firefighter, Lee Ming-tsun (李明村), was also among the victims.
His body was discovered in the wreckage by some colleagues, who shouted: “He is my brother,” Penghu County Fire Bureau Chief Hong Yung-peng (洪永澎) said.
The firefighters were “shocked and saddened” by the discovery, he said.
Lee was a leader of the Kaohsiung Harbor Fire Brigade’s division in Penghu’s Magong Harbor. He was returning to Penghu after a holiday.
Lee served with the brigade in Greater Kaohsiung for 20 years. He was reassigned to Magong more than two years ago and was said to get along well with his colleagues.
Another returning Penghu resident who died in the crash was military police officer Tsai Min-hua (蔡民華). Tsai had been on vacation on Taiwan proper, but had been recalled to Penghu to be on duty for Typhoon Matmo.
Also among the victims were four members of a Greater Kaohsiung family.
Yen Kuang-chien (顏光健), his wife, Hsu Wen-ching (許文卿), and their daughter and son were traveling to Penghu to visit their parents and bring them back to Greater Kaohsiung to stay with the children during their summer vacation, neighbors said.
Another victim, Chen Cheng-lung (陳正龍), died after taking the day off to accompany his father to a funeral in Penghu.
Greater Kaohsiung Environmental Protection Bureau Deputy Director Chen Chu-feng (陳居豐) said Chen Cheng-lung had worked for him as a driver for almost five years and was a pragmatic and kind person.
One of the flight attendants killed in the crash, 24-year-old Wu Tsi-ying (吳姿瑩), had just joined the company seven months ago.
Wu reportedly posted a message online before the flight took off that read: “It is scary in Kaohsiung now because of strong wind and stormy rain.”
Another flight attendant who died, Kuo Ching-wei (郭晉瑋), had been getting ready to marry his fiancee in South Korea.
Six members of a Penghu family, surnamed Chen, who were aboard the flight were also killed.
More than 750 firefighters, military personnel and government workers were dispatched to the crash site to assist with rescue efforts, Hong said, adding that the heavy rain and darkness on Wednesday night had made rescue work difficult.
Body parts were scattered around the site, he added.
One firefighter said more than 20 bodies that were missing some of their parts had been found near the remains of the plane’s cockpit.
‘TAIWAN-FRIENDLY’: The last time the Web site fact sheet removed the lines on the US not supporting Taiwanese independence was during the Biden administration in 2022 The US Department of State has removed a statement on its Web site that it does not support Taiwanese independence, among changes that the Taiwanese government praised yesterday as supporting Taiwan. The Taiwan-US relations fact sheet, produced by the department’s Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, previously stated that the US opposes “any unilateral changes to the status quo from either side; we do not support Taiwan independence; and we expect cross-strait differences to be resolved by peaceful means.” In the updated version published on Thursday, the line stating that the US does not support Taiwanese independence had been removed. The updated
‘CORRECT IDENTIFICATION’: Beginning in May, Taiwanese married to Japanese can register their home country as Taiwan in their spouse’s family record, ‘Nikkei Asia’ said The government yesterday thanked Japan for revising rules that would allow Taiwanese nationals married to Japanese citizens to list their home country as “Taiwan” in the official family record database. At present, Taiwanese have to select “China.” Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said the new rule, set to be implemented in May, would now “correctly” identify Taiwanese in Japan and help protect their rights, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. The statement was released after Nikkei Asia reported the new policy earlier yesterday. The name and nationality of a non-Japanese person marrying a Japanese national is added to the
AT RISK: The council reiterated that people should seriously consider the necessity of visiting China, after Beijing passed 22 guidelines to punish ‘die-hard’ separatists The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has since Jan. 1 last year received 65 petitions regarding Taiwanese who were interrogated or detained in China, MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. Fifty-two either went missing or had their personal freedoms restricted, with some put in criminal detention, while 13 were interrogated and temporarily detained, he said in a radio interview. On June 21 last year, China announced 22 guidelines to punish “die-hard Taiwanese independence separatists,” allowing Chinese courts to try people in absentia. The guidelines are uncivilized and inhumane, allowing Beijing to seize assets and issue the death penalty, with no regard for potential
‘UNITED FRONT’ FRONTS: Barring contact with Huaqiao and Jinan universities is needed to stop China targeting Taiwanese students, the education minister said Taiwan has blacklisted two Chinese universities from conducting academic exchange programs in the nation after reports that the institutes are arms of Beijing’s United Front Work Department, Minister of Education Cheng Ying-yao (鄭英耀) said in an exclusive interview with the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister paper) published yesterday. China’s Huaqiao University in Xiamen and Quanzhou, as well as Jinan University in Guangzhou, which have 600 and 1,500 Taiwanese on their rolls respectively, are under direct control of the Chinese government’s political warfare branch, Cheng said, citing reports by national security officials. A comprehensive ban on Taiwanese institutions collaborating or