Late justice minister memorialized
Written by changthai11 on Sunday, November 9th, 2008
Late justice minister memorialized
YILAN, Taiwan — A groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of a memorial hall in honor of the late Justice Minister Chen Ding-nan was held in Chen’s home village of Dayi in Yilan County yesterday.
Chen, who died of lung cancer in November 2006, was known as “Mr. Clean” because of his dedication to fighting corruption during his political career which began with his election as Yilan magistrate in 1981.
The memorial hall project, which has been in planning by the Chen Ding-nan Foundation for more than a year, will be built on the site of the home where Chen grew up in Dayi village.
Lai Juei-ting, executive manager of the foundation, said that the foundation recently purchased a plot of land around Chen’s childhood home and commissioned an architect to design the memorial hall, which is expected to be opened to the public by November of next year.
The hall will feature a main gallery displaying photographs of Chen, as well as manuscripts and other documents gathered over the course of his lifetime, Lai said. The exhibits will cover Chen’s two terms as Yilan magistrate, four terms as a legislator, and his tenure as justice minister between 2000 and 2005, he added.
The site of the memorial will also feature a special area promoting honest and upright government as well as care for the nation’s young people, Lai said.
Chen’s childhood home, including the main hall and the room in which he was born, will also be preserved, Lai disclosed. A three-story building with a total floor space of about 1,670 square meters will be constructed next to the Chen house, he added.
The foundation is currently considering setting aside extra space at the memorial hall site for displays that feature major contributors to Taiwan’s democratic development.
Lai said that the cost of the memorial hall’s construction, including maintenance operations, is estimated at about NT$100 million (US$3.05 million) and that the foundation has already raised NT$57 million.
He said the foundation will hold a series of activities to raise the remainder of the funds, urging people to show their support by donating to help keep the spirit of the model politician alive forever.
Sunday, November 9, 2008 9:56 am TWN, CNA
