Chen Chih-hsiung

Chen Chih-hsiung (Chinese: 陳智雄; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Tân Tì-hiông; 18 February 1916 – 28 May 1963) was a Taiwanese independence activist.

In this Chinese name, the family name is Chen (陳).
Chen Chih-hsiung
Born(1916-02-18)18 February 1916
Akō Chō (阿緱廳), Taiwan, Empire of Japan (now Pingtung County, Taiwan)
Died28 May 1963(1963-05-28) (aged 47)
Taipei, Taiwan
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese陳智雄
Simplified Chinese陈智雄

Chen was born in what was known as Akō Chō, a division of Japanese Taiwan, in 1916. He studied Dutch at the Tokyo University of Foreign Languages, and was also fluent in English, Japanese, Malay, Hoklo and Mandarin. He was sent by the Japanese government to the Dutch East Indies in 1942, shortly after Japan had begun its occupation of the territory, to serve as a translator. Chen stayed in Indonesia after the end of World War II and found work designing jewelry.[1][2] He sided with Sukarno in the subsequent Indonesian National Revolution and was imprisoned by the Dutch for a year. After the revolution, Sukarno named Chen an honorary citizen of Indonesia.[3] Chen later joined Thomas Liao's Formosa Democratic Independence Party and helped secure Liao a trip to the Bandung Conference held in 1955. The next year, Liao appointed Chen the ambassador to Southeast Asia upon the formation of the Japan-based Republic of Taiwan Provisional Government. The Indonesian government eventually arrested Chen and rescinded his passport before deporting him. Chen then traveled to Switzerland and was granted citizenship there before moving to Japan to see Liao. The Kuomintang forced Chen's return to Taiwan and asked him to cease his pro-independence advocacy. He did return, but founded another pro-independence organization in 1961. The Taiwan Garrison Command arrested Chen for his actions the next year and imprisoned him in a facility on Qingdao Road in Taipei. In 1963, Chen became the first independence activist to be executed in Taiwan.[2][4]

Chen was survived by his wife Chen Ying-niang, whom he met in Indonesia, and three children.[5][1]

References
  1. Lin, Chia-nan (10 June 2018). "New oral history unveiled for independence activist". Taipei Times. Retrieved 10 June 2018.
  2. Han Cheung (14 February 2016). "Living and dying for independence". Taipei Times. p. 12. Retrieved 14 February 2016.
  3. Chou, Yung-chieh; Yen, William (11 August 2017). "Taiwanese contribution to Indonesian independence recognized". Central News Agency. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  4. Wang, Chris (28 June 2013). "Groups remember first independence martyr". Taipei Times. p. 3. Retrieved 14 February 2016.
  5. Han Cheung (27 June 2017). "'A long journey full of tears'". Taipei Times. p. 13. Retrieved 27 June 2017.

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