Liang Su-yung explained

Liang Su-yung
Native Name Lang:zh-tw
Honorific-Suffix:MLY
Order1:8th
Office1:President of the Legislative Yuan
Term Start1:27 February 1990
Term End1:31 December 1991
Vicepresident1:Liu Sung-pan
Predecessor1:Liu Kwo-tsai
Successor1:Liu Sung-pan
Order2:6th
Office2:Vice President of the Legislative Yuan
Term Start2:20 December 1988
Term End2:12 February 1990
President2:Liu Kwo-tsai
Predecessor2:Liu Kwo-tsai
Successor2:Liu Sung-pan
Office3:Member of the Legislative Yuan
Term Start3:18 May 1948
Term End3:31 December 1991
Constituency3:Liaopeh
Birth Date:8 August 1920
Birth Place:Changtu County, Liaoning, Republic of China
Death Place:Taipei, Taiwan
Nationality:Taiwanese
Party:Kuomintang
Alma Mater:Meiji University

Liang Su-yung (; 8 August 1920 – 27 August 2004) was a Taiwanese politician who served in the first Legislative Yuan from 1948 to 1991. He was elevated to vice president of the parliament in 1988, and retired in 1991 as its leader. Prior to his political career, he worked as a human rights lawyer.[1]

Career

Born in Changtu County in 1920, Liang obtained an LLD and SJD from Japan's Meiji University, after having studied at Changchun Law and Political University.[2] In 1941, he became a prosecutor in Changchun.[3] In the midst of the Second Sino-Japanese War, Liang became an intelligence operative based in northeastern China, feeding information within the Japanese-occupied territory to Chongqing, the provincial capital of Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalist government. Liang was arrested and taken as a Japanese prisoner of war in 1944. He was released upon Japanese surrender in 1945.[4] The experience left a tremendous impression on Liang, who would make the cause of human rights a motif of his life's work.[3] Liang was elected as a legislator for his home province of Liaoning in 1948 as hostilities between Kuomintang and Chinese Communist Party forces resumed following the Japanese surrender. Liang followed Chiang to Taiwan after the KMT were driven off the mainland completely in 1949.

Under martial law in Taiwan, Liang gained a reputation as a fierce defender of human rights and advocated non-violence with regards to the protest movement, in contrast to the more militarist wing of the KMT. He stepped forward in 1960 to defend pro-democracy activist Lei Chen, who was charged with sedition for criticizing Chiang's regime. Liang's defense of Lei angered Chiang, who strongly considered Liang's expulsion from the Kuomintang. Despite this threat, Liang later defended Peng Ming-min, who stood accused of the same charges in 1964. After Chiang's death in 1975, Liang worked as a troubleshooter for the better part of a decade between Chiang's son, Chiang Ching-kuo, and the Tangwai movement as the government began to relax some controls on free speech and political dissent. Liang also took credit for persuading Chiang Ching-kuo to handle protests in a peaceful manner.[5] Liang was one of the founding members of the National Unification Council formed in 1990.[6] In 1991, Liang became the leader of the Legislative Yuan. He was involved in a fight on the floor of the parliament that same year. It began when Democratic Progressive Party legislator Chang Chun-hsiung hit Liang in the face, causing Liang to respond in kind.[7] Liang was also injured by a glass thrown by Ju Gau-jeng.[8] In addition to his position as a legislator, Liang was also a senior advisor to President Lee Teng-hui.[9]

After his retirement from politics, Liang became president of the Straits Peaceful Reunification Association.[10] Personally, he continually pushed for Chinese unification,[11] opposed Lee's policy of Taiwanization,[5] and repeatedly attempted to expel Lee from the Kuomintang.[12]

Liang died of anaphylactic shock caused by pneumonia at Cathay General Hospital in Taipei on 27 August 2004, at the age of 84.[4] [13]

Notes and References

  1. News: Hats In Ring For Yuan Posts. 16 February 2016. Taiwan Info. 12 February 1990. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20160223024359/http://taiwaninfo.nat.gov.tw/fp.asp?xItem=7954&CtNode=103. 23 February 2016.
  2. News: Liu Named KMT's Man To Top Post. 31 May 2016. Taiwan Today. 20 February 1989. https://web.archive.org/web/20160814212200/http://taiwantoday.tw/fp.asp?xItem=5469&CtNode=122. 14 August 2016. dead.
  3. News: We want to reunify China with peace talk not war. 31 May 2016. Executive Intelligence Review. 2 September 1994.
  4. News: Former KMT Legislative Speaker Liang dies at 84 in Taipei. 16 February 2016. China Post. 28 August 2004.
  5. News: Hsu. Crystal. Old soldier stands his ground. 16 May 2016. Taipei Times. 8 July 2001.
  6. News: Unification Council To Debut. 1 June 2016. Taiwan Today/Taiwan Info. 4 October 1990. https://web.archive.org/web/20160701121134/http://taiwaninfo.nat.gov.tw/fp.asp?xItem=10133&CtNode=103. 1 July 2016. Alt URL
  7. News: Lawmakers, police hurt in Taiwan brawl. 16 February 2016. Spokane Chronicle. Associated Press. 12 April 1991.
  8. News: Shih. Hsiu-chuan. Feature: Paper cup ban will not extend to legislature. 16 February 2016. Taipei Times. 30 June 2007.
  9. News: Shares Lifted By Mainland Talks News. 1 June 2016. Wall Street Journal. 26 April 1996.
  10. News: Faison. Seth. New Goal in Taiwan: To Be Left Alone. 16 February 2016. New York Times. 9 August 1999.
  11. News: KMT debates Lien's 'confederation'. 16 February 2016. Taipei Times. 3 July 2001.
  12. News: Hsu. Crystal. Elder bleeds for Lee's expulsion. 16 February 2016. Taipei Times. 1 August 2001.
  13. News: Ex-legislative speaker dies. 19 February 2016. Taipei Times. 28 August 2004.