TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Lee Ying-yuan (李應元), Taiwan's former representative to Thailand, passed away on Thursday evening (Nov. 11) after his year-long battle with pancreatic cancer, media reported.

Lee returned home in late August for health reasons after a one-year tenure in Thailand, during which much progress had been made promoting bilateral ties, including mutual recognition of driver licenses, expanded financial cooperation, and greater medical and health exchanges.

Born into a farming family in 1953, Lee earned his bachelor's degree in public health at National Taiwan University (NTU), master's degree at Harvard University, and doctoral degree in health economics at the University of North Carolina in 1988. In 1990, Lee returned to Taiwan, where he suffered greatly for his advocacy of democracy and human rights under martial law.

He devoted much of his life to nurturing an equal and democratic society. In 1995, Lee was elected as a legislator, and in 2000, he was appointed deputy representative to the U.S. because of his interest in foreign affairs.

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and Vice President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) expressed their grief after learning of Lee's death. Tsai described Lee as an important partner in the administration and a lifelong fighter for freedom and democracy.

Lai described Lee as a flexible, soft-spoken, highly dedicated, and responsible politician. He also said he appreciated Lee's contributions to the country's decades-long democratization process, adding that he will continue Lee's legacy of giving and deepening Taiwan's democracy.