TAIPEI (Taiwan News) —Well known Taiwanese legal scholar and advocate for Indigenous rights Lin Shu-ya (林淑雅) has been identified as the single fatality of Wednesday’s (May 10) MRT accident in Taichung, where a train ran into a construction crane that had fallen onto the tracks, injuring 10 others.
Lin was a Doctor of Laws, an assistant professor at Taichung’s Providence University (靜宜大學), and an enduring advocate for Taiwan’s Indigenous peoples and environment, per CNA. Lin had also served as the head of Amnesty International’s Taiwan branch, the secretary general of the Taiwan Association of Human Rights, and a member of Taiwan’s committee on transitional justice for Indigenous people.
Her loss has been felt widely throughout Taiwan.
Taiwan Citizens for the World Foundation Taiwan head Chungyueh Tsai (蔡中岳) wrote in a Facebook post that Lin’s presence was felt widely, and that she was a great influence on his development as an activist. “May the ancestors take care of your family, and for the rest, we will continue to work hard for your sake,” Tsai wrote.
Amnesty International’s Taiwan chapter said on Wednesday in a Facebook post that Lin was a warm person who persistently defended human rights. “Your passion, perseverance, and courage will be our compass in the pursuit of justice and equality, and your spirit will inspire us to continue our efforts to achieve a better and more just world,” the post read.
Taiwan’s Environmental Rights Foundation also took to Facebook to express a message of sorrow over the loss of the “gentle but firm” legal scholar, who the foundation said had a selfless devotion to human rights issues. “We will never forget Teacher Shuya's encouragement, creativity, and gentleness, and on the road to human rights, we will continue to move forward,” the foundation said.
Lin was born in 1971 in Chiayi County. She began her studies at National Taiwan University in 1990, graduated with a PhD in Law in 2006, and began her role as an assistant professor of law at Providence University in 2009.
