Shih Ming-teh was Taiwan's indomitable fighter for democracy

TAIPEI -- Shih Ming-teh, who died of liver cancer on his 83rd birthday, was a champion of Taiwan's brutal and bloody struggle for democracy and played a defining role in Asia's democratization. He spent collectively more than a quarter of a century behind bars under Taiwan's authoritarian Kuomintang regime and allied himself with other Asian fighters for democracy such as Aung San Suu Kyi in Myanmar and Anwar Ibrahim in Malaysia.

After years in prison, where he lost all of his teeth due to beatings, Shih joined and led the Democratic Progressive Party, a new political force that drew together dissidents, democracy activists and civil society leaders as Taiwan ended its decadeslong martial law. He had political vision and was a romantic, but lacked the skills to be a shrewd political tactician.