Former Premier Tang Fei was flown in from China early yesterday after falling ill with pneumonia. The 78-year-old retired general was struck down with fever and hospitalized last week during a trip to northeastern China, but his conditions worsened and had to be transferred. Tang has now checked into Taipei Veterans General Hospital, and is still under intensive care.

ns Wearing an oxygen mask former Premier Tang Fei is accompanied by medical staff as he is transferred to an ambulance on a stretcher.

Tang looks very weak and emaciated as his wife appears worried.

Two weeks ago, Tang and his wife went on a visit to see relatives in mainland China.

Each trip in a car lasted several hours and together with the climate change, the 78-year-old Tang had been suffering from a cold which unexpectedly deteriorated into pneumonia.

He was sent to a Dalian Hospital where his condition did not improve.

An emergency cross-strait medical charter flight was arranged at 10PM August 11th with a TransAsia Airways plane taking off immediately from Taoyuan.

The flight landed on August 12th at 3AM in the morning in Dalian, and aside from the flight staff, a team of 5 medical personnel were on the flight providing him with medical care.

Upon arriving in Taiwan an ambulance rushed him to Taipei Veterans General Hospital. Fortunately, his condition was not life-threatening as Tang formerly served as an Air Force Commander in Chief and Minister of Defense,

being selected again by Chen Shui-bian in 2000 as the first premier under this new administration.

However, conflict over the construction of the 4th nuclear power plant caused a rift between him and the Chen administration as within just 100 days of taking office he stepped down.

He said reasons related to physical health led to his decision, as Tang Fei has long suffered from thymoma making his family to take this case of pneumonia very seriously.

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