前立委蔡同榮去年12月18日因出血性腦中風，開刀後昏迷，民視報導，蔡同榮家屬今早決定拔管，蔡同榮辭世，享壽78歲。
阿扁總統對蔡同榮過世感到很不捨。2014-01-11
政治長跑半世紀 蔡同榮抵終點
（中央社記者曾盈瑜台北11日電）民主進步黨中央執行委員蔡同榮就像唐吉軻德，台灣獨立是信仰，慢跑短褲與小背心是武士盔甲，以頑固姿態挑戰到人生終點。
隨兩岸關係逐漸和緩，民主進步黨的兩岸政策可能未如蔡同榮預期，蔡同榮卻始終認為應堅定台獨，即使被外界戲稱「公媽派」、數度挑戰民進黨主席選舉失利，他還是像唐吉軻德一樣信心滿滿，甚至說大家有年齡歧視，比賽體能他有信心。
蔡同榮說話喜歡夾雜台語、英語，在立法院質詢常讓人發噱，其實他早年被中國國民黨政府列入黑名單，前往美國留學後，在美國30年無法回台。解嚴後，55歲的蔡同榮放棄紐約市立大學政治系教授終身聘任職位，重回故土。
蔡同榮在美國時，先後籌組台灣獨立聯盟、台灣人公共事務會（Formosa Association for Public Affairs, FAPA），建立美國國會綿密人脈。
回台沒多久，蔡同榮投入政壇。1992年國會首次全面改選，歸國學人、形象清新的蔡同榮從「民主聖地」嘉義市脫穎而出，進入立法院。
第3屆立委選舉蔡同榮尋求連任，卻碰上由時任總統李登輝欽點下鄉參選的明星政務官蕭萬長。中國國民黨挾全黨之力拚勝選，蔡同榮的實力還是讓對手不敢小覷。這場重量級拳王對決，緊緊扣住全台目光。
當年選前之夜，雙方陣營在嘉義市中心噴水池附近互別苗頭，整晚旗海如潮，口號鞭炮聲宛若砲彈轟炸；散場後，整條中山路上的鞭炮屑幾乎可淹過腳踝。
雖然蔡同榮以8000多票落選，但蕭萬長隨後被拔擢為行政院長，蔡同榮在補選搶回席位，其後數度連任立委。
「唐吉軻德」式的頑強決心也可從推公民投票看出端倪。過去綽號「蔡公投」的蔡同榮表示，用公投決定台灣未來最民主，不只創立公民投票促進會，以遊行、長跑、絕食等方式宣導理念，也在立法院催生公投法。
此外，蔡同榮個性「耐磨」，是很強的募款者。在美國替台獨運動募款，回台後則呼籲「全民入股」，募資成立民視，但政治人跨足媒體，也讓他成為外界關注焦點。
親近蔡同榮的友人表示，蔡同榮極好強，不願在人前示弱，但去年爭取不分區立委提名、尋求民進黨中央常務委員連任雙雙失利；頓失政治舞台的打擊，讓他連身體狀況都大為衰退。
雖然蔡同榮還是向友人表示，「人生最後願望是選黨主席」，積極運作民進黨主席選舉，意在展現民主風範，只是唐吉軻德最後一役，他再也不能參與。
中央社 2014-01-11
Trong Chai - a Pioneer in Taiwan’s Democracy Movement
and a Founding Father of FAPA Passes Away
(Washington, D.C. – January 10th 2014) -- “It’s a sad day for all of us at FAPA and a sad day for Taiwan’s democracy and independence movement,” said FAPA President Dr. Mark Kao today upon the passing of Dr. Trong Chai.
“A great Taiwanese life has come to an end. Trong Chai won Taiwan’s respect with his pioneering initiatives, and the respect of the United States Congress in particular and of the American public in general for his determination and conviction to make Taiwan a better place. That is his greatest legacy.”
Born in 1935, Chai came to the United States to study, and received his Ph.D. from the University of Southern California. He subsequently became a professor of political science at the City University of New York.
Together with Professor Peng Ming-min and Dr. Mark Chen, Dr. Trong Chai was one of the founding fathers of FAPA and became its first president in 1982.
After returning to Taiwan in 1990, he became a member of the Legislative Yuan for the DPP between 1993 and 2008 representing his hometown of Chiayi.
He founded the Association for a Plebiscite and Formosa TV.
“To many of us at FAPA he was a personal friend and a role model,” Dr. Kao continues. “We campaigned for him during his LY races. We handed out leaflets. And we made phone calls on his behalf.”
“Dr. Chai would visit FAPA HQ every time he was in Washington. We at FAPA fondly remember stories told to us by Congressional aides that Chai would challenge in a push-up contest whenever they would visit Formosa TV in Taipei.”
“Now, his stay on earth has ended, a long and eventful journey that helped shape Taiwan’s democracy,” Dr. Kao concludes.
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Here is the comment from Congressman Steve Chabot (R-OH), the chair of the Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific in the US House of Representatives:
“I was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Dr. Trong Chai. He was a good friend and a great Taiwanese patriot. Those of us in the Congress who advocate for the cause of Taiwanese freedom will miss him greatly. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family and the good people of Taiwan for whom he worked so hard. Rest in peace, Trong Chai.”
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Former chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) reacted as follows:
“As a lifelong friend of the people of Taiwan, a friend of Taiwanese Americans, and a founding member of the Congressional Taiwan Caucus, it saddens me deeply to hear about the passing of Dr. Trong Chai today.
Dr. Chai was a patriot and true leader of the people of Taiwan and a familiar face to many of us on Capitol Hill, where he would often meet with Members of Congress to discuss the importance of freedom and democracy in Taiwan.
My thoughts today are with his family and with the many Taiwanese Americans and Taiwanese who, like me, considered him a friend. We will all miss his talent and dedication to fighting for a free and democratic society on behalf of the people of his beloved Taiwan.”
蔡同榮辭世 呂秀蓮：失去一個戰友
NOWnews 政治中心／台北報導
前民進黨立委蔡同榮因中風辭世，享壽78歲。11日前副總統呂秀蓮表示，失去一個長期並肩作戰的好友。
呂秀蓮在臉書上表示：「今天我失去了一位長期並肩作戰的好友，民進黨失去了一位優秀的同志，他的離開也是台灣人民共同的損失，讓人震驚與不捨。願他一生的信念與理想能夠被後人傳承下去，也希望家人節哀保重。別了，同榮兄。」
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蘇貞昌悼念蔡同榮：失去1位好同志
NOWnews 政治中心／台北報導
前民進黨立委蔡同榮今（11）日凌晨病逝於台大醫院，民進黨主席蘇貞昌中午與立院黨團總召柯建銘，一同前往簡易靈堂捻香悼念，蘇貞昌表示，蔡同榮一生為民主、公投奔走，他的堅持讓人懷念與敬佩。
對於蔡同榮病逝，蘇貞昌今天與柯建銘一同前往簡易靈堂悼念後表示，今天痛失1位好同志，蔡同榮從台灣到美國，從國外回台灣，一生為民主、為公投奔走努力，讓人非常懷念與敬佩他的堅持，蘇貞昌還說，對於蔡同榮未竟的志業，將會繼續努力，並希望家屬節哀、保重。
2014-01-11
