The Hindu : Taiwan President survives bid on life

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Mar 20, 2004

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Taiwan President survives bid on life

By P. S. Suryanarayana

A video grab shows the Taiwan President, Chen Shui-bian, and the Vice-President, Annette Hsiu-lien Lu, just after they were shot at and injured while campaigning for the presidential election in Tainan on Friday. A single bullet grazed Mr. Chen's belly (the circle shows the wound) and then hit Ms. Lu on the right knee. - AP

SINGAPORE, MARCH 19. Taiwan's President, Chen Shui-bian, and the Vice-President, Annette Hsiu-lien Lu, were injured today, as they were shot at while campaigning together in Tainan city, on the eve of the non-sovereign territory's presidential poll and a critical referendum.

The Taiwanese Government later announced that the polling would take place as scheduled tomorrow and that both leaders, whose "injuries [were] not life-threatening,'' were in a stable condition. Until nightfall today, no one was arrested or identified as the possible assailant.

China, which has proprietary claims over Taiwan, made no immediate comment.

Mr. Chen and Ms. Lu, political running mates for the presidential poll, were riding an open four-wheel-drive vehicle through the streets of his hometown in the afternoon, when the shooting occurred.

After they were rushed to a local hospital for treatment, the secretary-general to the President, Chiou I-jen, said at a press conference in Taipei that both Mr. Chen and Ms. Lu, who "are fully conscious,'' had urged the people to remain calm. He said Mr. Chen was wounded in the belly while Ms. Lu was hit on the right knee. They both appeared to have been hit by the same bullet.

The official said that "national security mechanisms have been activated'' and that the Government would take "full responsibility'' for the "safety" of the opposition Kuomintang's presidential candidate, Lien Chan, and his vice-presidential running mate, James Soong.

The shooting heightened the sensitiveness of tomorrow's polling, especially the referendum, even as the international community was closely watching the situation in view of China's objections to the planned plebiscite. Beijing wants Taiwan to be reunified with mainland China on the basis of "historical realities." The reunification, sought within the framework of the "One-China principle," will be based, under the terms of Beijing's offer, on the principle of "one country, two systems.''

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