Home>News Center>China
       
 

Big rally demands inquiry into shooting
(Xinhua/agencies)
Updated: 2004-04-10 22:58

Protesters demanding to know whether last month's shooting of Chen Shui-bian was an election ploy clashed with riot police in central Taipei on Saturday, and police used water cannons to knock back the protesters.


Taiwan riot police clash with angry supporters of Lien Chan as they tried to storm a barricade outside Chen Shui-bian's office April 10, 2004. The violence erupted after more than 200,000 protesters marched in Taipei to demand an independent inquiry into an election-eve assassination attempt on Chen, which opposition supporters suspect was staged to win sympathy votes. [Reuters] 
Shouting "Chen Shui-bian step down!," the protesters threw bottles, tables and chairs at the barricades as an earlier peaceful rally of 200,000 people turned more violent.

The violence erupted shortly after the protesters gathered in front of the "presidential office" for a three-hour protest calling for an independent task force to investigate the unexplained shooting that wounded Chen and his running mate Annette Lu one day before the March 20 vote.

The protest was initiated by the ally of the Kuomintang (KMT) and the People First Party (PFP), who have jointly raced against the Democratic Progressive Party during the election in Taiwan last month.

At around 4:00 p.m., KMT Chairman Lien Chan, and PFP Chairman James C.Y. Soong came to the protest scene and made speeches.

"To seize power by using unfair and unjust means will never be accepted," Lien Chan said. "All the dirty tricks should be clearly exposed to all."

Again Lien Chan and James C.Y. Soong urged Chen to set up as soon as possible an independent task force to investigate the shooting case, and publicize the truth of the shooting.

Lien Chan, chairman of the Kuomintang, led the crowd to the "presidential office" to demand an independent inquiry into the shooting, but left shortly before the clash.

Many protesters believed the shooting helped swing crucial sympathy votes to Chen, giving him a razor-thin victory. The losing candidate, Lien Chan of the Nationalist Party, challenged the vote.

"The shooting happened three weeks ago, but no effort has been made to find a solution," said protester Carson Huang, a 46-year-old civil servant. "We need the voice of the people to force Chen to come up with an explanation."

So far, police have no suspects or solid leads on the shooting.


Taiwan riot police turn water cannons on protesting supporters of Lien Chan as they try to storm a barricade outside the "presidential office" in Taipei April 10, 2004. [Reuters]
After the protest ended, about 1,000 demonstrators lingered at the scene and began taunting and throwing bottles and rocks at police lined up on the other side of a barricade wrapped in barbwire.

The crowd calmed down at the urging of high-ranking Nationalist Party official Lin Fong-cheng. He accused the ruling party of infiltrating the crowd and starting the violence to sully the opposition's reputation.

The allegation drew a quick, angry reaction from Lee Ying-yuan, a senior official in Chen's Democratic Progressive Party.

"We demand that Lin Fong-cheng take back what he said by Monday. Otherwise, we'll go to court and file a lawsuit against the Nationalist Party," Lee said.

The demonstration has become a weekend tradition since Chen won the vote. A similar rally was held last Saturday, and police had to drag away protesters Sunday after they tried to camp out in front of the "presidential office."

On Saturday, a prominent Taiwanese-American forensics expert reconstructed the scene of the March 19 shooting of Chen and Annette Lu as they campaigned in the southern city of Tainan. The gunshots grazed Chen's stomach and hit Lu in the knee.

Henry Lee, who previously worked on the O.J. Simpson murder trial, spent four hours analyzing the shooting scene in Tainan, using beams of green light to trace the bullets' possible trajectory.

Lee said the bullets "absolutely" came from outside Chen's vehicle, but added there was not enough information to determine where the shooter was standing.

Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou, of the opposition Nationalist Party, addressed the crowd.

Ma said Lee was only helping to analyze evidence and reconstruct the crime scene. The forensics expert would not be able to answer the biggest questions, Ma said.

"Who's the shooter? How did he operate? How much did the shooting affect the election? He can't help much with this," Ma said.

Lien Chan has already filed two petitions in the high court. One asks for a recount and the other requests a new election.

Lien tried to whip up the crowd at the end of the three-hour rally, giving a warning to Chen: "Don't underestimate us."

He accused Chen of acting like a dictator by not granting his demand for a special shooting commission.

"The democratic system in Taiwan is bleeding now," he said.

In another development Saturday morning, the lawyer group for the KMT-PFP ally held a press conference, declaring that the election of the Taiwan leader has not yet concluded in terms of legal integrity.

The lawyer group declared that the election result announced bythe "election committee" still faces challenge before the two appeals that "the election is invalid" and "Chen's election is invalid," proposed by Lien Chan and James C.Y. Soong, go through the legal affirmation.

According to the lawyers, the election involved two many suspected tricks and the election result shows democracy has been distorted.

What Taiwan people strive for is quality democracy, not merely casting the ballots, said the lawyers, adding that the people should not be manipulated, and only fairness can make the disputesin Taiwan conciliated.

 
  Today's Top News     Top China News
 

Seven Chinese citizens kidnapped in Fallujah

 

   
 

300,000 people protest Taiwan election

 

   
 

PLA brass decides on high-tech innovations

 

   
 

Prosecutors team up to snag corruption

 

   
 

Personal cheques to flourish in China

 

   
 

Newsweek poll: Kerry leads Bush by 7 points

 

   
  Seven Chinese nationals kidnapped in Iraq
   
  Shanghai seeks to switch off 'light pollution'
   
  Live poultry trade resumes in Beijing
   
  Experts: Save youth from tobacco ad harm
   
  AIDS prevention targets high-risk activities
   
  HK spokesman: Basic Law interpretation legal
   
 
  Go to Another Section  
 
 
  Story Tools  
   
  Related Stories  
   
US expert investigates shooting on Chen
   
KMT refiles suit for revoting
   
Students on fasting, Chen Shui-bian did not show up
   
Taiwan top police resigns over Chen shooting
   
"Taiwan election biggest joke in the world"
  News Talk  
  An American apolgy to the family of Chinese pilot  
Advertisement
         
主站蜘蛛池模板: 波多野结衣之双调教hd| 国产精品入口在线看麻豆| 搡女人真爽免费影院| 亚洲а∨天堂久久精品| 波多野结衣99| 免费在线观看h片| 老子影院午夜理伦手机不卡| 国产成人AV免费观看| 香蕉视频在线网址| 国内精品久久久久影院一蜜桃| 一本大道香蕉大vr在线吗视频| 日日av拍夜夜添久久免费| 久久这里精品国产99丫E6| 欧美性受xxxx喷水性欧洲| 亚洲综合色视频在线观看| 精品久久久久久无码中文字幕| 国产一区二区三区电影| 高清不卡毛片免费观看| 国产男女猛烈无遮挡免费视频| 7777精品久久久大香线蕉| 天天躁夜夜躁很很躁| 两个人看的www免费| 无码av中文一区二区三区桃花岛| 久久精品中文无码资源站| 本道久久综合无码中文字幕| 亚洲成a人片在线观看精品| 波多野结衣动态图| 人人妻人人澡av天堂香蕉| 男女边摸边做激情视频免费| 同人本里番h本子全彩本子| 色吊丝中文字幕| 国产中文字幕免费| 豪妇荡乳1一5白玉兰| 国产卡一卡二贰佰| 麻豆国产尤物av尤物在线观看| 国产日韩综合一区二区性色av| 草莓在线观看视频| 国产精品久久久久影视不卡| 1314成人网| 国产精品白嫩在线观看| 777爽死你无码免费看一二区|