Taiwan's president and deputy injured in motorcade shooting

Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian and Vice President Annette Lu were shot today while campaigning for this weekend’s presidential election, but their injuries were not life-threatening, a senior official said.

Chiou I-jen, secretary-general in the Presidential Office, said the president was shot in the stomach and the vice president was hit in the right knee while their motorcade was cruising the streets in the southern city of Tainan.

“They did not suffer life-threatening injuries. They urge the public to cool down,” Chiou said at a news conference.

Chiou added that “the president is conscious” and “can still direct the nation’s affairs”.

Chen was riding in a red convertible four-wheel-drive vehicle past crowds lining the streets in his hometown. People were setting off celebratory fireworks as he drove by and early media reports said he was injured by firecrackers.

“It was definitely a gun attack,” Chiou said, adding that officials found one bullet.

“The vice president first felt pain in her knee and she thought it was caused by firecrackers,” Chiou said. “Then the president felt some wetness on his stomach area, and then they realised something wrong.”

Lawmaker Wang Hsing-nan told TVBS cable news that he was travelling in a car behind Chen’s convertible four-wheel-drive vehicle.

“The president suffered a deep wound about three 1.2 inches deep in the stomach,” Wang told TVBS.

Saturday’s election pits Chen against opposition leader Lien Chan, who is promising to take a softer approach with the island’s biggest rival, China.

The Chinese government had no immediate public reaction to the news of the shootings.

China is traditionally a hot topic in major Taiwanese elections. The two sides split when the Communists took over the mainland in 1949, and Beijing is pressuring Taiwan to unify.

Lien and Chen agree on most of the basic issues involving China policy. Neither candidate favours immediate unification, and both are highly distrustful of the Communist leadership.

However, Chen has been more aggressive in pushing for a Taiwanese identity separate from China’s, and this has raised tensions with Beijing. China has threatened to attack if Taiwan seeks a permanent split.

Chen also planned an unprecedented islandwide referendum on the day of the election.

Voters will be asked whether Taiwan should beef up its defences to protect against hundreds of Chinese missiles pointed at the island.

China has criticised the referendum, fearing it could lead to a future vote on Taiwanese independence.