Chen Shuibian responds to accusations. Go ahead given to investigate and recount votes
Taipei (AsiaNews/Agencies) President Chen Shuibian has welcomed Kuomintang (KMT) requests for an immediate recount of votes after he was accused of having orchestrated a fake assassination attempt and rigged elections.
"Since I have not organized any election rigging, I welcome and support a recount of votes, whose outcome I will accept 100% I ask also that KMT party president Lien Chan make the same promise and I hope he will not make other requests after the recount", the president said. Chen Shuibian insisted on the need to proceed according to the country's legal system since "Taiwan is a lawful democratic nation."
Chen has advanced 2 proposals to recount votes. The first is to authorize a court and neutral task force, while the second involves amending electoral laws which would authorize the Central Elections Commission (CEC) to recount the votes within 7 days. The KMT party is firmly opposed and has demanded an immediate recount, complaining that the president's proposals were simply a "dilatory tactic". Meanwhile the CEC still has not officially declared Chen Shuibian as the winner of the presidential elections.
Yesterday for the first time Chen Shuibian publicly defended himself, even from the charge that he had "masterminded" the assassination attempt on his life and that of his vice president Annette Lu the day before elections. "This is the most serious insult (I have ever heard made) on my integrity," he said while lifting his shirt to show his 11 cm gunshot wound.
Even police in Taiwan expressed their opinion, ruling out the possibility that the scene was faked. According to Criminal Investigation Department commissioner, Hou Yo-yi, no gunman would be able to guarantee such slight wounds on a victim while in a moving vehicle.
Currently, no persons have be made official suspects nor arrested. There is still no official, hard evidence to prove what actually happened.
Chen's re-election is at any rate creating waves of tension in the country's relations with China, especially in terms of economic and business affairs.
In Chinese cities, where many Taiwanese businesses are found, citizens are optimistic and refuse to speculate about excessively negative side-effects. An official from the Taiwan Office of Business Affairs in Fuzhou said: "The elections will not have an impact on Taiwan's investments in Fuzhou. Economic and commercial relations across the strait rest on a good solid grounds," he said. The city of Fuzhou is home to around 1700 Taiwanese companies.
Even local authorities are optimistic and deny there will be cuts or sanctions placed on Taiwanese investments in China. Zhang Xuehua, deputy director of the Department of Economic Cooperation and Foreign Commerce near Shanghai said that "China will not place any restrictions on Taiwanese companies. Things will be just like before."
In Kunshan, there are more than 1500 Taiwanese companies, whereas in Shanghai they number more than 5000.
At the end of last year Taiwan made around 70 million dollars worth of investments in China and set up over 60,000 companies. (MR)
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14/02/2008
