Both appear to be in stable condition. I hope they're OK. Updated: 04:13 a.m. EST (09:13 GMT) March 19, 2004 Taiwan president shot Television footage shows a bullet hole in the windshield of Chen's vehicle. Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian and Vice President Annette Lu are hospitalized after being shot while campaigning for Saturday's election, the Presidential Office said today. Chen was wounded in the abdomen, and Lu's leg was grazed by a bullet. Their injuries were not considered life-threatening. Taiwan's president shot at rally Friday, March 19, 2004 Posted: 4:36 AM EST (0936 GMT) Blood from Chen's bullet wound can be seen in television footage. TAIPEI, Taiwan (CNN) -- Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian and Vice President Annette Lu have been rushed to hospital after being shot while campaigning for Saturday's election. Chen was shot in the stomach at 1:45 p.m. (0545 GMT) Friday but his condition was not critical, the Presidential Office said. Lu's leg was grazed by a bullet. The office said both Chen and Lu were in a stable condition and that the president had urged for calm. "They did not suffer life-threatening injuries. They urge the public to cool down," Chiou I-jen, secretary-general in the Presidential Office, told a news conference. Chiou said weekend elections would go on as planned, but the ruling Democratic People's Party had temporarily suspended its election campaign. Chen and Lu had been riding in the back of a convertible four-wheel drive vehicle in the president's hometown of Tainan when an unknown attacker or attackers opened fire. The crowd was cheering as Chen and Lu waved from the back of their vehicle, and fireworks were being set off along the route as the candidates passed. Presidential spokesman James Huang told CNN nobody heard any gunshots or initially realized the leaders had been wounded because of the noise from the firecrackers. No arrests have yet been made. Shock Video from the parade showed a bullet hole in the windshield of the vehicle. Blood can be seen on the president's jacket as someone holds a cloth to the bullet wound on the right side of his waist. "We were shocked and we didn't anticipate this type of event occurring only 24 hours before the election," Huang told CNN. Chen and Lu have been campaigning for a second term in office. "I guess most people in Taiwan are shocked and they are very concerned about the security of their president and vice president." Huang said Taiwan's armed forces have been placed on high alert and that the National Security Council was holding an emergency meeting. Chen has been campaigning for a second term after four years in office. Along with the presidential election, a controversial referendum that China considers a harbinger for a vote on the island's independence will be held Saturday. The referendum will ask voters to consider if China should reduce its military threat against the island. Chen has ignored warnings from Washington and Beijing not to take any steps that could fuel tensions with China. The Chinese government had no immediate public reaction to the news of the shootings. Just before the shooting: Another photo:
They shouldn't have the president and the vice president appear together like that. Isn't one of the whole points of having a vice president to have a backup to take over in case something happens to the president, why make it so easy to take them both out at the same time. Common sense...
I doubt it was the opposition party or PRC since the election is just a day away. I'm putting my money on the underworld.
a few days ago on a Chinese BBS, somebody predicted that Chen SB might got himself injured to rally his supporters because he was behind in the polls.
A-Bian took one for the team! Way to go! Alas a flesh wound is nothing when compared to the future of entire Taiwanese people. You guys better all be thanking your stars. Because VP Annette Lu, the only person crazy enough to push for total separation from China, just came inches from becoming Taiwan's president. Hot damn!!!
yes, so the big question is, who shot him? the obvious answer that most would say would be that it was someone hired by the PRC CCP, and i would have agreed if he was actually shot dead. however, aggressive techniques by the PRC on taiwan have always backfired, and its clear this year they wanted to avoid such a situation. in this case, it surely will backfire and strengthen taiwanese support. It could have been the KMT because they have done such tactics in the past as well. Because he was only injured, and it appears, not too seriously, of course some could say that it was self inflicted to strengthen his own party, but i have real problems saying that. you can also, never leave out private parties and their own interests, or ultra nationalists. it is interesting though that he did not get killed, obviously it was a semi-professional killing and the job wasnt done through and it is 2004, where killers and the technology is not weak. lots of questions being raised in the particularities of this incident. either way, an upsetting event. its sad when violence is used to settle matters that words cannot.
not exactly. actually an analyst on Phoenix Chinese Channel(Hong Kong) commented that might be a possibility. such strategies were so frequently used in politics and wars throughout China history that there's a name attached to it "ku lou ji".
Unless you're familiar with the eastern Asian politics, don't spit out such "total, unadulterated garbage."
LOL, you must have leart your Chinese from some Southerners. The standard pronunciation is "ku rou ju", but people in the south have problems pronounce it that way so it becomes "lou" instead of "rou".
Total, unadulterated garbage. No one is going to allow themselves to be shot from long range assuming that they are going to hit "just the right spot". That's absurd.
Have you read Jonhty's post? People over there are not only willing to take a shot, they are willing to cut a limb if the reward or the cause is sufficient. Unheard of, huh?
are you from Taiwan? or Fu Jian? just wondering because my friends from there all pronounce is like that too.
See... Taiwan politics is just crazy. People will do anything. If you've seen the movie "Cat in the Hat"... or not... people are always making fun of that fact. Anyway in the movie it shows a clip of the Taiwanese legislative council... and there was a HUGE brawl. Like bloody and everything. It get physical like all the time.
There have been fights in the Texas Legislature. You know, it's a democracy and people sometimes get excited. Some of you are assuming something completely different. I stand by my opinion.
I have no problem with you standing by your opinion. But one culture is different from another. Much crazier stuff has happened in the history of China, like someone cut his own arm to persuade a crucial guy to switch side or an old man got beaten almost to death, with secret consent of this old man, to convince his enemy into believe something which was totally untrue. That's why anything is possible in my book.
