Taiwan Protester Violence Targets Police(1,000 folks tried to storm the Presidential Office)

TAIPEI, Taiwan - Tossing bottles and rocks, hundreds of Taiwanese protesters were blasted by police water cannon Saturday after a rally demanding an independent investigation of the bizarre shooting that injured President Chen Shui-bian one day before his narrow re-election.

The rowdy protests have become a weekend tradition since Chen won the March 10 vote and opposition candidate Lien Chan challenging the results. Lien has insinuated that Chen might have staged the unexplained shooting, and he wants a special task force to probe the event. So far, police have no suspects or solid leads.

Saturday's rally began peacefully, with about 50,000 people gathering in front of the Presidential Office to listen to Lien and other politicians give speeches. They also signed a petition demanding that a referendum be held on whether the shooting commission should be created.

But after the rally ended at 6 p.m. local time, about 1,000 protesters gathered at a barb-wire barricade in front of the Presidential Office. They began taunting police guarding the barrier, and some threw bottles and rocks. Others heaved sheets of metal on the barricade and threatened to scale it.

Police blasted the crowd with water cannons when the protesters tore down scaffolding from a rally stage and tried to use the metal structure to ram the police barricade. The protesters fought back, hitting police shields with metal rods, flag poles and umbrellas.

Shortly after 10 p.m. local time, more than 1,000 police formed a thick column and began slowly pushing the crowd out of the area. Some of the protesters threw scraps of metal and bottles at police as they retreated. One demonstrator tossed a gasoline bomb, but no one was injured.

Some lawmakers with the small opposition People First Party — which supported Lien's candidacy — seized the occasion to give fiery anti-government speeches and to yell at police. PFP legislators have helped incite previous postelection riots.

But a high-ranking official with Lien's Nationalist Party, Lin Fong-cheng, urged the protesters to calm down and to disperse. But Lin added that he "had heard" that those who started the violence were ruling party members who infiltrated the crowd and were trying to sully the opposition's reputation.

The allegation drew a quick, angry reaction from Lee Ying-yuan, a senior official in the president'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.

Earlier Saturday, protester Carson Huang, 46, a civil servant, said he was sick of waiting for answers about the shooting.

"The shooting happened three weeks ago, but still the president has not made an effort to find a solution. We need the voice of the people to force the president to come up with an explanation."

Huang acknowledged that the government has already invited a team of prominent U.S. forensics experts to join the investigation. The group was led by the famous Taiwanese-American expert Henry Lee, who spent much of Saturday reconstructing the shooting scene.

But Huang doubted that Lee, who was involved in the O.J. Simpson case in America, would be able to crack the case.

Lee has already said that he doubted that Chen's wound was self-inflicted, and conspiracy theorists have provided little evidence to back up their claims that Chen staged the gunshot that hit him during a campaign parade.

Lien, the losing presidential candidate, 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, warning the president: "Don't underestimate us."

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

120 were reportedly hurt during the clash, according to JoongAng Ilbo, a S. Korean daily.

	A bleeding demonstrator emerges from a scuffle with riot police at the end of a protest aimed at continuing to pressure the president over last month's controversial presidential election, Saturday, April 10, 2004, in Taipei, Taiwan. Over 30,000 protesters gather in front of the President Building in yet another rally organized by opposition parties to push its claim that President Chen Shui-bian narrow victory in the March 20 election was unfair. (AP Photo/Jerome Favre)
	A wounded supporter of defeated Taiwan presidential candidate Lien Chan gets help after a clash with riot police outside the presidential palace in Taipei, April 10, 2004. Thousands of Taiwanese demonstrators protesting last month's election results clashed with riot police on Saturday outside the barbed wire barrier protecting newly elected President Chen Shui-bian's office. REUTERS/Richard Chung Reuters - 18 hours, 57 minutes ago
	Demonstrators wave Taiwanese flags and cheer during a huge protest to continue pressuring the president over last month's controversial election, Saturday, April 10, 2004, in front of the Presidential Building in Taipei, Taiwan. Over 30,000 protesters gathered in front of the President Building in yet another rally organized by opposition parties to push its claim that President Chen Shui-bian's narrow victory in the March 20 election was unfair. Demostrators are wearing yellow arm bands and head bandsthat read 'Want Justice,' 'Save Democracy.' (AP Photo/Wally Santana) AP - Apr 10 2:24 AM
	Demonstrators wave Taiwanese flags and cheer during a huge protest to continue pressuring the president over last month's controversial election, Saturday, April 10, 2004, in front of the Presidential Building in Taipei, Taiwan. Over 30,000 protesters gathered in front of the President Building in yet another rally organized by opposition parties to push its claim that President Chen Shui-bian's narrow victory in the March 20 election was unfair. Demostrators are wearing yellow arm bands and head bandsthat read 'Want Justice,' 'Save Democracy.' (AP Photo/Wally Santana) AP - Apr 10 2:22 AM
	Demonstrators wave Taiwanese flags and cheer during a huge protest to continue pressuring the president over last month's controversial election, Saturday, April 10, 2004, in front of the Presidential Building in Taipei, Taiwan. Over 30,000 protesters gathered in front of the President Building in yet another rally organized by opposition parties to push its claim that President Chen Shui-bian's narrow victory in the March 20 election was unfair. Demostrators are wearing yellow head band that read 'Want Justice.' (AP Photo/Wally Santana) AP - Apr 10 2:19 AM

The people "protesting" and "demonstrating" here, especially the violent ones I mean, are those definitely not committed to freedom.

The best thing one can say about them is that some are poor lost souls who've been lied to and believed the lie their entire lives and are angry and crazy when reality hits them. Others are malicious.

The old Chinese regime in Taiwan had a great many thugs and were quite nasty. Those elements are closest now to the ChiComs and are acting out in their death throwes.

The rallys (not the orchestrated riots after) keep getting smaller as the KMT old dogs don't have an unlimited budget to pay and bus in the rally participants.

I just about flipped yesterday when I saw a news clip that showed a protestor holding a sign that said "We welcome the PRC Army!"

Hey Doc, maybe now you get what I've been saying for the last while...

A number of years ago when Lee Teng-hui was president and there was a leigistature vote that went to indicate Taiwan's separateness from China. In response a New Party goon held up a sign that said "Help us Jiang Zemin."

This element is small. They'll try to make their play on the inaugural weekend which is I think the last of May.

They'll try yo get the PLA to come in and "save them for China" by causing "unrest and chaos". It's ludicrous for so many reasons. One is that they believe, and may be manipulated by, the ChiCom lies about how they would move in to taiwan to bring stability in a time of social unrest.

Two is they don't know the ChiComs think these guys are big losers as well and have no respect for them.

Three is that despite their thinking Taipei is the be all and end all of Taiwan and that some clashes with police in a small region of Taipei that will be shown on CNN and Phoenix Tv etc.. does not massive widespread unrest make.

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