Taiwan protesters vow to stay until vote recount

TAIPEI - Some 20,000 protesters massed on Monday to contest Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian's election victory after a mysterious assassination bid and the discovery of spoiled ballots and vowed not to give up without a recount.

The crowd of protesters, facing ranks of helmeted police in full riot gear lined up in front of Taipei's presidential palace, grew throughout the day. They ignored government appeals to leave.

"We're not going until we get an answer. We'll stay for as long as it takes," said a 40-year-old housewife, who gave her surname as Chang, her voice hoarse from shouting.

The high court sealed the ballot boxes on Sunday after defeated Nationalist Party contender Lien Chan demanded a recount. Chen won a razor-thin victory by just 29,000 votes out of nearly 13 million cast.

Neither Chen nor Vice-President Annette Lu, both slightly wounded by gunshots while campaigning in southern Tainan on Friday, has appeared in public since claiming victory on Saturday night.

No one has been arrested in the assassination attempt and police in Tainan told Reuters they still had no leads.

The Nationalist Party said it planned to mobilise more than 200,000 people to march on the presidential palace next Saturday.

"The march will call for the rescue of Taiwan's democracy and opposition to the dirty election," party spokesman Justin Chou told Reuters.

Thousands of protesters braved a chilly drizzle to gather on Monday, with many arriving from the centre and south of the island.

"If you didn't cheat on the ballot, then why don't you dare to have a recount?" one organiser shouted towards Chen's official residence.

Chief prosecutor Lu Ren-fa said the opposition demand for a vote recount would be handled according to the law.

The high court had appointed three judges and a decision would come within six months although an immediate ruling on a recount was unlikely, a spokesman said.

"They will review the case carefully and any decision will be taken by the judges but that cannot be done immediately," he told reporters.

"Please have faith in the judicial system," he appealed. "The case will be handled with fairness, openness, transparency and independently."

A decision on a recount after Taiwan's tightest presidential vote could cause political turmoil. It will be a severe test for a young democracy which lies within range of missiles deployed by arch-foe China, which claims the island as a breakaway province.

In a sign of possible confusion in Chen's government, Defence Minister Tang Yiau-ming offered his resignation, citing health problems involving his eyes, but then agreed to withdrew it at the president's request.

The opposition vented its fury again on Monday and questioned the absence of international messages of congratulation to Chen.

"Why didn't we see other countries congratulate the winner of Taiwan's presidential election?" James Soong, the opposition vice presidential candidate, said in a speech to the protesters.

"Because this is an election that is unfair and unjust," he said, speaking through a loudspeaker to the crowd waving Taiwan flags and the sky-blue banner of the Nationalist Party.

Taiwan's stock market tumbled 6.68 per cent on Monday as investors fled the political uncertainty. The central bank intervened in currency markets, selling large quantities of US dollars to stem a fall in the local dollar, dealers said.

Streets around the presidential office were barricaded, creating traffic chaos in Taipei.

Taipei mayor Ma Ying-jeou, Lien Chan's close ally and campaign manager, issued a third appeal to protesters to disperse.

"Your call for an immediate recount has been heard, please go home soon," Ma told the protesters.

"No!", the crowd shouted back.

The US State Department congratulated Taiwan on Saturday for conducting a democratic election campaign, but stopped short of congratulating Chen as it did when he triumphed in 2000 and ousted the Nationalists from more than five decades in power.

In 2000, the White House sent a note of congratulation to the victor.

- REUTERS