KMT still says Chen may have had himself shot

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) spokesman Cheng Wen-tsang (鄭文燦) urged the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the People First Party (PFP) yesterday to respect the professionalism and scientific conclusion of the probe into the March 19 shooting of President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮).

Cheng, a DPP deputy director in charge of public relations, made the remarks after renowned forensic expert Henry Lee (李昌鈺) concluded a two-day visit to Taiwan to help with the investigation.

But a spokesman for the pan-blue camp said in a press conference that although the alliance respects Lee's findings, saying they have effectively ruled out some doubts, some political and medical controversies remain unsolved.

KMT Justin Chou (周守訓) said that an "independent" committee should help unveil "the truth of the shooting."

Noting Lu had said in her account of the shooting that she saw massive amounts of blood on Chen's abdomen and warned that the president had been shot, Chou said that this does not match up with Lee's remarks that there was little blood on the president's jacket and that large reddish stains were actually caused by petroleum-based ointment.

Liang Po-ling, former director of the osteopathy department of Tri-Service General Hospital, said the first aid procedure for gunshot wounds is to examine the wound or take X-rays before inserting stitches, but the Chi Mei Medical Center, where Chen sought treatment after being shot, sewed up the wound before taking X-rays.

Liang why the top anesthetist at Chi Mei was not informed about the treatment of the gunshot wound. He also asked why the lightly injured Chen waited for nine-and-a-half hours before addressing a jittery public in a video tape.

PFP Chou Hsi-wei (周錫瑋) claimed that Lee only proved that Chen did not fire the gun himself, which does not rule out the possibility of orchestration by the DPP.