Published on Taipei Times
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2004/04/25/2003137999

Chen calls on opposition to trust judiciary


AFP, TAIPEI
Sunday, Apr 25, 2004, Page 2

A member of the Ketagalan Institute takes a seat in front of President Chen Shui-bian, the founder of the institute, at the school's opening ceremony in Taipei yesterday.
PHOTO: CHIEN JUNG-FENG, TAIPEI TIMES
President Chen Shui-bian (³¯¤ô«ó) yesterday called on the opposition to trust the nation's judiciary ahead of a recount of last month's disputed presidential poll.

The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT)-led opposition has filed a lawsuit demanding a recount and nullification of the March 20 vote, which it says was marred by irregularities and an unsolved election-eve shooting of Chen and Vice President Annette Lu (§f¨q½¬).

The High Court has ruled that a comprehensive recount should begin on May 10 at the latest, in order to be completed before Chen's scheduled inauguration on May 20.

"I firmly support a legal settlement of the election dispute," Chen said while addressing trainees at a leadership school affiliated with the Democratic Progressive Party.

"But I'm very worried how government authority is to be enforced if there is no trust in the judiciary, investigators, professional physicians or even international forensic experts," he said.

The opposition argues the shooting, which left Chen and Lu slightly injured, mobilized a sympathy vote in Chen's favor. He won by 0.22 percent, or less than 30,000 votes, over KMT Chairman Lien Chan (³s¾Ô).

The opposition has challenged government efforts to investigate the incident, despite the involvement of US forensics experts, and claims it may have been staged, an allegation Chen denies.

Opposition supporters have staged a string of protests, several of which turned violent.

In the worst case, protesters on April 10 targeted police with gas bombs and slingshots, leading to clashes which left more than 140 injured.

Chen also accused the opposition of trying to justify the violent acts as patriotic.

The opposition has threatened to hold another massive rally on May 19 or on inauguration day unless he agrees to set up an independent investigation to probe the shooting.