Politicians yesterday lined up to condemn the violent attack on Kaohsiung City Council Speaker Huang Chi-chuan (黃啟川) on Thursday by supporters of the DPP city government.
They denounced the act as an insult to democracy and urged law enforcement officials to promptly arrest the assailants.
The main opposition KMT, of which Huang is a member, said it regretted the outbreak of violence and called on Kaohsiung Mayor and DPP Chairman Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) to punish unruly party members.
"It is unbelievable to witness the council speaker being beaten by protesters while walking to his office in broad daylight," KMT spokeswoman Kuo Su-chun (郭素春). "The act is a shame on democracy and must not be tolerated."
Hundreds of protesters on Thursday gathered in front of the city council chamber to protest the council's proposal to abolish the city government's information department.
They said the decision is a ploy by the opposition-controlled council to embarrass the local DPP government and gave Huang several punches to the head as he stepped toward the council hall.
The speaker burst into tears after entering his office, flanked by security guards. He later examined in a local hospital and is in stable condition.
Kou said the protesters should have used reason, instead of fists, to express their grievances and pressed Hsieh to punish the attackers.
The protest was organized by councilors from the DPP and its ally, the TSU.
Hsieh has said he will expel party members who participated in the attack.
PFP Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) said he was appalled by the incident which he added tainted the country's image as a democracy.
"Democracy is a way of life," Soong told reporters.
"Taiwan will have a hard time telling the world it has been upholding the principle [of democracy] by using its fists."
After an initial probe, the DPP maintained that the violence was purely accidental and had nothing to do with the party.
Acting DPP Secretary-general Hsu Jen-tu (
He said the party would hold a meeting on Monday to decide if DPP Kaohsiung councilor candidates were indirectly responsible for the attack.
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