GMA scores slay try on Taiwan president

President Arroyo condemned yesterday the attempt on the lives of Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian and Vice President Annette Lu, who were shot while in the thick of their election campaign last Friday.

"I condemn the cowardly assassination attempt on the leaders of Taiwan and I consider this an assault on democracy," the President said in a briefly worded official statement released by the Palace.

"I am glad they are out of danger and I pray for their quick recovery," she added. "May there be peaceful election in Taiwan.

The President issued this statement, and an earlier one welcoming the news that Chen’s and Lu’s wounds were not life-threatening, despite the fact that the Philippines is one of the countries that observe a "one-China" policy, which regards Taiwan as a renegade province of China.

Chen was shot in the stomach and Lu was wounded in the knee in the attack while campaigning in the southern city of Tainan. The two had been standing in an open jeep when they were shot.

Chen was later discharged from hospital and the election proceeded as planned.

Mrs. Arroyo, who greets her supporters from the open flatbed of a pickup truck during her campaign sorties, will continue to campaign openly, though the Presidential Security Group (PSG) has tightened its security cordon for her.

PSG commander Col. Delfin Bangit said their intelligence assessments indicate that there are no assassination plots against the President.

"While the political climate in the country is really heated up, we have not received any reports" indicating the existence of an assassination plot against the Chief Executive, he added.

"We have not monitored any assassination plot," Bangit said, "but our problem really is terrorist groups, which would do anything. That’s why we’re more (focused) on intelligence-gathering."

As soon as he learned about the shooting of Chen and Lu, Bangit said, he informed the President’s close-in security, mostly officers of the Women’s Auxilliary Corps (WAC), and instructed them to make the necessary adjustments to prevent any breaches in the presidential security cordon.

"These are impenetrable barriers," he said of the presidential security detail, "and we are doing our best to keep (Mrs. Arroyo) safe. We’re taking all the precautionary measures, making some adjustments, formations of security and we are relying so much on the capability of intelligence."

Immediately after the President decided to seek a full six-year term, Bangit organized the PSG’s "Task Force Golden Shield" to ensure the President’s security and protection during the 90-day campaign period.

Bangit also conveyed the news of the attack on Chen and Lu to the President immediately after he got it, saying that the President "is aware of it, but she is going on (with her campaign). She is that fearless."

The PSG chief, however, conceded that the President and her running mate, Sen. Noli de Castro, do have "vulnerabilities" as they campaign: Mrs. arroyo and De Castro stand in open pickup trucks and shake hands with the crowds that greet them as Chen and Lu were doing when they were shot.

"We really have to be on our toes but, since the (assassination) threat is not that significant, as of now we allow (Mrs. Arroyo and de Castro to campaign from open vehicles)," Bangit said.

In other reactions, Singapore echoed the hope for a trouble-free election in Taiwan.

"We hope that the election in Taiwan would be carried out peacefully," the ministry of foreign affairs said in a statement, wishing Chen and Lu a "speedy recovery."

Asian nations expressed regret over the apparent assassination attempt on Friday, a day before Taiwan’s elections.

However, international reaction was muted with many countries not recognizing Taiwan as separate from China.

Beijing, which claims Taiwan as part of its territory, would not offer any official comment.

"We cannot immediately comment on this," a foreign ministry spokesman told AFP. "Please ask the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council."

Phones at the Taiwan Affairs Office’s news division were not being answered after officials earlier indicated that a response would be forthcoming.

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, one of only two Asian leaders to comment on the incident, extended his sympathies to Chen, who is seen as favouring formal independence from China.

"Politicians are always faced with fears of assassination," Koizumi told Jiji Press news agency. "I would like to express my sympathy."

But Japan’s foreign ministry declined to comment on the attack as Tokyo has pursued a "one China" policy since 1972, when it switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei, deeming Beijing as the sole legitimate Chinese government.

A spokesman for the Indonesian foreign ministry said Jakarta "regrets this act of violence and we express our hope for a speedy recovery for both of those concerned."

Indonesia recognizes only mainland China and has had prickly relations with Taiwan in recent years, blocking a visit by Chen in December 2002.

China’s official media remained silent until six hours after the attack, when Xinhua news agency ran a two-paragraph report. — With AFP