Chen Decleared Winner amid violent protesrs

david.zh

<A href="http://www.abc.net.au/cgi-bin/common/printfriendly.pl?http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s1074986.htm" target="_blank" ><IMG height=14 alt="rint-friendy version" hspace=4 src="http://www.abc.net.au/news/img/print.gif" width=16 align=absMiddle border=0>rint</A>         <A title="Email this story" href="http://www.abc.net.au/cgi-bin/common/mailto/mailto-nojs.pl" target="_blank" ><IMG height=9 alt="Email this story" hspace=4 src="http://www.abc.net.au/news/img/email.gif" width=16 align=absMiddle border=0>Email</A>        <!-- End Print and Email Table --><!-- PRINT_CONTENT_START -->
<DIV class=storydateline><!-- First Posted: Friday, March        26, 2004        . 10:45pm -->Last Update: Saturday, March 27, 2004. 2:00am (AEDT)</DIV><!-- Main Image --><A onclick="<b>javascript</b> :imgWindow('http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200403/r17733_43590.jpg','17733',348,247,'Taiwan President Chen Shui-Bian. ABC News Online', 'President Chen Shui-Bian ... declared the winner by the Central Election Commission (File Photo).');return false;" href="http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200403/r17733_43590.jpg" target="_blank" ><IMG class=featurepic height=150 alt="Taiwan President Chen Shui-Bian" src="http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200403/r17733_43594.jpg" width=150 border=1></A>
< class=mainpiccaption>resident Chen Shui-Bian ... declared the winner by the Central Election Commission (File Photo). (Reuters)

<IMG height=1 alt="" src="http://www.abc.net.au/news/img/spacer.gif" width=1 border=0><!-- End Main Image -->
<H1>Chen declared winner amid violent protests</H1>
< class=wallacepara>Taiwan's Central Election Commission has declared incumbent Chen Shui-Bian as the winner of the disputed presidential election amid violent protests by a group of Opposition supporters.


< class=wallacepara>"A meeting has certified Chen Shui-Bian as winner and we expect to post the announcement later today," a commission spokesman said.


< class=wallacepara>Defeated opposition Nationalist candidate Lien Chan has demanded a recount in the closely fought election, in which Mr Chen won by 30,000 votes out of more than 13 million cast.


< class=wallacepara>Hundreds of protesters stormed the commission building, smashing windows and scuffling with riot police in a bid to persuade the body not to make the announcement.


< class=wallacepara>China has warned it will not sit and watch if social unrest and political instability spiral into chaos, state media said.


< class=wallacepara>"The mainland side will not look on unconcerned should the post-election situation in Taiwan go out of control," Xinhua quoted a spokesman for the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office as saying.


<P class=wallacepara>It qualified a situation being out of control as "leading to social turmoil, endangering lives and property of Taiwan compatriots and affecting stability across the Taiwan Straits".


<P class=wallacepara>But Taiwan has told Beijing that it was interfering in its affairs and any conflict would spark contempt from the island's people.


<P class=wallacepara>"Communist China is crudely interfering in our internal affairs," the Mainland Affairs Council said in a statement.


<P class=wallacepara>"If communist China triggers conflict, it will be despised by the people of Taiwan."


<P class=wallacepara>The statement from Beijing did not specify military action, but China claims the island as a renegade province that must be recovered, by force if necessary.


<P class=wallacepara>-- Reuters

<!-- PRINT_CONTENT_END --><!-- Start Story Attachments --><!-- End Story Attachments --><!-- Start Print and Email Table -->