Taiwan markets jittery after president shot

[54anickel]

Not sure if this is a dupe

http://www.forbes.com/business/newswire/2004/03/19/rtr1305045.html

TAIPEI, March 19 (Reuters) - Taiwan market players were nervous an unprecedented attack on President Chen Shui-bian on Friday on the eve of a presidential election could lead to street violence and have an impact when trading resumes on Monday.

Stock markets had closed for the week when Chen and Vice President Annette Lu were shot and wounded while campaigning in southern Taiwan.

The Taiwan dollar dipped 0.2 percent on the shooting but ended domestic trade only slightly weaker on the day, with dealers citing intervention by the central bank to contain the fall.

"The market's sense of anxiety is heavy, although everyone has covered their U.S. dollar short positions. After the elections, we must wait for any possible violence to see the market reaction," said Shih Cheng-Sheng, a currency trader at Chang Hwa Bank <2801.TW>.

more...

[diamond14]

1. more from Reuters news service....sounds like they are trying to

minimize the injuries, in light of the upcoming election on Saturday....a whole hospital could be set up in the Presidential residence without a problem....


(need to copy whole address and paste into your web address line to find this story)....
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=BF2ZYS32NOQSICRBAE0CFFA?type=worldNews&storyID=4606639§ion=news

----------------------

-snips-

Taiwan President Shot, Later Leaves Hospital
Fri Mar 19, 2004 09:48 AM ET


By Jane Macartney

TAIPEI (Reuters) - Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian survived an assassination attempt on Friday while campaigning on the eve of a presidential election, escaping with a bullet wound to the stomach.

Vice President Annette Lu was also wounded in the attack in the southern city of Tainan but was not badly hurt, officials said. The pair were rushed to hospital, but a hospital official said later that they had left to fly back to the capital.

Officials said Saturday's election would go ahead as planned. Opposition presidential candidate Lien Chan paid a brief visit to Chen at his official Taipei residence on Friday evening.

Chen was rushed to hospital in Tainan, his home town, where he received 14 stitches in an 11-cm (five-inch) long, three-cm (one-inch) deep wound. Television reports said the 54-year-old president was able to walk into the hospital for treatment.

[PATRICK]

2. Anyone keeping tabs?

Any other time in recent history- including major wars- when so many government "changes" have occurred coupled with violence, coups and timely surprise?

The list is so odd and staggering it is hard to link them to the major areas where our attention has lately been fixed.

That certainly applies to our inept and perplexed media whose attention it is near impossible to get for almost anything offshore the rabid Right doesn't shout about.

Zimbabwe(screwed up) Spain(backfired) Haiti(controversial "success"), South Korea(in litigation), now Taiwan before elections(Madrid copycat?). Putin seemed to have been engaged in making his own reelection tamper proof.

Meanwhile Junior is on his fake campaign and the media is trying to develop a fake Kerry meme with absolute deadpan "sincerity".

[Dover]

6. The stakes are very high and there seems to be two (or more) factions

struggling for power in a globalizing economy with finite resources.

I expect the "surprises" to continue for some time. It is not business as usual.

One more to add to the list. Who was the European woman candidate who was killed prior to elections (and the conservative party took office instead). They still haven't found her killer and it sounds like the police were in on it. (Was that Denmark?)

And we mustn't forget the deaths of key politicians in our own country prior to the elections...

[54anickel]

3. Tried your link - didn't work, but here's another to try.

http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsPackageArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=479477§ion=news

[Pale_Rider]

4. Probably the Chinese are getting impatient ...

... and are resorting to Repug tactics. Since they can't get the Taiwan president into a small plane, a Lee Harvey Oswald hit will have to suffice.

[54anickel]

5. Whoops, there was a thread on this as it was breaking....

See this one

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x431881

[SoCalDem]

7. well.. DUH !!!

what a no-brainer headline