Taiwan opposition demands probe into police clash with protestors

May 18, 2009, 6:26 GMT

   Taipei - Taiwan's main opposition party demonstrated against President Ma Ying-jeou for a second day Monday and demanded that municipal officials investigate why a police car crashed into two protestors, leaving one critically injured.

   'The Taipei city government has not told us the truth, so there should be further investigation. Calling it an accident at this stage is trying to shirk off responsibility,' Cheng Wen-tsan, spokesman for the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), said.

   'The Taipei city government must shoulder full responsibility for this incident,' he added.

   The collision occurred at 7:35 pm Sunday when tens of thousands of DPP members rallied in Taipei to protest Ma's peace overtures with China, ahead of the first anniversary of his inauguration. The DPP accused Ma of selling Taiwan's interests to China, which Ma firmly denied.

   Two protestors, Chang Chung-hsiung, 68, and Hsu Jen-shan, 67, were crossing a Taipei street when a police car knocked them down.

   Chang suffered brain hemorrhage, chest injury and a fractured leg. Hsu suffered bruises to his head and a broken hip joint.

   The two men were rushed to the National Taiwan University Hospital. Doctors performed surgery on Chang and amputated his lower left leg early Tuesday morning.

   Chang's condition stabilized but he was still listed as critical. He is now in the intensive care unit under observation,' hospital spokeswomen Tan Ching-ting told reporters.

   'Hsu's injuries are less severe. We will operate on him in the afternoon,' she added.

   Taipei police insisted it was an accident, but the DPP suspects the crash was politically motivated because the police car was speeding.

   A prosecutor questioned the police car driver, Lin Chien-chih, and the other officer in the car. Lin was freed on 100,000-Taiwan-dollar (2,941 US dollars) bond, while no charge was brought against the other policeman.

   Monday's rally, which took place both in Taipei and the southern port city Kaohsiung, was the DPP's largest protest against Ma since he took office on May 20, 2008.

   The DPP, Taiwan's largest opposition party, claimed a total of 600,000 people took part in the protests in Taipei and Kaohsiung, but there was no independent confirmation of that figure.