Taiwan beefs up security for presidential vote

TAIWAN: Police in Taiwan have intensified security measures for Saturday's presidential election, cancelling leave and tightening a protective cordon around the candidates, an official said.

Most of the island's 68,000-member police force are now on active duty in the final days before voting to ensure a smooth election, said Wu Chi-ruei, a spokesman for the National Police Agency.

Four years ago, President Chen Shui-bian and Vice President Annette Lu were slightly wounded in a shooting on the eve of election day as they rode in an open-top jeep at a campaign rally.

A day later, Chen was re-elected by a razor-thin margin of 0.22 percent. He is standing down now after serving the maximum two terms.

"We have beefed up security arrangements for the candidates, at their campaign headquarters and major rallies, and at polling stations on voting day," NPA spokesman Wu told AFP.

Besides regular police, a team of 90 special agents has been assigned to protect the candidates, Frank Hsieh of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party and the Kuomintang's Ma Ying-jeou, the National Security Bureau said.

They have been advised to wear bullet-proof vests at outdoor campaign stops and avoid taking the podium or the same vehicle with their running mates.

Security is a top concern amid wild speculation of possible assassination attempts, and Ma's campaign team says he has spent 1.8 million Taiwan dollars (58,500 US) on a bullet-proof vehicle.

While police have dismissed most claims, they are probing allegations that two men were reportedly targeting Ma, Wu said.

According to media reports, one of them is the ex-husband of a woman who allegedly had an affair with Ma's late father.

Separately, as of Wednesday, 571 people have been arrested in an ongoing island-wide crackdown on organised crime, including gamblers betting on the election results, the Criminal Investigation Bureau said. Taipei, Wednesday, AFP