Upset by Li's unexpected proposal, pan-green lawmakers stormed to the podium to voice their grievances. Li's proposal was endorsed by 79 lawmakers, while seven voted against it. The legislature has 225 members.

The pan-green camp refused to honor the result, claiming the number of lawmakers casting votes had failed to reach a quorum.

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Huang Chao-hui then led a horde of DPP lawmakers to occupy the speaker's desk and seize Wang's gavel.

Wang then ordered a recess, and the two camps engaged in a shouting match.

Blowing whistles and holding placards reading "Taiwan stand up, refuse China's unification" and "pan-blue for party assets, against reform," the pan-green camp chanted such slogans as "dismiss the legislature" and "we want to speak."

The pan-blue camp responded by reciting "recall the president" and "dirty DPP," while holding placards reading "please review bills" and "do not cause any more disturbance."

At 11:32am, a violent exchange broke out between the two camps after the legislative speaker ordered an article-by-article discussion of the NCC bill.

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Chang Sho-wen engaged in a violent scuffle with DPP Legislator Lee Ming-hsien. Chang was beaten by three DPP lawmakers with a plastic stick after being pushed to the floor.

He was severely wounded on his left eyebrow, with blood streaming down his face. He was later rushed to the nearby National Taiwan University Hospital, where he received 10 large stitches and over 100 small stitches.

He also suffered from minor fractures on his forehead and right shoulder and complained about dizziness. He was ordered by doctors to stay at the hospital for further observation.

Lee suffered a broken lip, sprained ankle, and a bruised nose and knee. He also complained about vertigo and was rushed to the same hospital for treatment but later released.

Chang claimed Lee had hit him on the head with a mobile phone, which was later snatched by him and KMT Legislator Chen Chieh. Lee, however, said that he had acted purely out of self defense.

The two camps then pointed fingers at each other for inciting the violence, with the pan-blue camp accusing its rival of attempting "premeditated murder" and the pan-greens berating the pan-blue for "acting as if it is the victim."

DPP caucus whip William Lai condemned the violence and called on the pan-blue alliance to exercise self-restraint and maintain composure and rationality.

"Even if they are the majority in the legislature, they should respect other caucuses' right to speak," he said.

He also painted Chang, PFP Legislator George Hsieh and KMT Legislator Pai Tien-chih as the "hit men" of the pan-blue alliance. Lai said they should be held responsible for causing yesterday's violence.

KMT Legislator Huang Chao-shun blamed the DPP caucus, saying it was the "mastermind" behind the violence, and called the DPP's ally, the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU), its "accomplice."

PFP caucus whip Hwang Yih-jiau threatened to put off the review of next year's government budget as a retaliatory measure.

The legislature is scheduled to discuss the timetable for the review of next year's government budget today.

KMT caucus whip Pan Wei-kang, however, said her caucus would like to push the government budget through to committee for review so it can be closely scrutinized.

Responding to KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou's call to send in legislative security officers to settle yesterday's mayhem, Wang said that Ma should stop poking his nose into the legislature.

"It sounds good and easy, but it is not something that he can tell us to do," he said.

The afternoon session, which began at 4:15pm, was just as turbulent. Pan-green lawmakers became agitated again shortly after KMT Legislator Ting Shou-chung began to speak on the NCC bill.

The uproar escalated when Wang ordered a vote on article 1 of the bill in response to a request filed by KMT Legislator Joanna Lei.

DPP lawmakers Lee Chen-nan and Lin Kuo-ching tried to climb up to the speaker's desk, but independent lawmaker Yen Chin-piao managed to stop them. Lawmakers voted 111 to 2 in favor of Lei's proposal. The session ended at 4:37pm.

Ma yesterday condemned the violence and urged the authorities in the Legislative Yuan to exercise their right to prevent such incidents from happening.

"This attack was obviously planned. The KMT denounces all forms of violence and we regret the incident," Ma said after visiting Chang.

"If violence erupts again during the legislative procedure, police should be called in to restore order and prevent further injuries," Ma said.

Google corrects map reference

STAFF WRITER

Following protests from legislators and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) over the Google Maps service's reference to Taiwan as a part of China, the Internet search engine over the weekend removed the words "a province of China" from its map of Taiwan.

The description of Taiwan as a "province of China" used on Google's map service incurred criticism, with the TSU legislative caucus earlier last week launching a letter campaign and MOFA instructing its US representative office to ask Google for a correction.

Controversial

A Google Inc international affairs spokesman told the Central News Agency that since the purpose of the map service is to provide information on geographic location, removing controversial literature or explanations was a way for the company to improve its product.

According to Google's Web site, Google Maps provides users with data such as business locations and driving directions.

Protests

As Google originally refused to make the correction on the grounds that the description was consistent with international naming conventions, such as those followed by the UN, Minister of Foreign Affairs Mark Chen last Thursday said the ministry would continue to protest to Google until the mistake was corrected.

In a recent interview with the Voice of America (VOA), Vice President Annette Lu also lent her voice to the protests, and said it was essential that the Internet search engine make a correction and apologize.

Lee Teng-hui begins trip to US to visit `old friends'

OUTSPOKEN: The former president will travel to four American cities during his trip, and plans to meet with academics, businesspeople and other influential figures

AGENCIES , TAIPEI

"On the grounds of defending the universal value of democracy, he [Lee] will further call on the international community not to sit idly by and leave the ambitions of a dictatorial China to annex democratic Taiwan unchecked."－ Statement from Lee Teng-hui's office

Former president Lee Teng-hui left for the US yesterday, vowing to urge the international community to help rein in what he called China's military threat to democratic Taiwan.

"[He] will urge the international community to pay attention to the threat and impact of China's rising military power on the Taiwan Strait, the Asia-Pacific region, the United States and the world," Lee's office said in a statement.

"On the grounds of defending the universal value of democracy, he will further call on the international community not to sit idly by and leave the ambitions of a dictatorial China to annex democratic Taiwan unchecked," the statement said.

However, the US Department of State has been careful to describe Lee's visit as a "personal trip," in an effort to depoliticize his tour and avoid criticism from China.

Meanwhile, chanting "Down with Taiwan's independence," a small group of pro-unification activists protested at the airport before Lee's departure.

Lee made no comment.

During his two-week visit to meet with "old friends," the 82-year-old Lee will visit four US cities -- Anchorage, New York, Washington and Los Angeles -- where he will meet with senior executives of major Taiwanese associations, as well as US politicians, think tank members and opinion leaders.

An outspoken critic of China's military threat and diplomatic suppression of Taiwan, Lee will take advantage of his visit to draw attention to the possible impact of China's rise on the peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, the Asia-Pacific region and the entire world, Lee's aides said.

Lee, often described as one of the spiritual leaders of the pro-independence movement, will also urge the international community not to condone China's increasingly evident attempts to annex Taiwan.

Meanwhile, his aides said, Lee will discuss with Taiwanese community leaders how to pool resources at home and abroad to defend Taiwan's national interests.

He will also exchange views with influential US congressional members, think tank researchers and social opinion leaders on the latest developments in the general international situation.

Lee retired in 2000, but Beijing still warns foreign governments against granting him visas, saying that he seizes any opportunity to advocate Taiwan's independence.

Lee will be in Washington from Oct. 17 to 20, during which he is scheduled to deliver a speech at the National Press Club.

During his tenure as president, Lee made a rare visit to the US in June 1995, which sparked a fierce protest from China.

Beijing was so outraged that it staged menacing war games and lobbed missiles into the Taiwan Strait.

Chinese democracy activist Lu survives severe beating

DOING FINE: Lu Banglie is injured after being bludgeoned by a group of thugs, but he is now said to be recovering back in his home town

THE GUARDIAN , GUANGZHOU

Lu Banglie, the Chinese democracy activist who was savagely beaten at the weekend, has been found injured but alive.

Lu has said that he was battered unconscious and later driven hundreds of kilometers to his home town where he is now recuperating. Civil rights lawyers said they were considering a legal case against his attackers, thought to be a group of thugs hired by the local authorities to put down an anti-corruption campaign against the chief of Taishi village.

Although the attack was witnessed by a foreign correspondent, the local propaganda department insisted there had been no violence and provincial officials said it was too early to respond to requests for a full investigation.

Missing

Lu went missing on Saturday night after he attempted to take the Guardian's Benjamin Joffe-Walt into Taishi, a flashpoint in a growing wave of regional unrest that has challenged the authority of the Chinese Communist Party. He was last seen lying unconscious on the side of the road.

Late on Monday, however, Lu re-emerged from hospital in his home town of Zhijiang, Hubei Province to tell his version of what happened after he was dragged out of the car by an angry mob.

"Five to six of them pulled my hair and punched me in the head. They kicked my legs and body for a couple of minutes. Then I passed out. Some people then splashed water on me which brought me round, then I passed out again," he said.

When he came to, he was being driven back to Hubei.

Check up

The propaganda office said Lu had been picked off the road near Taishi at 9pm -- an hour after the assault -- taken to a nearby hospital for a check-up and then at 1.30am driven out of the area.

The Pan Yu propaganda office said there had definately been "no violence" and that Lu had "pretended to be dead."

Lu said such claims were laughable.

"When I came around, I was too nauseous to eat. My body aches all over and my head hurts," he said.

But he said only his arm was visibly wounded.

Legal action

His supporters, who include lawyer Gao Jisheng, say they are considering legal action.

The Guardian has asked the Guangdong authorities to investigate the attack but a spokeswoman said a response would be made in the next few days.

Lu said he was aware of the dangers and had no regrets about going to Taishi.

"I believe you cannot write off truth. The authorities control the village tightly. They try to prevent news from leaking out, which hurts not only the democratization of Taishi village but the entire country," he said.

Legislative impasse bodes ill

Yet another physical confrontation in the legislature has resulted in lawmakers from both the green and blue camps being sent to hospital. The nation's democracy seems to have regressed to resemble the "permanent Assembly" elected in China in the 1940s.

The unreasonably low status of the legislature until a dozen or so years ago meant that lawmakers lacked legitimacy, and that the government and opposition could not discuss issues in a rational manner. The result was violent confrontation each time a major bill was sent to the floor for review.

Although the legislature is now democratically elected and legitimate representation is not in question, constitutional regulations ensure that presidential and executive powers held by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) are being balanced by the blue camp's legislative majority. The result is a political process paralyzed by obstruction, slowing government business to a crawl.

But despite the stalemate, the politicians must find a solution.

The 2000 US presidential election and the recent tussle over the German chancellorship were both dealt with according to the law, but in Taiwan the deep animosity between the blue and green camps means that neither wants to take a step back. When a major political conflict occurs in a healthy society, neutral groups can take on the role of arbitrators. But the vicious competition seen in many past national elections, however, means that almost all groups and individuals -- including supposedly neutral academic circles -- have been labeled either green or blue.

Establishing a national communications commission (NCC) is an important part of national media reform. The organization should represent expertise and independence, but the proposed bill is being directed by political concerns. The Cabinet insists that the premier should appoint the commission's members and direct its operations. The blue camp insists that its members should be appointed in proportion to party representation in the legislature, which would give control of the commission to the blue camp.

Neither side is willing to compromise.

The "cross-strait peace advancement" bill, however, is a constitutional disaster zone. The People First Party version of the bill aims to undermine the government and create a committee that can direct cross-strait policy over the head of the executive, bypassing both the Mainland Affairs Council and the Straits Exchange Foundation. This body could negotiate directly with China and would be authorized to sign treaties, playing a decisive role in determining policy over the "three links" and free-trade zones, and even a ceasefire agreement. This completely ignores the principle of separation of powers under the Constitution, and could easily develop into a monster.

The arms-procurement and NCC bills each raise special concerns, and these could be debated publicly. Unfortunately, the blue camp has seen fit to use its legislative majority to block a review of the arms bill.

Every Taiwanese is a partisan in this conflict between the green and blue camps, and as such no one can be found to mediate. There is no one of sufficient stature, no impartial media, and no intellectuals with adequate qualifications and credibility to arbitrate.

When the legislature itself throws out the constitutional principles of legislation, the executive must appeal to the constitutional courts.

Otherwise, the political paralysis will continue, and if the people can't stand the situation any longer, they may well use their power to punish those responsible.

US picking on wrong target

By Michael Turton

In recent weeks the media has been filled with commentators in the US warning that the US is losing patience with Taiwan, as the arms purchase bill has now been tabled more than 30 times in the legislature. Only a minority of these commentators manifest any awareness of local political divisions, and none have remarked on the most important shift in local politics: the fact that the pan-blue Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and People First Party (PFP) have become pro-China parties. As a consequence of this, they are focusing on the wrong target.

This change is manifest most publicly in the visits by important pan-blue camp politicians to Beijing. It can also be seen in the recent trial balloons floated by the KMT, in which it would accept the purchase of submarines and P-3C anti-submarine aircraft, but turn down the Patriot missile batteries. Of those three the subs are useless and the aircraft can operate only if Taiwan controls the air, which, given the massive disparities in air power, is unlikely. Only the Patriots represent an effective weapon. Readers may draw their own conclusions as to why the KMT opposes the one really effective weapon in the package.

Recall further that the weapons package is one of a score of bills that needs passing, all stalled by the pan-blues. The US needs more than just an armed Taiwan; it needs a well-run government with a stable economy if Taiwan is to support the US policy of containing China. Any US response to the arms package should also focus on the fact that it is just one aspect, albeit the most public, of a multi-pronged campaign by the two pro-China parties to bring the nation's government to a halt. Effective governance, after all, furthers Taiwan's autonomy.

The failure to fully grasp that the blues have become pro-China parties has three major effects. First, US analysts who keep warning "Taiwan" to mend its ways are hitting the wrong target. The problem is not "Taiwan," but blue legislators who routinely prevent the arms purchase bill from reaching the legislature. US policymakers who want the bill to pass need to come here and thump KMT and PFP heads, not sit in Washington and grumble that "Taiwan" doesn't listen.

Second, one of the long-term goals of the blues is to embarrass the locals, to make it seem that the Taiwanese cannot run their own affairs, and to present Taiwan as a problem that can be made to go away through annexing the country to China. Each time an analyst in Washington complains about "Taiwan" rather than fingering the KMT and PFP, this strategy is rewarded.

Finally, another long-term goal of the blues is to drive a spike between the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the US. The pro-China parties know that the DPP shares the ideals of democracy and independence with the US. They also know foreigners strongly sympathize with the DPP (indeed, in the 2000 election the Soong campaign actually ran ads showing that some foreigners did support Soong). The blues' strategy is to prevent the arrival of the day when the US stops viewing the DPP as a problem, and starts seeing it as an opportunity. Thus, each time a US decisionmaker criticizes "Taiwan," they reward that blue strategy by putting more distance between the US and Taiwan. In sum, as diplospeak puts it, pressure from the US is "not entirely helpful."

Until the US attacks the problem by sending someone with credibility over here to speak frankly to the KMT and the PFP about their obstructive, pro-China behavior, nothing will change.

Michael Turton

Tanzi