A group of opposition "lawmakers" have proposed a vote of no confidence in the island's "cabinet" amid growing tensions over a grass-roots campaign to oust scandal-plagued "president" Chen Shui-bian.

The move by "legislators" of the Kuomintang (KMT) and People First Party (PFP) against "premier" Su Tseng-chang is apparently aimed at giving the anti-Chen campaign new impetus.

The around-the-clock protest led by Shih Ming-teh, a former Chen ally and also former chairman of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), entered the 11th day yesterday to demand Chen's resignation over a series of high-profile corruption scandals.

The KMT and PFP hold a narrow majority in the 221-member "Legislature," so a successful move to withdraw support from Su which would require new "legislative" elections is within the opposition's reach.

However, KMT leader Ma Ying-jeou may be leaning toward proposing a new recall initiative against Chen, a process that would require a two-thirds "legislative" majority to put the issue to an island-wide referendum.

A previous recall bid failed in June when members of Chen's party voted against it.

At the "legislature," the opposition "lawmakers" unfurled banners and shouted slogans against Chen as a new "legislative" session opened yesterday.

They temporarily prevented Su, a senior member of Chen's DPP, from speaking at the "legislature."

The "legislators" wore red, the symbol of the anti-Chen campaign, representing anger.

Their protests followed a violent confrontation between Chen's supporters and opponents in the southern city of Kaohsiung.

The clashes, broken up by police early yesterday, were the most serious outbreak of violence since the anti-Chen campaign started.

Late Monday night, violence flared in Kaohsiung when hundreds of Chen supporters confronted a group of anti-Chen demonstrators at a downtown plaza.

Early yesterday, baton-wielding police intervened to separate the groups. At least six people, among them two injured, were arrested by police, local television images showed.

Chen has been under pressure to resign since his son-in-law, Chao Chien-ming, was detained and indicted on suspicion of insider trading and taking bribes. Prosecutors then began looking at whether Chen had misused funds intended for "national" affairs and questioned him last month.

His wife Wu Shu-chen is also under investigation for allegedly accepting department store gift certificates in exchange for lobbying efforts.

Chen has refused to bow to the pressure and says he will remain in office until his second four-year term expires in May 2008.

Source: China Daily