Taiwan Prez Safe After Shooting

President Chen Shui-bian and his vice president were shot and slightly wounded Friday in an assassination attempt as they rode in an open vehicle while campaigning a day before an election that could be a turning point in Taiwan's tense relationship with China.

The president issued a videotaped message after the apparent assassination attempt, urging people not to worry.

No arrests were reported and it was not clear who fired on Chen. The street in his hometown, the southern city of Tainan, was choked with supporters on the eve of the landmark election and a simultaneous referendum.

Some analysts predicted the attack could boost Chen's chances in what had been seen as a close vote. Chen has angered the Nationalist opposition and Beijing by championing a separate identity for Taiwan.

One analyst suggested it was most likely the work of a "deranged individual," adding that it was "inconceivable" that opposition parties or the Beijing government could have been behind the attack.

The 53-year-old leader — the first Taiwanese president to be shot — was grazed in the abdomen and Vice President Annette Lu, 59, was hit in the right knee. Neither injury was life-threatening, said Chiou I-jen, secretary-general in the Presidential Office.

"Security services are hunting for the culprit," said Wang Jinn-wang, deputy chief of the National Security Bureau, adding that police had no suspects.

Chen and Lu were not wearing bulletproof vests as they stood in a red convertible jeep and waved to crowds lining the streets in Tainan on the last day of campaigning.

Chen enjoys street campaigning and frequently wades into big crowds. Security is relatively relaxed because there's no tradition of violence against leaders on the island.

People were setting off celebratory fireworks as he drove by and early media reports said he was injured by firecrackers.

"The vice president first felt pain in her knee and she thought it was caused by firecrackers," Chiou said. "Then the president felt some wetness on his stomach area, and then they realized something was wrong."

About five hours after the shootings, Chen left Chi Mei Hospital to return to the capital, Taipei.

After the shooting, the president "was very conscious and he walked into our emergency room," said hospital head Chan Chi-hsien.

Doctors showed photos of a 4½-inch-long wound just under Chen's navel.

Chan said the bullet didn't penetrate deeply and no internal organs were damaged.

The president looked stiff and tired as he remained seated while issuing his brief videotaped message.

Referring to himself by his nickname, Chen said, "There's no problem with A-bian."

He added, "There's no problem with Taiwan's safety. Please feel at ease."

The balloting vote will go ahead as planned Saturday, an election official said, although parties suspended campaigning.

In addition to the presidential contest, the unprecedented referendum spearheaded by Chen will ask voters whether the island should increase its defenses against hundreds of Chinese missiles pointed at it.

China, which claims Taiwan is part of its territory and insists the two should be unified, fears the referendum could lead to a vote on Taiwanese independence and has bitterly denounced Chen in recent months.

Beijing, which previously criticized Chen for calling the referendum, had no immediate reaction.

The United States maintains a delicate policy on Taiwan. Washington adheres to a "One China" policy and discourages any move toward independence, but is also obligated by the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act to defend Taiwan.