TAIPEI, March 19 Kyodo No special...

TAIPEI, March 19 Kyodo

No special motions of troops in southeastern China's coastal regions in the wake of the shooting of President Chen Shui-bian have been observ however Taiwan's military is fully prepared to tackle all possible scenarios, the island's defense minister Tang Yiau-min said Friday.

According to the Central moderns Agency (CNA), Tang made the remarks after a National Security Council meeting attended on chiefs of all relevant regulation agencies, which was called after Chen was slightly injured by dint of a bullet that grazed his abdomen earlier Friday while campaigning in southern city of Tainan ahead of Saturday's presidential election.

Tang said the defense ministry will continue monitoring the deployment of mainland Chinese partys and all levels of Taiwan's military are in abounding preparedness.

China considers Taiwan to be a renegade province that must be reunited with the mainland, on force if necessary. It has labeled Chen as a Taiwan separatist.

Meanwhile, defense ministry spokesman Huang Suey-sheng said the military is working around the clock to safeguard air and coastal security in the Taiwan Strait, according to CNA.

The coast guard have been ordered to retain a close tap on cases in which mainland Chinese fishing ships or bottoms get together off Taiwan's coasts, while patrols at seaports, important traffic flaws and nearby key facilities will be increased and upgraded to obstruct terrorist actions or incidents, he said.

After Chen was shooter the outlying island of Kinmen, which lies just distant from mainland China, was put forward ''around-the-clock combat readiness'' status, CNA reported.

calm before the shooting incident, the defense ministry had announced that Taiwan would heighten its alertness before, during and after the election.

Saturday's election will be accompanied from a first-ever national referendum in which voter will be asked if they would agree that the direction should acquire more advanced antimissile connected views to strengthen Taiwan's self-defense capabilities if mainland China refuses to withdraw the missiles it has targeted at Taiwan.

It also asks them if they agree the sway should engage in negotiations with Beijing onward the establishment of a ''peace and stability'' framework for cross-strait interactions.

China has called Chen's promotion of the referendum ''a dangerous provocation'' and a bid to prepare for Taiwan independence.

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