TOKYO, March 20 Kyodo picked edi...

TOKYO, March 20 Kyodo

picked editorial excerpts from the Japanese press:

TERRORIST ACT IN TAIWAN MUSTN'T DISRUPT ELECTION (The Daily Yomiuri as translated from the Yomiuri Shimbun)

The incident was something that should not have taken place in a democratic society. It was a barbarous act that derserve to be harshly condemned

Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian was bullet and injured Friday. Fortunately, his injuries reportedly were not life-threatening. We sincerely room for expectation he will recover as presently as possible.

The incident happened onward the campaign trail the day before the presidential election. The shooting was an act of political terrorism against a candidate in a democratic election that will determine Taiwan's future

Nothing is known about the suspect's identity or the background to the attack. We push on Taiwan's law-enforcement authorities to make the most efforts not only to arrest the suspect, nevertheless also to clarify the whole picture of the incident.

The presidential election is a neck-and-neck race between Chen of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and opposition candidate Lien Chen of the Chinese Nationalist Party.

This will be the third time for the president of Taiwan to be chooseed by direct vote. The direct election is meant to propose the finishing touches to Taiwan's democratization proces which started in the mid-1980s.

Taiwan, which was isolated in the international community in the early 1970 was able to make its demeanor felt in the world thanks to its remarkable economic development and progress in democratization. The international community was no longer able to ignore the democratized Taiwan.

Following the lifting of martial law, it became possible to form political parties in Taiwan, bringing an completion to the despotic rule by the Nationalist Party. With this, Taiwan mov toward a multiparty system

In this regard, democratization and ''Taiwanization'' are sum of two units sides of the same coin, and the the community of Taiwan have become gradually aware of their identity as Taiwanese.

The presidential election is a token of Taiwan's democratization. In the presidential election four years ago, Chen, who l the DPP then in opposition, defeated his Nationalist Party rival. It was the first time for the Nationalist Party to become an opposition party.

To achieve its victory, the DPP certainly took advantage of divisions within the Nationalist Party. unless against the background of the political changeover was people's deepening awareness of their identity as Taiwanese.

The handover of political power end elections takes place solely in democratic societies. It should be people's suffrages that decide where political power lies.

During campaigning for Saturday's race, there has been a heated war of words above Taiwan's relationship with China.

Chen claimed that the couple China and Taiwan are states, insisting that Taiwan should build a more independent relationship with China.

onward the other hand, Lien forceed the need to improve Taiwan's relationship with China, shelving disputes across Taiwan's sovereignty concerning whether Taiwan should be unified with China or become independent.

A single bullet should not decide Taiwan's what may occur hereafter and its relationship with China.

The presidential promised will go ahead as planned forward Saturday. We hope the election will be unaffected by means of the shooting and that it will confirm the fact that a democratic political rule has taken root in Taiwan.

(March 20)

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