Son of former Taiwanese VP shot in the face during campaign rally

Son of former Taiwanese VP shot in the face during campaign rally

2010-11-27 04:05:29 GMT+7 (ICT)

TAIPEI, TAIWAN (BNO NEW) — The son of former Taiwanese vice-president Lien Chan was shot in the face on Thursday while campaigning as municipal elections are scheduled to carry out on Friday, local media reported.

Sean Lien, 40, was campaigning for a candidate of the ruling Kuomintang party when he suffered a gunshot wound that struck his left cheek and exited through his right temple.

According to reports, Lien was in stable condition as he was undergoing emergency surgery. In addition, media reports indicated that a 29-year-old man was shot dead during the event, while local authorities said a man was arrested on suspicion of shooting. He was reportedly arrested in possession of a gun and 48 rounds of ammunition.

"My son is lying in hospital now and his condition isn’t clear," Lien Chan said on local television.

Taiwan is holding elections on Friday for five municipalities, in which mayors will be chosen for cities that gather around 60 percent of Taiwan's population. Taiwan is home to around 23 million people.

Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou condemned the shooting and ordered an investigation, his office said.

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