http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/asiapcf/09/10/taiwan.protests.ap/index.html Protests target Taiwan president POSTED: 0620 GMT (1420 HKT), September 11, 2006 TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) -- About 15,000 demonstrators marched under a driving rain in downtown Taipei on Sunday in a second day of protests aimed at pressuring Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian to resign over a series of alleged corruption scandals. The crowd was far fewer than organizers had hoped for. Under a giant red balloon with the Chinese character for "shame," protesters chanted anti-Chen slogans and gave the "thumbs down" gesture as they walked along a broad boulevard next to the sprawling Presidential Office Building. Many were clad in red to symbolize their anger with Chen's government, which for the past six months has been on the defensive over widespread charges of corruption and incompetence. On Saturday, an estimated 90,000 people -- many of them office workers and housewives -- kicked off the anti-Chen protests, which local media called a "middle-class war against corruption." That crowd was about half the size predicted by protest leader Shih Ming-teh earlier in the week. Shih, a former chairman of Chen's Democratic Progressive Party, began Sunday's gathering with a call to supporters to continue the struggle against the president. "This will be a long battle," he said. "It won't be easy to bring down Taiwan's most powerful man." Office worker Mary Lee said she had come with her two young daughters to take a personal stand against Chen's leadership. "For months now Chen has claimed to be innocent but he cannot prove it," she said. "We don't see how the dishonest and incompetent leader can lead the country." Chen's problems center on allegations that his family and inner circle used their positions for personal financial gain. In July, his son-in-law was indicted for alleged insider trading involving a local development firm -- a charge he denies. First lady Wu Shu-chen is also under investigation for allegedly profiting from the transfer of an upscale department store to new owners. Chen's office insists she was not involved. The Presidential Office acknowledged last week that prosecutors questioned Chen last month about the use of false invoices to account for part of a secret fund used to sustain Taiwanese diplomatic activities, but Chen denied any wrongdoing and insisted he will serve out the duration of his term, which ends in May 2008. Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. --

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