Agence France Presse

Taipei, March 30:

A US investigator helping Taiwanese authorities to probe the election eve shooting of President Chen Shiu-bian said today Chen’s injury appeared to be a “fresh gunshot wound”.

“The wound I saw and the pictures I’ve seen, and the information I’ve received from the doctors — all of the information is consistent that it is a fresh gunshot wound,” said forensic expert Cyril H Wecht, one of a team of United States investigators who have flown to Taipei to assist authorities.

Wecht confirmed he had examined Chen’s wound while holding a closed-door meeting with the Taiwanese leader at the presidential office.“We’ve met the president and I looked at the wound,” an 11-centimetre long gouge across his abdomen, Wecht told reporters.

Taiwan’s presidential office spokesman Huang Chih-fang, confirmed the meeting, but declined to say if Chen’s wound had been checked on grounds of “national dignity”.Lu and his running-mate Vice President Annette Lu were slightly injured in the southern city of Tainan while being driven in an open-top jeep during a campaign tour.The US team, also including a ballistics and an identification expert, arrived in Taipei on Sunday to join Taiwanese investigators in looking into the shooting at the invitation of Taiwan’s chief prosecutor Lu Ren-fa.The trio had seen the open-top jeep, the bullet casing, visited the site and met with doctors at the hospital.

“We will make recommendations and conclusions to my coworker Dr Lee. And it’s my belief that at that time he will submit a complete written report to the government.”