Taiwan MP slaps woman in parliament

The angry MP said Lee (in blue) had called him a gangster

A brawl broke out in Taiwan's parliament on Wednesday when a Taiwanese lawmaker struck a female colleague, bringing back memories of past rowdy incidents in the assembly.

Lo Fu-chu threw water over a female colleague, Diane Lee, and struck her in the face during a committee meeting.

Television footage showed him then grabbing the woman's hair before other legislators intervened to separate the two.

The footage was replayed throughout the day on cable TV new stations as politicians from all parties condemned the attack.

Correspondents say the attack caused shock in Taiwan.

Bruises

The burly Mr Lo, who has a record of being involved in brawls with other politicians, later apologised for his behaviour. But he said his victim had accused him of having links to organised crime.

President Chen promised to rid the country of gangsterism

Ms Lee, who was treated in hospital for bruises and scratches on her face after the scuffle, has denied making the allegation.

The former TV anchorwoman is regarded as one of Taiwan's most popular legislators.

Scuffles were common in parliament more than a decade ago, when democratic reforms were first introduced.

Such incidents are now rare, although shouting is not uncommon in the legislature.

Mr Lo was recently sentenced to a 59-day detention term after assaulting another lawmaker.

President Chen Shui-bian, who was elected last year, promised to rid the country of corruption and money politics.