Taiwan tires of MPs brawls

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

By Taiwan correspondent Damian Grammaticas

A member of the Taiwanese parliament is beginning a six-month suspension from his duties after he punched a female colleague during a committee meeting.

Lo Fu-chu has had all his privileges as a legislator suspended by a vote in the parliament.

It is the harshest punishment ever meted out to a law-maker in Taiwan.

Taiwan's parliament has had a long history of fist-fights, but Lo Fu-chu is the first legislator to have been suspended for violent behaviour inside the legislature.

It is being seen as a sign that Taiwan is fed up with seeing its elected law-makers resort to physical means to resolve their disputes.

Hair pulling

Mr Lo was involved in an altercation with a female colleague during an education committee meeting a fortnight ago.

Shocking pictures of Mr Lo punching Diane Lee, a popular former television presenter, and pulling her hair were shown on television and broadcast around the world.

He said she had started the incident by accusing him of having connections to gangsters and throwing a glass of water in his face.

Miss Lee, who denied she had made the accusations, was hospitalised for three days and is now suing Mr Lo.

On Thursday afternoon, Taiwan's parliament decided by 155 votes to three to suspend Mr Lo for six months, imposing the harshest punishment it could.

Mr Lo was not present, but in a statement he said he accepted his punishment.

He has already been on Taiwanese television, where he offered an apology to all the nation's women, but not one to Miss Lee herself.