Pressure was piling up against scandal-plagued Taiwan "president" Chen Shui-bian to resign as tens of thousands of protestors braved bad weather to continue their round-the-clock demonstration for the second day yesterday.

Tens of thousands of protesters sit in heavy rain demanding the ouster of Taiwan "president" Chen Shui-bian near the "presidential office" in Taipei yesterday. [AFP]

Torrential rain fell throughout the day in Taipei but that did not dampen the enthusiasm of the crowd, which marched through the city centre after a relatively quiet sit-in.

Although the turnout was lower because of the rain and cold, organizers pledged not to give up their non-stop campaign until the embattled leader resigns over a series of corruption scandals.

Under a giant red balloon with the Chinese character for "shame," protesters chanted "A-bian, step down," a reference to Chen's nickname, 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 at Chen's government, which for the past six months has been under fire for widespread charges of corruption and incompetence.

Shih Ming-teh, the former chairman of Chen's ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), started the mass protest aimed at unseating Chen on Saturday afternoon.

Organizers of the anti-Chen campaign put Saturday's attendance at around 200,000, though police reportedly estimated the turnout at 90,000.

Shih began yesterday's gathering with a call to supporters to continue the struggle against Chen.

"This will be a long battle," he said. "It won't be easy to bring down Taiwan's most powerful man."

The campaign organizer warned that Chen would become a "prisoner" of his office and Taiwan "paralyzed" if he serves out his term which ends in May 2008.

"The people of Taiwan have the power to ask Chen to step down," he said. "We will not stop this protest until he does."

Chen's problems centre 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 and taking bribes. Chen has publicly apologized for Chao Chien-ming's actions.

"First lady" Wu Shu-chen is also under investigation for allegedly profiting from the transfer of an upscale department store to new owners.

Prosecutors then began looking at whether Chen had misused funds intended for "diplomatic" affairs, and questioned him last month.

In June. he survived an unprecedented "parliament" vote to topple him, after the move failed to win the backing of two-thirds of all "lawmakers." If passed, it would have triggered a referendum on Chen's future.

Ma Ying-jeou, chairman of the opposition Kuomintang, and James Soong, chairman of the People First Party, joined the mass sit-in on Saturday evening.

In an open letter published in leading Taiwanese newspapers on Saturday, Ma said the DPP should not become "an accomplice to corruption," referring to Chen's alleged graft scandals.

"We will not be happy to see the DPP collapse because of its support for Chen, (as) this would be bad for Taiwan," Ma said in his appeal, and called on the DPP to launch a recall motion against Chen in the "legislature."

The latest Taiwan media opinion poll has found that 68.5 per cent of residents support the campaign to oust Chen.

(China Daily 09/11/2006 page1)