Taiwan's Chen to defend himself in live address

TAIPEI, June 20 (Reuters) Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian will defend himself against opposition charges of corruption and incompetence today in a television address as he battles his worst political crisis since coming to office in 2000.

Chen would put his position on a series of scandals implicating his wife, son-in-law and aides, and set out a blueprint for the next two years, presidential spokesman David Lee said.

His address starts at 8 p.m. 330 IST hrs.

The opposition Nationalist Party and People First Party have called on Chen to quit. The opposition last week launched a recall motion during an extraordinary session of parliament.

''The general public will understand more about the recent scandals and also have a clear picture what the president will do for the country in the next two years, and how absurd the opposition parties are at this moment with the recall,'' Lee said.

Parliament will debate the recall motion, which would authorise a referendum on whether or not Chen should stay in office, on Wednesday. Legislators will vote on Tuesday next week.

But the measure is unlikely to pass because the opposition, which holds a slim majority in parliament, lacks the two-thirds vote needed.

James Soong, chairman of the People First Party, said if the recall fails, his party would call for another special session of parliament and seek a no-confidence vote against Chen's cabinet within weeks.

The current special session ends on June 30 and the opposition had originally said it would push for a no-confidence motion when parliament reconvenes in September.

But news they would seek to speed up the process of a no-confidence vote in parliament caused a sharp fall on Taiwan's stock market on Tuesday with the main TAIEX index dropping 3.46 percent by 0445 GMT.

Chen's wife, Wu Shu-chen, has been accused of accepting millions of Taiwan dollars of department store gift vouchers and his son-in-law, Chao Chien-ming, has been detained since late May on suspicion of insider trading. Both have denied wrongdoing.

Emile Sheng, a professor of political science at Taiwan's Soochow University, said Chen's speech could prove key.

''I think tonight will be kind of another turning point in the whole incident. If he can somehow rally support by his speech, then he is going to create momentum for himself,'' Sheng said.

The scandals have pushed the president's public approval ratings to record lows, but a poll by a Taiwan newspaper and TV station showed his approval rating had risen slightly since May.

Reuters CH GC1030