A Taiwanese-American businessman has offered to donate three million (U.S.) dollars to help pay for a recount of last month's disputed presidential election.
David Sun, who co-founded the U.S.-based Kingston Technology Corporation, made the pledge through a church in Taipei. A church official says Mr. Sun hopes the money will help Taiwanese put aside their differences and move forward in reconciliation.
In the election, Nationalist Party head Lien Chan lost to the incumbent President Chen Shui-bian by 30,000 votes, out of more than 13-million votes cast. Mr. Lien and his opposition party have filed a petition with the High Court for a recount.
Both the opposition and ruling parties have agreed to the recount, but they differ over who should pay for it.
The two sides have agreed that Taiwan's Election Commission will do the recount, with judges and representatives of both parties serving as witnesses. They say it could begin around the middle of next month.
Information for this report is provided by AFP.