“Free Speech”

MPs in mass brawl

More than 70 MPs punched and wrestled each other to the ground during a parliamentary brawl in Taiwan.

One member of the governing party even claimed he had been bitten by a member of the opposition during the scuffle in Taipai.

Violence broke out when legislators from the ruling Nationalist Party (KMT) and the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) failed to reach a consensus on changes to the Local Government Act.

"A violent conflict erupted in the process after the DPP had exhausted other means to stop the law," the ruling party said in a statement.

Three KMT legislators said they were hurt in the melee. The law passed after the brawl, reports the Daily Mail.

Although rows are not unusual in the seat of Taiwanese government, it was the first mass scrap in two years.

After starting a transition from dictatorship to democracy in 1987, the country is split between the two parliamentary factions.

In January 2008, the ruling Nationalist Party (KMT) had sworn off fighting when it expanded its majority and the overall number of MPs was reduced by half.

In 2004, one politician suggested MPs should be forced to take breathalyser tests before legislative meetings to prevent the frequent fist-fights.

But brawls in parliament are seen as one way for the opposition to show voters that it stands tough on issues.