TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) - The arrest of former Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian in a corruption case Wednesday is set to deepen political divisions in the normally fractious country, with the former leader's supporters accusing the government of a political vendetta.

Chen's detention - which started dramatically Tuesday when he was led away in handcuffs from a prosecutors' office - drew small protests by supporters in his pro-independence camp and cheers from rival China, which claims the democratic island as part of its territory. Newspapers in China plastered photos of a handcuffed Chen on front pages.

The Taipei court ordered Chen held under a type of pre-indictment detention after prosecutors accused him of laundering money and illegally tapping a special fund during his presidency.

Chen has denied any wrongdoing. But the detention marks a further downfall for a landmark figure in Taiwanese politics. A crusading lawyer-turned-politician, Chen won the presidency for the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party in 2000, wresting political control for the first time in 50 years from the Nationalists.

But corruption allegations helped cripple the last years of his eight years in office. The DPP candidate was trounced in the March election by the Nationalist's Ma Ying-jeou, who has pushed speedily to improve relations with Beijing.

Ma struck a sympathetic note about Chen's detention. "It saddens instead of cheering us, and I will take it as a lesson personally," Ma said in a radio interview early Wednesday.

Opponents of Chen, however, lit off fireworks in celebration.

Relations with China remain a divisive issue in Taiwan, which split from the mainland amid civil war nearly six decades ago. Some Taiwanese want the island to declare formal independence from China, a small number want to unify, while most people support the fuzzy status quo.

Last week, the opposition DPP staged noisy protests as Ma's government sealed deals to expand transport links with the mainland.

Chen's detention further demoralized his Democratic Progressive Party, with politicians calling the arrest politically motivated. About 20 DPP lawmakers denounced the detention at a news conference Wednesday, calling it part of a government plot to "thoroughly crush the opposition in the name of democracy and justice."

In southern Kaohsiung, a DPP stronghold, city councilors displayed signs of "Death of Justice" and "Political Persecution" at a meeting.

DPP Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen urged supporters to stay calm but noted the detention was "shoddily administered and an abuse of power."

"We hope authorities will show more respect to the human rights of (a former leader) and not incite people's emotions to cause unnecessary division," Tsai said.

Chief Prosecutor Chen Yun-nan, however, said the detention was executed according to law without interference from the government and "it was not political persecution."

Taiwan's judiciary system has been criticized by some in Chen's DPP camp as suffering from heavy Nationalist influence - a result, the critics say, of Nationalist domination of Taiwanese politics from 1949 to 2000.

But even if the criticism contains an element of truth, judicial independence is rapidly gaining ground in Taiwan, and President Ma - a graduate of Harvard Law School - has shown dedication to rule of law.

Yang Tai-shun, a political scientist at Taipei's Chinese Culture University, said the pre-indictment detention harkened back to Taiwan's authoritarian past. He said Chen was so unpopular that his party was unlikely to draw popular support but could choose to play up its pro-independence agenda to appeal to its base.

"With all the details of Chen's corrupt deeds being made public, the DPP could not make a great cause out of it or it would be viewed as backing a corrupt leader," Yang said. "But with its anti-corruption image being tainted, the party could play up its pro-independence platform to the effect of worsening Taiwan's divide."

Three former Chen aides, a former intelligence chief, vice premier and interior minister were arrested in connection with Chen's case, and a property tycoon was detained and later released on bail after confessing to having bribed the former leader.

If people begin to question the independence of the court, the island may see years of political protests as the prosecution of Chen drags on, said Lo Chih-cheng, a political science professor at Taipei's Soochow University.

"And if he should be acquitted, it could lead to mass protests by those who are already deeply convinced of his corruption," Lo said.

"President Ma has the power and means to reconcile with the opposition, but so far we have not seen him moving in this direction," Lo said.