Taipei  - Taiwan prosecutors on Tuesday requested that former president Chen Shui-bian be detained over embezzlement allegations, according to TV reports.

The Supreme Prosecutor's Office made the request to the Taipei District Court after questioning Chen for seven hours over his alleged embezzlement of government funds and money laundering during his 2000-2008 tenure, cable TV channel CTI reported.

Thousands of supporters and opponents of Chen gathered outside the Supreme Prosecutor's Office building in Taipei as the interrogation took place, with one side shouting Chen was innocent and the other side shouting Chen should be jailed. (dpa)