EM ASIA FX-S.Korean won, Taiwan dollar sag after U.S. strikes on Syria

* Won hits 3-week low vs dollar, later trims losses

* Taiwan dollar and Thai baht edge lower

* But Indian rupee hits 20-month high

* Rupee stays firm after RBI's move to mop up liquidity

(Adds text, updates prices)

SINGAPORE, April 7 (Reuters) - The South Korean won and

Taiwan dollar dropped to three-week lows against the U.S. dollar

on Friday, as investors turned to safe-haven assets after the

United States launched cruise missiles against an airbase in

Syria.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday he ordered

missile strikes against a Syrian airfield from which a deadly

chemical weapons attack was launched.

The news triggered selling of riskier assets and emerging

market currencies, analysts said.

"The initial reaction was a risk-off, but it's not as if

such moves are getting worse and worse," said Masashi Murata,

currency strategist for Brown Brothers Harriman in Tokyo.

The South Korean won briefly weakened to as low

as 1,140.0 per U.S. dollar, its lowest level in more than three

weeks. It later pared most of its losses and was last down about

0.1 percent at 1,133.80.

The Taiwan dollar also hit a three-week low of

30.700, and was last down 0.2 percent at 30.627.

Other Asian currencies were little changed with the

exception of the Indian rupee, which touched its highest level

in about 20 months.

The rupee's gains came after India's central bank surprised

markets on Thursday by raising a secondary rate while holding

the key rate steady. The move was aimed at helping mop up

liquidity, signalling the central bank's growing worries about a

potential spike in inflation.

The rupee rose to as high as 64.32 per dollar, its

highest level since August 2015.

SINGAPORE'S MONETARY POLICY

Singapore's central bank is widely expected to keep policy

steady next week, with the economy seen on track to meet the

official full-year forecast despite an expected contraction in

the first quarter.

Eighteen of 19 analysts in a Reuters survey predicted that

the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) would keep its

exchange-rate based policy unchanged at its semiannual review

due on April 13, at 8 a.m. (0000 GMT).

The government's advance estimate of first-quarter GDP, due

at the same time, is expected to show the city-state's economy

shrank 1.9 percent from the previous three months on an

annualised basis, according to the median forecast in a Reuters

survey.

MARKET POSITIONING

Investors increased their bullish bets on the Chinese yuan

, Singapore dollar and South Korean won in

the last two weeks as the U.S. dollar continued to struggle, a

Reuters poll showed.

Long positions in the Chinese yuan rose to their highest

since July 2015, according to the survey. Bullish bets on the

Singapore dollar rose to their highest in a year ahead

of the MAS policy decision.

CURRENCIES VS U.S. DOLLAR

Change on the day at 0508 GMT

Currency Latest bid Previous Pct

day Move

Japan yen 110.52 110.80 +0.25

Sing dlr 1.4018 1.4021 +0.02

Taiwan dlr 30.627 30.560 -0.22

Korean won 1133.80 1133.20 -0.05

Baht 34.61 34.52 -0.25

Peso 50.180 50.175 -0.01

Rupiah 13330 13333 +0.02

Rupee 64.41 64.52 +0.18

Ringgit 4.4350 4.4350 -0.00

Yuan 6.8996 6.8980 -0.02

Change so

far in 2017

Currency Latest bid End prev Pct

year Move

Japan yen 110.52 117.07 +5.93

Sing dlr 1.4018 1.4490 +3.37

Taiwan dlr 30.627 32.279 +5.39

Korean won 1133.80 1207.70 +6.52

Baht 34.61 35.80 +3.46

Peso 50.18 49.72 -0.92

Rupiah 13330 13470 +1.05

Rupee 64.41 67.92 +5.46

Ringgit 4.4350 4.4845 +1.12

Yuan 6.8996 6.9467 +0.68

(Reporting by Masayuki Kitano; Additional reporting by Reuters

FX analyst Ewen Chew; Editing by Randy Fabi)