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Taiwan Quick Take: Matsu numbers shrink

The population of the Matsu island group totaled 9,930 as of the end of last month, a drop from the figure of 10,066 recorded in late May, according to the Lienchiang County Government, which administers the outlying island group. The Matsu population broke the 10,000 level for the first time in July last year, but has declined since then, county government statistics show. Local officials attributed the negative growth in population to a steady outflow of residents -- some 50 people per month -- since the three-in-one elections late last year. They predicted that Matsu's population might increase again just before the next election, at which time people from outside the islands typically register their households there to gain voting rights.

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