JAILED IN THAILAND: The ministry denied that the Thai government's 'one China' policy was one reason for Taiwanese being excluded from an amnesty of prisoners
By Shih Hsiu-chuan
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday denied that it had abandoned Taiwanese nationals imprisoned in Thailand by not actively helping them win places on an amnesty list, which was announced on Dec. 5 to mark King Bhumibol Adulyadej's 80th birthday.

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JUDGMENT DAY: Back in August, a district court found Ma not guilty of diverting NT$11 million in Taipei City public money into a private bank account
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) expressed confidence yesterday that Taiwan's High Court would uphold a lower court's decision and find him not guilty on corruption charges.

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Kaohsiung Deputy Mayor Chiu Tai-san (邱太三) denied categorically yesterday that the city government's Bureau of Environ-mental Protection (BEP) had been involved in electioneering.

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GETTING THE BLUES: The president said the stalling of a draft bill for rebuilding farm villages showed that Ma Ying-jeou did not care about the rights of farmers
By Shih Hsiu-chuan
President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) yesterday called the pan-blue dominated legislature "the biggest disaster in the country over the past three years."

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Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) Chairman Hung Chi-chang (洪奇昌) called yesterday for China to respect the wishes of Taiwanese businessmen operating in China and refrain from harassing them over approaching elections.

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Taiwan should take advantage of the opportunities presented by the election of a new South Korean leader to develop closer relations, especially on the economic front, which would benefit both sides, academics said at a forum in Taipei yesterday.

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THE FUTURE: The network will further expand with the completion of the Sanxia-Yingge Extension Line, Shilin Line and the line connecting Dazhi and Neihu
By Mo Yan-chih
Taipei City's Rapid Transit Department yesterday pledged to double the MRT network from 76.6km to 156.3km by 2014 and continue to 270km by 2020, with one MRT station every 500m in the metropolitan area.

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HELPING HAND: TRMPC president Liu Chi-chun said that seeing the needs of the poor had helped corps members realize how one can help contribute to others
A non-governmental medical team has earned praise and special thanks from a Tibetan Buddhist group after it provided seven days of free medical services in the northern Indian town of Bodhgaya in Bihar Province.

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PREVENTION: The Bureau of Health Promotion and the Taiwan Pediatric Association are to help facilitate the gathering of information about possible abuse cases
The central government will list preschoolers as its main target for child abuse prevention and control next year, as preschoolers have been proven to be the most vulnerable group of victims of child abuse, a Ministry of the Interior (MOI) official said yesterday.

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By Angelica Oung
Starting from next year, doctors will receive 20 percent more compensation for patients under the age of two, the Department of Health announced yesterday.

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■ HEALTH

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