By Mo Yan-chih
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday acknowledged that his sister, Ma Yi-nan (馬以南), had met Chang An-le (張安樂), the former leader of the Bamboo Union gang, but denied receiving political donations from the gangster.

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BLOODY CRACKDOWN: DPP supporters will march through Taipei starting at 2
By Ko Shu-ling
The presidential campaign teams of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) will today hold activities to commemorate the thousands killed during the 228 Incident.

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ON THE DEFENSIVE: Ma Ying-jeou also outlined his national security policy, 'SMART,' and said it would be governed by the principles of a 'defensive strategy'
By Mo Yan-chih
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday signed an ethnic harmony protocol and promised to promote ethnic reconciliation and equality if elected president next month.

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By Loa Iok-sin
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday refused to promise to attempt to halt plans to demolish the Sanying (三鶯) and Sijhou (溪洲) Aboriginal communities and the Losheng Sanatorium.

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By Ko Shu-ling
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) yesterday said he was opposed to the "cross-strait common market" that has been proposed by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), adding it would lead to unification with China.

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China announced an invitation to Taiwanese doctors and new economic sweeteners yesterday ahead of the presidential elections next month.

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DISAPPEARING HERITAGE: Officials said 2,000-year-old Aboriginal stone carvings in the Central Mountain Range were recently damaged by fire and an industrial adhesive
Officials from the Council for Cultural Affairs urged the public yesterday to help protect 2,000-year-old stone carvings and sculptures located in the Central Mountain Range that have been damaged recently.

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Tourism-related businesses in Penghu County are concerned that the recent cold snap, which is the worst in three decades and has also dealt a heavy blow to the islands' fish farming industry over the past three weeks, is keeping tourists at bay.

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Japanese speakers in Taiwan will be able to take the train with more confidence following the introduction of public address announcements in Japanese at Taipei Railway Station.

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Taiwan's coral reefs are healthier than those in other parts of the world, leading US researchers to team up this week with the nation's scientists to study the natural undersea formations, in the hope of saving coral reefs worldwide.

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PASSING THE BUCK: KMT whip Alex Fai said the DPP was to blame for the proposed tax amendment not passing, but Wang Jin-pyng said the TSU was at fault
By Flora Wang
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus said yesterday that it would advance a proposed amendment to the Value-added and Non value-added Business Tax Act (加值型及非加值型營業稅法) -- which would allow authorities to lower business taxes on corn, wheat, barley and soy beans -- to a second reading during tomorrow's plenary session to help stabilize soaring commodity prices.

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By Shelley Shan
The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday issued an ultimatum to former Broadcasting Corporation of China (BCC) chairman Jaw Shaw-kong (趙少康), demanding that he and his wife Liang Lei (梁蕾) reduce her shares in the company to less than 10 percent within 15 days.

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PROTEST: In response to remarks by the US secretary of state in Beijing, senior members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee taped statements to air in Taiwan
By Fan Cheng-hsiang and Charles Snyder
Former US deputy assistant secretary of state for the East Asia and the Pacific Randall Schriver criticized US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's statement yesterday over her remarks opposing Taiwan's UN membership referendum as an inadequate statement at an inadequate time.

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By Shih Hsiu-chuan
The government is considering granting amnesty to Taiwanese businesspeople who have violated limits on investment in China, Executive Yuan Secretary-General Chen Chin-jun (陳景峻) told reporters yesterday.

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■ DIPLOMACY

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