The population of Kinmen County has reached 100,248 as of July 31 this year, according to the county government, making it the first offshore island of Taiwan to surpass the 100,000 population mark.
The county government said the upward swing in population is largely a reflection of local social welfare policies. The number, which stood at 43,442 after the military administration was abolished in 1992, increased to 56,958 in 2001, when direct links were established between Kinmen and mainland China.
The island group's social benefits and accessibility to mainland China have further propelled the population over the past decade, officials added.
According to Ministry of the Interior statistics, Kinmen's population stood at 99,691 at the end of June this year, making it somewhat more populous than Penghu County's population of 96,597.
The county government remarked that its wide-ranging social welfare policies include providing financial assistance to women who give birth, stipends for full-time mothers, and free bus and ferry rides as well as free lunches for elementary and junior high school students.
Meanwhile, the elderly are given dentures free of charge, while meals-on-wheels services are provided to solitary elderly residents, physically handicapped persons and senior citizens suffering from dementia.
All of the county's residents are eligible for 20 percent discounts on airfare when they take flights to Taiwan. Also, Kinmen Kaoliang Liquor Inc. gives all of the county's residents gifts of liquor at the three major holidays each year, and residents are allowed to resell the commemorative items for profit. Officials said all of these policies have been responsible for attracting people to move to Kinmen.
In addition, measures have been passed this year to provide financial assistance to members of the self-defense team that helped protect the island during the August 23 Artillery War in 1958.
Some local residents, however, have wondered just how many of the over 100,000 people actually live there on a permanent basis.
If the figure is inflated, they said, the result would be a greater fiscal burden on the county government. These nonpermanent residents could also end up playing an important role in elections.
These concerns require the attention of the county government, they added.
(This article originally appeared in The Liberty Times Aug. 3.)