Macau News Online Today

The opening ceremony of the 16th Macao International Trade and Investment Fair (MIF) in Macau SAR during 19-20 October

2011-11-08T00:41:00.000-08:00

Mr. Chakri Srichawana, Consul-General, attended the opening ceremony of the 16th Macao International Trade and Investment Fair (MIF) in Macau SAR during 19-20 October 2011

Mr. Chakri Srichawana, Consul-General, attended the opening ceremony of the 16th Macao International Trade and Investment Fair (MIF) in Macau SAR during 19-20 October 2011, presided over by Mr. Fernando Chui Sai On, Chief Executive of Macau SAR, together with, Mr. Jackson Chang, Chairman of the Macau Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM), Ms. Amber Li, President of Macao-ASEAN Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Lino Ho, President of Macao-Thailand Chamber of Commerce and the Consuls General of ASEAN countries. In this occasion, Mr. Chakri received 2 million Baht from representatives of the Macao-Thailand Chamber of Commerce donated for flood victims in Thailand.

Gov’t proposes to ban bars in residential buildings

2011-07-05T02:30:00.000-07:00

The Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) has launched a public consultation for the administrative regulation that regulates hotels, restaurants and bars until August 31. Amongst the proposed changes, bars will not be permitted to be located in residential buildings.

However, the transitional arrangements stated in the draft did not mention the fate of the many existing bars already established in residential buildings and how they would be affected under the new rules.

The MGTO disclosed in the document that the move is in response to complaints by residents of the noise and disturbance caused by the night time business activities.

In addition, people at or below 16 years old will be prohibited from entering a bar, which is consistent with the current rules in karaoke lounges and game centres.

According to the authority, the administrative regulation was drafted to meet the “development needs of the tourism industry”.

The MGTO has proposed that all hotels will be rated as between one-star and five-stars, instead of “two-star to five-star hotels, tourist complexes or two-star and three-star apartments” as is stated in the current regulations.

The hotel ratings will also be required to be reviewed by a special committee every six years.

Moreover, there will only be two classes - ‘general’ or ‘luxury’ - for restaurants and bars.

Existing two-star and three-star apartments will automatically become one-star and two-star hotels without any applications after the new administrative regulation comes into effect, whereas existing first-class and second-class restaurants will also be automatically classified as “general restaurants”.

While MGTO will be responsible to monitor and issue licenses to hotels, ‘luxury restaurants’, ‘luxury bars’, and ‘general restaurants and bars’ situated inside hotels, the Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau will be the licensing authority for ‘general restaurants and bars’ outside of hotels.

On the other hand, the draft states that dance halls and karaoke lounges will no longer be an independent business. License holders of restaurants or bars can apply for an authorisation in order to establish a dance area or operate karaoke business inside their establishments.

According to the proposal, existing licensed dance halls/ballrooms will need to apply to be classified as restaurants, bars or dining establishments within one year after the new rules take effect.
Current karaoke lounges, which usually hold a bar license in order to sell alcoholic beverages, will also have to apply for the authorisation to continue the karaoke business within six months.
All licenses will be required to be renewed every two years.

Furthermore, the MGTO has proposed an increase in various fines. For example, a hotel operator without a business license could be fined between MOP 150,000 and MOP 200,000.

http://www.macaudailytimes.com.mo/

Suspected arson at scrapyard

2009-03-10T15:34:00.002-07:00

Suspected arson at scrapyard

A fire broke out at a scrapyard opposite Flower City Garden in Taipa at about 6am yesterday, and the Judiciary Police (PJ), who suspect foul play, are now investigating the incident.

The fire spread through the scrapyard, which has been described as “big as a basketball court” and the fire department deployed nine fire trucks and spent about half an hour putting out the blaze.

No one was injured in the incident.

A resident nearby in Avenida Olympica said he and his neighbours were awakened by the the sound of explosions, thick black smoke and the sound of fire engines early yesterday' morning.

Fire fighters had to keep dousing the large number of rubber tires stored at the scrapyard for a long period of time to prevent the blaze from resurgent.

Tuesday, 10 March 2009
Macau Daily Times

Separate police operations seize three million patacas worth of heroin

2009-03-10T15:34:00.001-07:00

Separate police operations seize three million patacas worth of heroin

The Judiciary Police (PJ) cracked down on three separate drug trafficking cases this week and seized a total of nearly three kilograms of heroin with a street value of three million patacas.

Two men and a woman, aged 27 to 29, from the Philippines were apprehended for alleged drug trafficking by using different methods at the Macau International Airport over the past two days.

According to the police spokesman Chau Wai Kuong yesterday, the three suspects flew from Kuala Lumpur separately to Macau, and the PJ believe that while they had no connection between them, they might both be controlled by the same criminal syndicate.

One of the male suspects, aged 28, ingested 50 wrapped substances of heroin in order to avoid police detection, Chau said.

He was arrested on Sunday after having been interrogated at MIA, where he also admitted to police that there were drugs inside his body.

He told police the heroin was given by an African man in Kuala Lumpur last Saturday night.

After a day in the public hospital, Chau said the 28-year-old suspect had excreted all of the 50 packets of the substance, which weighed about 395 grams with a street value of 450,000 patacas.

In two other separate incidents, the PJ also caught a 29-year-old man and a 27-year-old woman one who allegedly smuggled about 2,132 grams and the other 200 grams of heroin by hiding it inside his suitcase and her shoes.

Chau said a total of 2,900 grams of heroin were discovered and valued at about three million patacas.

The three suspects had made multiple entries to Macau, and the PJ is still investigating whether they had smuggled any drugs into the territory previously, the spokesman added.

Tuesday, 10 March 2009
Macau Daily Times

Security secretary denies having a blacklist

2009-03-10T15:31:00.000-07:00

Security secretary denies having a blacklist

The Immigration Services have legal powers to assess each visitor's qualifications for entry, the same as their counterparts around the world, Secretary for Security, Cheong Kuoc Va said yesterday.

Regarding the recent barring of certain Hong Kong residents, Cheong Kuoc Va explained that the police assess the entry qualifications of visitors individually, whatever their origin, taking into account the validity of their identification documents and the purpose of the visits, and may refuse to allow entry to those who don't meet legal requirements.

The secretary stressed that refusal to allow an entry is an administrative decision, according to the law, and denied the existence of an immigration blacklist.

The Collective Threats Alert and Warning System, published yesterday by the Government Printing Bureau, provides regulations and defines and sets out procedures for the activation of a common alert system and state-of-emergency warning levels for civil protection. This information is necessary for making informed decisions at different levels of government, in public and private sector and among the general population.

According to the Collective Threats Alert and Warning System, there are five different alert levels, organised by colour, grading from red, or extremely severe, to green, meaning normal level.

“Collective threats” means unexpected events that cause or are likely to cause human casualties or material damage, producing negative effects on the social fabric, and capable of jeopardising public safety or creating an environmental state of emergency.

The secretary also officiated in the graduation and swearing-in ceremony of the eighth Fire Service Officers’ training program at the Academy of Public Security Forces in Coloane yesterday.

Tuesday, 10 March 2009
Macau Daily Times

Green business co-operation day to open MIECF

2009-03-10T15:30:00.000-07:00

Green business co-operation day to open MIECF

To strengthen enterprises' business co-operation in the area of environmental protection, the first day of the 2009 Macau International Environmental Co-operation Forum and Exhibition (MIECF) has been designated as the Green Business Co-operation Day, the event's organiser announced yesterday.

The theme of the Green Business Co-operation Day is "Gathering Unlimited Green Business Opportunities" and it aims to assist enterprises to seize business opportunities in environmental co-operation and create mutually beneficial business relations.

The Green Business Co-operation Day will include activities, such as The Green Business Co-operation and Finance Symposium, The Enterprise Green Business Summit and Green Business Networking Cocktail Reception and Contract Signing Ceremony.

The 2009 MIECF,which is hosted by the government and co-ordinated by the Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) and Environment Council, will be held here from April 2 to 4, 2009.

Tuesday, 10 March 2009
Macau Daily Times

Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur routes to Macau suspended

2009-03-10T15:29:00.000-07:00

Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur routes to Macau suspended

Thai carrier Bangkok Airways announced the suspension of its daily Bangkok-Macau route from March 28 because the number of passengers has decreased significantly, leaving the Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) representative office in Thailand worried.

Bangkok Airways said that will keep the Macau-Bangkok route licence and plan to resume operations around October through December "if the market gets better."

In addition, Malaysia Airlines (MAS) are also suspending, for the second time, its current daily Macau-Kuala Lumpur route around the end of March.

The airline originally opened its Macau route in November 1995, but suspended it in March 1998 because of low demand and unprofitability, then resumed it in November 2007.

Tuesday, 10 March 2009
Macau Daily Times

Lawmaker urges revising fire regulations

2009-03-10T15:27:00.000-07:00

Lawmaker urges revising fire regulations

Lawmaker Kwan Tsui Hang urged the government to revise the fire safety regulations in order to keep up with growing number of high-rises in Macau.

Kwana said buildings had already far exceeded the height that aerial ladder trucks could reach, adding that a number of large-scale integrated resorts have a massive confined space, making it more difficult to rescue people and extinguish fires.

The lawmaker referred to an incident last week at the One Central Residence construction site, in which about 170 workers were trapped for three hours on the 25th and 40th fire protection floors of the building.

Kwan said the fire department did not only need to update its equipment quickly, but more importantly, have a comprehensive set of fire safety regulations, in order to ensure that high rise properties and large-scale construction sites themselves are equipped with sufficient fire facilities and fire extinguishing systems that can help minimise the impact of fire.

However, she pointed out that Macau's current fire safety regulations had not been revised for more than a decade, and said a lot of provisions could no longer meet the rising demands of social development.

A cross-departmental work team was set up in 2003 to study revisions for fire safety regulations, Kwan said, but added that six years on, amendments can still not be seen.

With regulations lagging behind, the lawmaker said, some civil servants had testified in court that part of Macau's fire facilities for large-scale construction sites had to follow the assessment criteria of other countries.

For this reason, she asked the government whether it was true that Macau's aerial ladder trucks could not be extended to all areas or fire protection floors of skyscrapers or large construction projects.

And if it was true, Kwan asked whether the fire department had set out a contingency plan, such as using helicopters, to ensure that people could be saved from the fire quickly.

Kwan also asked the government what measures had been taken to ensure that construction sites, where fire facilities were not yet complete, have installed adequate fire extinguishing equipment.

The lawmaker urged the government to amend the "seriously obsolete" fire safety regulations as soon as possible, so that all buildings in Macau would have the capacity to prevent and extinguish fire, she said.

Tuesday, 10 March 2009
Macau Daily Times

Indonesian Food Promotion at IFT Educational Restaurant

2009-03-10T15:26:00.000-07:00

Indonesian Food Promotion at IFT Educational Restaurant

The Institute for Tourism Studies (IFT) Educational Restaurant is offering a special promotion featuring authentic Indonesian food until Friday.

Two chefs participating in the event, Astawan and Sadjuni, both culinary instructors at the Bali Tourism Institute, will bring a variety of exotic Indonesian delights, including West Sumatra Tropical Salad, Fish and Seafood Consommé, Indonesian Chicken Curry, Fish Terrine, Roasted Sirloin in Young Bamboo, Braised Baby Squid in Kalas sauce, Grilled Fish served with Jimbaran Sambal and the famous Beef Stew in Rendang Gravy and Rainbow Layer Pudding.

IFT has always been dedicated to organising gourmet promotions of different ethnic cuisine for the public. and along with the Indonesian food promotion this week, Chefs Astawan and Sadjuni will host a culinary workshop on Wednesday and Thursday, where local chefs and IFT students will have an opportunity to learn and experience the Indonesian cuisine.

Tuesday, 10 March 2009
Macau Daily Times

Fisherman's Wharf expects a tough year ahea

2009-03-10T15:23:00.000-07:00

Fisherman's Wharf expects a tough year ahea

Fisherman's Wharf (MFW) is preparing for a tough year ahead with plans to focus on regional marketing in a bid to boost visitor numbers at the MOP 19 billion theme park, according to Macau News agency.

A MFW spokeswoman said that the development was bracing itself for a difficult year, despite what she described as "encouraging" visitor numbers for 2008.

"Our visitor numbers were up last year when compared to 2007," she said. "But as the government has already stated, 2009 is going to be tough, so we will continue trying to develop our local and overseas markets."

The big push for MFW this year will be regional markets including Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Japan.

"South East Asia is the big marketing campaign for us at the moment," the spokeswoman said. "We started to see people in the middle of last year and we will continue with this push through 2009 in an effort to increase volume."

Last year MFW introduced a marketing campaign aimed at attracting tourists from South East Asia, which the spokeswoman said proved to be "successful."

The MFW spokeswoman declined to reveal any great detail on the progress of the second phase of the development which is estimated to cost MOP 8 billion. "Phase two is on track for completion in the near future," she said.

Visitor numbers have fallen short of projections since MFW opened in 2005 and the development has been plagued by lacklustre business.

A MFW business owner, who declined to be named, said there was not enough variety in the stores to attract local shoppers. "There are just not enough people coming and there hasn't been for a long time," he said.

In addition, MFW spokeswoman said more fashion shows and festivals would be introduced this year in an effort to attract local visitors. "We are looking to increase numbers with things like an international food festival with cuisine from different countries around the world," she said. "More events to bring in more visitors is the aim."

It was also revealed that construction would resume this year on a hotel development at the complex which was suspended last year. "We already have a car park and the major base structure will be restarted," she said. "MFW is currently working on several projects scheduled to be released in 2009 and onwards, which include four theme hotels comprising more than 800 guest rooms."

MFW includes convention and conference space, more than 150 stores and restaurants in buildings built in the style of different world seaports such as Cape Town, Amsterdam and Venice, a hotel and casino.

Tuesday, 10 March 2009
Macau Daily Times

No more witnesses in Ao's saga

2009-03-10T15:20:00.000-07:00

No more witnesses in Ao's saga

The trial for the former secretary for transport and public works Ao Man Long reached a crucial stage yesterday, after all 95 witnesses had been heard and closing statements were scheduled for the morning of March 18 at the Court of Final Appeal.

In yesterday's sessions, several chief-investigators from the Commission Against Corruption (CCAC) took the witness stand to go through every detail in the investigation, particularly the 23 construction works in which Ao is accused of corruption.

The defendants, in other cases related to Ao's case, Pedro Chian and Chan Lin Yan were allegedly responsible for the quotations that the former secretary approved in exchange for bribes.

The CCAC investigators referred to various documents, such as personal agendas, bank statements, restaurant booking receipts and Hong Kong travels lists presented in a timetable showing requests to the government and rewards after those requests were approved.

According to the investigators, Ao met with either Pedro Chiang or Chan Lin Yan, just before or right after the opening of the tenders on the construction works in question. In addition, several bank statements showing several million patacas transferred to Ecoline accounts, a company based in British Virgin Islands, controlled by the former secretary were produced.

The CCAC investigators also found several blueprints from La Cite complex, the new Customs Services building and Tap Seac construction works with dates prior to the opening of tender.

Tuesday, 10 March 2009
Macau Daily Times

Sponsorship applications for anti drug award program now available

2009-03-10T15:19:00.000-07:00

Sponsorship applications for anti drug award program now available

The 2009 Anti Drug Youth Action Plan Award Program applications, organised by the Department of Prevention and Treatment for Drug Dependence (DPTT) of the Social Welfare Bureau (IAS), were made available yesterday for students and students' associations and wll be available until March 31.

The initiative aims to motivate young people to design and conduct educational activities like concerts, film production, or sports that raise awareness of and encourage support for the need to combat the use of illegal drugs under the slogan "Young peole are influenced by their peers."

The maximum amount of sponsorship for each activity is 40,000 patacas.

To encourage the participation of young people and students' groups, a grand prize for the best anti-drug activities, a creativity award, and an award for energy organisation will be given.

The IAS will hold an award ceremony on March 29, from 5pm to 6.30pm, at the Macau Polytechnic Institute auditorium.

Complete rules and details of the 2009 Anti Drug Youth Action Plan Award Program can be found on the website (www.antidrugs.gov.mo) or by calling 28781791.

Tuesday, 10 March 2009
Macau Daily Times

Adelson worries Ho's words could hurt Venetian

2009-03-10T15:16:00.001-07:00

Adelson worries Ho's words could hurt Venetian

The Las Vegas Sands Corp (LVS) chief is worried that an attempt by his Chinese rival to provoke anti-American sentiment could hurt his company's operations in Macau, according to yesterday's Wall Street Journal (WSJ).

In several addresses to business groups last month, gaming mogul and political figure Stanley Ho called on Macau people to "unite against" the Venetian Macao Resort Hotel, the towering casino that LVS opened in August 2007 after the Sands Macao.

"We are Chinese. We should unite against foreign capital. We cannot keep silent. If not, the foreign capital will bully us," Ho said in a February 9 speech.

Sands CEO Sheldon Adelson says he believes his company's growing presence in the market has unnerved Mr. Ho, the WSJ reported.
Sands is depending on Macau to provide relief as U.S. consumers drastically cut spending at the company's Las Vegas properties, the report added.

But revised travel curbs to Macau imposed by the Chinese government restricted how often mainlanders from prosperous Guangdong province can visit the SAR and these restrictions have led to a decrease in gambling revenues.

Adelson says anti-American sentiment could lead to a backlash that would make things even worse for U.S. casino operators in Macau.
"You never know the effect his words could have," Adelson said in a phone interview to the WSJ.

Ho held a gambling monopoly in Macau until February 2002, when the Macau government liberalised the gaming market and granted three concession to Ho's Sociedade de Jogos de Macau (SJM), Galaxy Casino, S.A. and Wynn Resorts (Macao) S.A.

In December 2002, the SAR government had made an alteration on the Galaxy's Concession Contract to allow the company to have a sub-concession relationship with the Venetian Macao S.A.

Following the issuance of the first sub-concession, SJM and Wynn Resorts Ltd. also signed a sub-concessions with MGM Grand Paradise, S.A. and Melco PBL Jogos (Macau), S.A. (now known as Melco Crown Entertainment) the first in April 2005 and the second in September 2006.

Since then, a battle for Asia's high rollers and mass-market business began in earnest among Ho and the U.S. operators, including Sands, Wynn, and MGM Mirage, which have all built large properties in Macau.

"If Mr. Ho is trying to stir up nationalist feelings to help steer business from his rivals, it is unclear how much support, if any, he has in higher political circles," the newspaper reported.

"While he is a member of a top mainland Chinese political consultative body, it was with Beijing's blessing that the Macau government broke his monopoly on gambling in Macau earlier this decade," the daily continued.

Meanwhile, LVS' action to purchase its own fleet of high-speed ferries – CotaiJet – to shuttle gamblers from Hong Kong to Macau has also challenged Ho's Shun Tak ferry business.

Sands has come under attack for delaying its Venetian Macao expansion on the Cotai Strip which aroused suspicions here that the company was going to concentrate on building Marina Bay Sands in Singapore instead amid the global credit crunch.

The project's suspension has led to the loss of more than 10,000 jobs held by both local and imported construction workers.

Tuesday, 10 March 2009
Macau Daily Times

Public Security Police chief gives no comment on Macau's entry ban

2009-03-09T03:53:00.000-07:00

Public Security Police chief gives no comment on Macau's entry ban

Acting Commissioner of the Public Security Police (PSP) Lei Siu Peng declined to comment yesterday on questions regarding Macau's entry ban on several Hong Kong residents.

Speaking to the media in the special police headquarters' open day at the Border Gate, Lei refused to respond to the questions of whether Macau was operating an immigration blacklist and how the immigration department would react when a group of Hong Kong pan-democracy politicians came to Macau on March 15.

"I've already finished what I wanted to say for today. For other matters, I don't have anything else to say," the acting commissioner said.

Secretary Of Security Cheong Kuoc Va had said earlier that Macau did not keep an immigration blacklist but some Hong Kong residents who had been turned away claimed that the immigration officers told them their names were "on a list."

Hong Kong Secretary for Security Ambrose Lee Siu-kwong has been invited by Hong Kong legislators to visit Macau with them on March 15 for "exchanges."

According to the Hong Kong media, Lee said the chief executives of the two SARs "are already handling the issue of Macau's immigration policy," adding that people should not "complicate the issue, as it will be of no help."

The special police headquarters open day, which displayed police gear to the public and staged performancese by police dogs attracted about 3,000 visitors between 10am to 5pm, according to the PSP.

On the same day, 259 police officers with outstanding performance were awarded certificates of appreciation, and Good Citizen Awards were conferred on 11 locals.

The acting commissioner said the PSP was very concerned about relations between the police force and local residents.

By opening the special police headquarters to the public, Lei said he hoped that the public could see the "friendly side" of the police force. He also urged the public to join hands with police to fight against crime.

Monday, 09 March 2009
Macau Daily Times

Macau donates 17 million patacas to Chinese space program

2009-03-09T03:50:00.000-07:00

Macau donates 17 million patacas to Chinese space program

Macau people donated 14.46 million yuan, or 17.2 million patacas, to the China Space Foundation (CSF) at a ceremony in Beijing yesterday.

The donation came from 49 Macau businessmen and the non-governmental Macao Foundation, said a statement from the CSF after the ceremony.

Of the fund, 2.5 million yuan would go to Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre and 1.5 million to Xichang Satellite Launch Centre, said Hua Lusen, deputy director of the CSF council, in the statement.

A total of 1.85 million yuan was awarded to 14 astronauts, including the six who took part in the country's three manned space missions.

It was the third time that Macau people have given to the country's space program. They made donations in 2003 and 2005 when Shenzhou-5 and Shenzhou-6 manned spacecraft were successfully launched.

China launched Shenzhou-7 in September last year and an astronaut on board made China's first ever spacewalk.

Xu Ze, deputy director of the liaison office of the Central People's government in the Macau Special Administrative Region, expressed gratitude for Macau people's support to China's space industry despite the impact of the global financial turbulence.

Zhai Zhigang, the first Chinese citizen to perform a spacewalk during the Shenzhou 7 mission in 2008, also said that his mission could not be succeeded without the concern and support from Macau, adding that the donation was "encouraging" to all Chinese astronauts.

Monday, 09 March 2009
Macau Daily Times

Lawmaker urges gov't to stand firm on labour policy

2009-03-09T03:47:00.000-07:00

Lawmaker urges gov't to stand firm on labour policy

Lawmaker Au Kam San called on the SAR government to fulfil its commitment to protect locals' employment opportunities, claiming that contractors at the Venetian Macao's suspended land parcels have been recruiting new workers from Hong Kong.

In his official query to the government, Au said he "understands that the Venetian Macao is planning to resume the Parcels 5 and 6 expansion, however the contractor companies have started to stage a major recruitment drive in Hong Kong and do not use tens of thousands of under-employed local construction workers."

In face of the economic downturn, Secretary for Economy and Finance Francis Tam Pak Yuen made an open statement earlier that the government's "primary goal" at the moment was to "protect local people's employment opportunities and business environment."

The suspension of Venetian's Parcel 5 and 6 projects had a "massive impact" on Macau, Au said, adding that the incident showed that such a large-scale construction site had only employed about 800 locals, while some 10,000 were mainly imported from mainland China and Hong Kong.

He said the SAR government's labour policy was a "big mistake," because many local construction workers were unemployed or underemployed for a long time even when the construction industry was in a boom.

The lawmaker urged the government to "be clear in mind and better oversee the labour policy" in the future.

However, the lawmaker questioned the government's determination in achieving the goal, citing the Venetian's recruitment drive in the neighbouring SAR.

"Macau has such a large number of jobless workers, but the contractor and subcontractor companies are still looking for people from outside. Has the government already approved their re-importation of non-local labour?" Au asked.

The lawmaker also blamed the Human Resources Office for its excessive approval of imported labour applications, "even before companies had launched recruitment activities in Macau.”

He asserted that the related procedures were in violation of the principle that holds "foreign labour is only to supplement insufficiency in the local labour force".

The lawmaker once again urged the government to pursue its "primary goal" as it has pledged in order to "show its determination in safeguarding local employment."

Monday, 09 March 2009
Macau Daily Times

Adelson has faith in Macau despite customers spending less

2009-03-09T03:45:00.000-07:00

Adelson has faith in Macau despite customers spending less

Las Vegas Sands Corp (LVS) Chairman Sheldon G. Adelson said he was confident that his gambling business would revive, especially in Macau where Chinese people were "prolific gamers," Newsweek reported.

For a time America's third-richest man, Adelson had rebranded Las Vegas as a family spot and turned Macau into a top gambling destination in Asia with his investments.

But his bet on Asia has forced him to shore up projects with US$1 billion out of his own pocket during the global credit crunch, according to the magazine.

How would he describe this moment in economic history? Adelson said it was "certainly remarkable," but added that everything had a cycle and gambling must come back as "it always does."

"The Chinese in particular are and will be prolific gamers. Not because they are addictive people, but because the concept of luck is such an integral part of their culture," he told Newsweek.

But Adelson admitted that visitors to Macau were spending less money nowadays, although the number of arrivals was on the rise.
"We're running 15 to 20 percent ahead in terms of attendance year-on-year in Macau," he said.

"But in the gaming industry, there are two components – those who gamble a lot, the whales, that could win or lose, on a night or a weekend, millions of dollars. Those people represent 60 to 70 percent of the gross income of a casino," he added.

Adelson also had faith things would get back to the level of 2007, when his business registered a record year for gaming earnings, but he said it would still depend on the Chinese central government as well as Macau's government policies.

"We need to see in Macau, for example, what the attitude of the new government will be; hopefully, restrictions preventing more travel from Guangdong province to Macau will be lifted. We're still planning a new Cotai Strip in Macau," he said.

"China's got a big stimulus package, and they control the country unlike the way we do here in the U.S. Fifty percent of enterprises are still owned by the government in China, so they can turn things around on a dime," he added, having been asked whether people in Guangdong would still have money left to gamble in the SAR in the future.

Meanwhile, the LVS chairman said he had more confidence in China's economic recovery than in America's, claiming Chinese people could get stimulus money flowing and control the economy "a lot faster" than in the States, Newsweek reported.

Monday, 09 March 2009
Macau Daily Times

Associations hope Tobacco Control Act enacted soon

2009-03-09T03:43:00.000-07:00

Associations hope Tobacco Control Act enacted soon

Local Smoke-Quitting and Health Care Association expressed that it hopes the Tobacco Control Act will enter into the Legislative procedure as soon as possible.

Au Ka Fai, the director-general of the association said he hopes the legislation of the Tobacco Control Act can control smoking in public places and also significantly reduce the excuses of people who wanted to quit smoking.

According to the Chinese TDM radio broadcast, Au said the current tobacco tariff has been too low and even if it was increased a tenfold will still be lower than that of the neighbouring cities.

Also he also suggested to take the review on the tobacco tariff every year in a bid to reinforce the tobacco control in the territory.

Secondary school principal Choi Chi U said the age of the smokers was tending to drop and the number of female smokers increased.

Since the according Tobacco Control law has yet to be legislated, what he as a school principal will do is to foster moral education on the school's ground in order to teach students to stay away from smoke addiction.

Meanwhile, he said the school had actively organised various extra-curricular activities to help them develop a mental and physical health.

Whenever the teachers found students getting addicted to smoking, he added the school would contact the students' parents in order to seek pertinent treatment for the students, said the TDM radio report.

Sunday, 08 March 2009
Macau Daily Times

Psychiatrist advise people to face economic downturn optimistically

2009-03-09T03:37:00.000-07:00

Psychiatrist advise people to face economic downturn optimistically

by Anni Lam

Psychiatrist and the director-general of the Macau Whole Person Education Promotion Association, Wong Chung Kwong, yesterday held a talk to teach locals how to fight against depression in the seemingly economic recession and to develop a positive mental health.
At the sideline of the talk, the psychiatrist told reporters that there were an increase in the number of people who got mental-related ailments under the influence of the current economic downturn.

As such, the symptoms of psychopathic illness are sprawling in the territory as people are having difficulties in controlling their emotions and keeping their mental health.

According to him, he found there were at a minimum of one-fourths of urbanites getting various degree of mental illnesses, and almost a half of the urbanites were having semi-psychopathic sicknesses.

Wong therefore encouraged people to develop a social circle to fight against depression and also to positively and actively face the hardship.

He said the prevention of the mental illness was to first develop psychological health in order to boost the self-assurance.

The talk was held at the Macau Cultural Centre and Wong had previously staged talks in some local schools to teach students developing their self-confident.

He said the number of people who took his self-confident boosting courses had increased 500 more after the occurrence of economic downturn and massive layoff.

Sunday, 08 March 2009
Macau Daily Times

Lawmaker urges gov't to keep an eye on employment

2009-03-09T03:35:00.000-07:00

Lawmaker urges gov't to keep an eye on employment

Pro-Democratic lawmaker Antonio Ng Kuok Cheong handed a written interpellation urging the government to keep a closer eye on the resumption of large-scale construction sites which had been previously suspended due to the financial shortage in order to protect local employment.

In his interpelltion, the lawmaker questioned the government on whether the principle of not increasing sanctions on imported labourers in the construction sector and actively promoting the local employment to be taken.

Meanwhile, he encouraged the Human Resources Office (GRH) and Labour Affairs Bureau (DSAL) to take substantial actions such as organising recruitment fairs for the large-scale construction sites which previously shortly suspended to assist locals to locate jobs.

His interpellation said that in October 2008 the SAR government pleaded to not sanction more labourers importing applications of the manufacturing industry and also to promote the local employment in the 2009 Policy Address. However, the according measures has been taken slowly and for which the local has to suffer for the deteriorating employment situation.

He recounted the local workers' words saying that some suspended construction sites had seen the act of recruiting non-local workers from the neighbouring cities as for the construction sites' resumption.

According to his interpellation, local workers also said the labour bureau's job haunting assistance was vain and the construction sites' recruitment fair had no mean to hire the locals.

Thus, he said he hopes the government, the Human Resources Office and the Labour Affairs Bureau to intervene in the matter in order to assist local construction workers to secure jobs.

Sunday, 08 March 2009
Macau Daily Times

Entry bans shockwaves to continue

2009-03-09T03:33:00.000-07:00

Entry bans shockwaves to continue

by Robert Carroll*

The furore over entry bans of Hong Kong citizens to Macau has ramifications for Taiwan Hong Kong and Macau's international status, moreover the central government's involvement in the matter indicates more than concern according to a leading Hong Kong political analyst contacted by Macau Daily Times.

Professor Michael DeGolyer said he believes that "while Macau wanted to do everything to avoid any trouble during the National People's Congress it was, though well intentioned, a misguided move. This has backfired badly."

He added that the issue will "undoubtedly" fuel anti-reunification sentiment in Taiwan "that's why the central government is getting into this," and that the backlash in Hong Kong will increase resistance to Article 23, anti treason and sedition laws recently passed in Macau but pending in the neighbouring territory.

"What is happening is that the Macau actions are affecting any chances of Article 23 laws going through in Hong Kong. Certainly if this is how the [Macau] bureaucracy is interpreting and applying them, then HKers [Hong Kongers] will be even more unwilling to accept such laws."

The entry refusals reverberated throughout the week in Hong Kong and Beijing. Hong Kong's legislature showed rare unity over sensitive issues to criticise the travel bans, the Chief Executives of both SAR's have felt obliged to respond publicly and the central government waded in.

Hong Kong leader Donald Tsang raised the matter on thursday in Beijing with Edmund Ho who sought to reassure the neighbouring territory that Macau has high regard for relations between the two SAR's. On Friday the central government got directly involved via the head of its Liason office in Hong Kong.

DeGolyer, a professor of Government & International Studies at the Hong Kong Baptist University is convinced that it is not only the liason office and Donald Tsang who have stepped into the affair, that there are more influential voices "with mainland contacts" in Hong Kong "sounding the alarm." and that Macau could be boycotted by some Hong Kongers in retaliation.

The veteran Hong Kong and Greater China commentator affairs also believes that Macau's international status as an SAR could be at stake unless there is softening of stance over entry practices, posing the question of what would happen if "Americans lead a move to suspend Macau's treatment as an SAR with differences from the mainland.

In conclusion DeGolyer added a further warning: "Overall, I expect central authorities will get pretty angry over this handed behavior [which] will likely trigger very negative reactions in a spreading wave. With many countries already blaming Chinese currency policy and trade policy for some of their economic and job losses [which appear to be accelerating], this will not help the Chinese case in trying to avoid economic constrictions enacted as human rights initiatives rather than economic retaliation."

The recent turning back from Macau of Hong Kong citizens perceived to be a threat follows a number other cases of Hong Kong legislators activists and scholars being refused entry by immigration police.

* Hong Kong Correspondent

Sunday, 08 March 2009
Macau Daily Times

Chinese physician hopeful to run CE-election

2009-03-09T03:31:00.000-07:00

Chinese physician hopeful to run CE-election

by Anni Lam

Lei Kuong Un, a Chinese physician yesterday announced that he was going to run for the third term of the Chief Executive Election, saying that it was his third try to run for the election.

Yesterday Lei held a press conference in his clinic near Iao Hon district telling reporters his previous two tries were all blown because of not getting enough nominations for the election eligibility.

He said his run of the first term of the CE election was turned down by the Administrative authority because he had been living in Macau for less than 20 years, the minimum CE elected requirement in the Macau Basic Law.

And the second run for the second term of the CE election was turned down due to not having adequate nominations to be a candidate for the election.

The candidate-hopeful told reporters that he had worked as a medical assistance at the Health Bureau for more than a decade, and reiterated that “once the Beijing leadership sanctioned him to run for the election, he definitely will go for it.”

However, he confessed that “no notification has been received so far.”

In the press conference, Lei expressed that he had confident to secure the CE's seat and believed he could settle the jobs well.

Asked whether he was confident to get adequate nominations for this run, he answered “I have confident to get a prominent number of nominations this time.”

Lei was born in May 1949, an is originally from Guangdong Taishan.

Sunday, 08 March 2009
Macau Daily Times

Bacteria tainted Allopurinol batches recalled

2009-03-09T03:29:00.000-07:00

Bacteria tainted Allopurinol batches recalled

The Health Bureau (SS) urged all local medicine importers and exporters to recall all batches of Allopurinol made by Hong Kong drug maker, Europharm Laboratories, after five patients in Hong Kong died from the bacteria-tainted drugs, according to information released yesterday.

Hong Kong's Department of Health has urged patients not to take Allopurinol produced by Europharm Laboratories due to its "suspected fungal contamination which may cause mucormycosis infection", according to a press statement released Friday by the HK department.

The drug is used primarily to treat hyperuricemia, which is an excess of uric acid in blood plasma, known commonly as gout. Leukaemia patients undergoing chemotherapy also use the drug.

Although the four batches of tainted Allopurinol were not permitted to be imported into Macau, for safety reasons, medicine importers and exporters were required to recall all batches of the drugs, according to the announcement from the SS.

The Health Bureau also called upon all pharmacies, medical institutions and private clinics not to provide the above-mentioned drugs to the patients while residents should stop taking them and look for replacement by consulting their doctors.

The HK health authorities have found a level of the bacteria mucormycosis 100 times the standard allowed in the Europharm- produced Allopurinol, which some 40,000 HK patients have been given and some of them have low immunity due to leukemia, according to a report by Hong Kong English daily, South China Morning Post.

The tainted-pill was exposed after five of the six patients who were infected by the fungal bacteria at HK's Queen Mary Hospital died in recent months. Tests subsequently found that they were suffering from intestinal mucormycosis, and the disease is caused by spores from a group of fungi called murorales.

Europharm, which sells 41 types of drugs, has been making Allopurinol for 21 years. The contamination might have been caused by the manufacturer's poor quality management in the production process.

The SSM said in the announcement that it will sample and lab- test other Europharm-produced drugs that were being sold in Macau and will release the results of the tests to the public.

Sunday, 08 March 2009
Macau Daily Times

Gov't assures non-local workers import under control

2009-03-04T05:26:00.002-08:00

The government initiated measures to control the number of non-resident workers in October last year, including in the construction sector, to ensure local workers would benefit from employment opportunities, Wong Chi Hong, co-ordinator of the Human Resources Office (GRH), said in response to a written interpellation by lawmaker Au Kam San.

Regarding the conflict between construction companies and non-local construction workers mentioned in the interpellation, Hong confirmed that the workers were employed by three companies that paid these workers lower wages than that stipulated. However, after the Labour Affairs Bureau (DSAL) intervened, the workers received the correct wages.

In addition, the GRH immediately cancelled 10 foreign workers quotas in one of the companies and reduced to 50 per cent the quotas of the other two, he added.

The director of the Labour Affairs Bureau (DSAL), Shuen Ka Hung, in turn, said that the Bureau provides mechanisms to support unemployed and increase employment rates, in response to a written interpellation by lawmaker Kwan Tsui Hang.

Last year, DSAL provided special support to 103 people registered but still unemployed.

Shuen Ka Hung stressed that “the DSAL and GRH always act in close co-operation and never completely independent.”

Wednesday, 04 March 2009
Macau Daily Times

32 companies bid for Taipa underground park construction

2009-03-04T05:26:00.001-08:00

Thirty-two companies have bid for the construction of the underground parking space in Taipa, which is set to be called “Central Park.”

In order to match up with the new town's continuous development by increasing the number of parking spaces as well as recreational areas, the Land, Public Works and Transport Bureau (DSSOPT) is going to construct a two-storey underground car park, above which will be a garden called “Central Park.”

According a statement from DSSOPT, the bureau received 34 tenders from 32 companies.

The tender for the “Construction Project for the Park and Underground Carpark at Rua Seng Tou” opened on February 27.

Within the 34 tenders, the suggested construction cost ranges between 4.4 million and 6.1 million patacas and construction is expected to last between 600 and 900 days. Among the 32 companies, only 19 were allowed to join the bid, 10 were qualified but need to hand-in supplementary documents and three were disqualified.

The government said it will strive to begin the Taipa Central Park construction by the second quarter of this year, and the project will provide around 350 job opportunities,such as land surveyors, engineers and plasterers.

The DSSPOT published a research and directed an in-depth proposal to meet locals' needs. The plan is based on residents concerns and will include plenty of trees and other facilities in order to create a green and welcoming environment.

The work comprises the construction of an artificial lake that will serve as a swimming pool in the summer, but which will become a scenic lake during non-swimming seasons and other facilities include a jogging route, a sheltered recreation area, gym area, a pet area and a children recreation area to meet the needs of Macau's rising population.

The reading room in the previously planned project will be replaced by a library with a large area, where environmentally friendly solutions will be adopted in order to provide better natural lighting, with a construction area of 2,200 square meters. There will be different library areas such as adult and children reading zone, adult and children books storing zone, magazine room, multi-media and multifunction rooms.

Since the two-storey parking lot is expected to occupy all of the garden's underground, locals can expect up to 1,300 parking spaces for cars and 1,500 for motorbikes and parking spaces for disabled people is also included in the project.

In line with the government's aim to make Macau a barrier-free territory, the parking space will also be equipped with lifts.

Wednesday, 04 March 2009
Macau Daily Times

Macau Property secures project finance

2009-03-04T05:25:00.000-08:00

Macau Property Opportunities (MPO) raised around 105 million pounds when it joined the Alternative Investment Market (Aim) in 2006, UK's Investors Chronicle reported yesterday.

According to the report, that money has purchased interests in four major residential property schemes in Macau and, more recently, a logistics centre across the border in China.

Macau property prices had been rising steadily, but that came to an end during the last six months of 2008. In that period, MPO's net asset value fell from 1.63 US dollars to 1.48 US dollars, although, thanks to a weak pound, it rose from 81.5 pence to 101.9 pence in sterling terms.

And while three out of four residential property developments reported a dollar NAV decline of less than 11 per cent, the value of the One Central project on the Macau peninsula tumbled 30 per cent. That fall reflects a pattern of distressed selling seen elsewhere in the Hong Kong market, the report added.

One Central is MPO's most important development and is comprised of 59 apartments in a tower block with another 25 individual flats. Fitting-out work is due to be completed by the end of 2009 and MPO has secured a 83 million US dollars three-year bank finance deal from a consortium led by HSBC. When it's completed, One Central may be the only new 'premium luxury' residential space available because rival developers have mothballed schemes.

At the end of this year, MPO expects a loan-to-value ratio of under a third. If the One Central flats sell reasonably well, it should also be in pole position to undertake other development work in Macau and further afield, the report added.

Wednesday, 04 March 2009
Macau Daily Times

Jazz extravaganza night in CCM with Mingus Big Band

2009-03-04T05:24:00.002-08:00

The Mingus Big Band on Monday evening filled the Macau Cultural Centre's (CCM) Grand Auditorium with invigorating jazz extravaganza and was acclaimed by the audience for their performance of the legendary bass player and composer tunes.

The jazzier rhythmic and humour of the late Charles Mingus lyrics enveloped the jazz lovers and surprised the mere curious ones. Lauded as “the best jazz orchestra in the world” by the Washington Post, the Mingus Big Band performed for the first time at CCM, being a highlight programme for its 10th anniversary celebrations.

The Mingus Big Band is a very well known New York institution and six-Grammy nominated artist, which held residencies in some of the best jazz clubs in the United States, and toured extensively abroad to Malaysia, Japan and Hong Kong.

In last night concert, they played old and new arrangements creating a spirited blend of the lush harmonies and boisterous blues sections, interwoven ensemble passages and sudden tempo shifts and showed brawling, muscular, hard-swinging, bluesy way Mingus loved to play in an authentic homage concert to the most important jazz figures in 20th century American music.

Charles Mingus was a virtuoso bass player, accomplished pianist, bandleader and composer. Born in Arizona in 1922, the American, with Asian influences, studied double bass and composition in a formal way, while absorbing vernacular music from the great jazz masters in the likes of Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington. He died in 1979 from a nervous disease and left more than 300 masterpieces.

The next CCM’s music program will be the world music fusion “Divine Shadows”, on March 28, at 8pm, performed by Dhafer Youssef, a Tunisian that plays oud and sings, bringing his new jazz band from Europe.

Wednesday, 04 March 2009
Macau Daily Times

Macau, Sichuan sign 10 reconstruction agreements

2009-03-04T05:24:00.001-08:00

The chairman of the Supporting Committee for Reconstruction Works in Sichuan and Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Chui Sai On, arrived yesterday in Chengdu in Sichuan Province to sign ten infrastructure building projects in Guangyuan city, in the Li Zhou district and to attend a sports co-operation reunion.

The 10 building projects, budgeted at 697 million yuan, will include the reconstruction of the Xiwan Water Station, two towns and three highways, two water dams, the Jialingjiang Bridge and a Waste Water Treatment plant.

The agreement was signed in Sichuan's capital Chengdu by Chui Sai On, the Macau Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, and Ma Hua, the mayor of Guangyuan city.

The 8.0-magnitude quake centred in Sichuan's Wenchuan County, which took place on May 12 last year, left more than 69,000 people dead, 374,000 injured, 18,000 missing and millions homeless, according to official statistics.

The SAR government has already signed a general agreement with the Sichuan provincial government, under which Macau will finance the reconstruction projects in the quake-stricken province located in south western China.

According to the agreement, Macau will fund as much as 5.5 billion patacas to rebuild projects in some Sichuan counties.

The SAR government already initiated the financing of seven reconstruction projects in Guanyuan last year, and with the agreement signed to finance another 10 projects, a total of 17 Macau-financed rebuilding projects in Guangyuan has been launched so far, according to an official statement.

After completing the financial arrangement of the 17 projects, the SAR government said it will continue to assess another 19 rebuilding projects mainly for education and sports facilities.

In addition, the heads of the Macau and Sichuan sports development boards yesterday exchanged views on strengthening co-operation.

Wednesday, 04 March 2009
Macau Daily Times

Last 3G license up for tender, will SmarTone stand a chance?

2009-03-04T05:20:00.001-08:00

This will be the last chance for SmarTone, if the company wishes to continue its telecom business in Macau after mid 2016 when its 2G license expires, as the SAR's last 3G license is going to be put up for tender in May this year.

CTM, Hutchison and China Telecom (previously known as China Unicom) were the local operators which won the open tender in 2006 for three of the four third-generation (3G) telecom network licenses the SAR government first issued.

While SmarTone and Kong Seng Paging lost the bid, the former's second-generation (2G) license was supposed to expire on July 8, 2010, but early this year the government extended the date by six years to 2016.

At the same time, CTM and Hutchison's 2G licenses have been renewed for two years until July 8, 2012.

According to the government's timetable, existing 3G operators' 2G licenses must have to be ceased in 2012 at the latest, in order to allow the 2G telecom network to gradually exit the Macau market.

As for SmarTone which does not own a 3G license, its current license cannot be renewed again after it expires in mid 2016.

The No. 10/2009 Administrative Order gazetted on Monday approved the open tender for Macau's fourth and the last 3G public land mobile telecom network and related services license.

The SAR government is allowed to issue the last 3G operating license within two years, or before June 5 this year, after granting the first batch of the same licenses to CTM, Hutchison and China Telecom in 2007.

Currently, the 2G telecom network in Macau is based on three Global System for Mobile (GSM) communications standards and one Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA2000 1x) standard.

Meanwhile, the 3G telecom network adopts two Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) standards and one CDMA2000 1x EV-DO standard.

Deputy director of the Telecommunications Regulation Bureau (DSRT), Hoi Chi Leong, said in the press conference yesterday that the launch of the last 3G license was prompted by the increasing prevalence of the mobile service in Macau.

Hoi said there were about 230,000 mobile phone owners using the 3G service by the end of last year, representing a market share of 25 percent.

The number of 3G users also showed a penetration rate of more than 40 percent, based on the about half a million population in Macau, he added.

As well, in face of the new 10,000 customers signing up for the 3G service every month, the DSRT deputy director told the media the government believed "the local telecom industry has room for the fourth license."

Hoi also said that the move would bring in "positive competition" to the market which could possibly lead to a reduction in service charges.

According to the No. 10/2009 Administrative Order, existing 3G license holders are prohibited from putting in a bid to the tender, in which the first procedure to unseal proposals will be held at the DSRT office at 3pm on May 4.

If a local 2G service operator won the bid and acquired the 3G license, the administrative order states that the company's 2G license would need to come to an end on July 8, 2012 "in order to ensure a healthy development of the mobile telecom market."

The open tender, which also accepts proposals from outside Macau, will look at criteria such as bidders' experience, financial status, technological capabilities, service charges as well as service commitments.

The DSRT deputy director said at least two companies from mainland China and Hong Kong had expressed interest in participating in Macau's mobile telecom market, but he was not certain whether or not they would put it proposals at last.

However, he asserted that there was no necessity to issue the last 3G license, adding even if there was only one candidate for the tender, it would still need to meet all requirements in order to be granted the license.

The license will be issued for a validity period of eight years and can be renewed for no more than eight years subject to the market conditions.

The new 3G operator will be obligated to provide relevant telecom service within a year after the license is issued and finish construction of a comprehensive network system that covers the entire territory of Macau within 15 months after the service starts to be provided.

The deadline for handing in a tender proposal to the DSRT is at 5pm on April 30, 2009.

Wednesday, 04 March 2009
by Natalie Leung
Macau Daily Times

Bus drivers' hours soon upgraded

2009-03-04T05:19:00.000-08:00

Bus drivers' working hours will soon be upgraded, as well as have their salaries adjusted, Wong Wan director of the Traffic Affairs Bureau (DSAT) said.

In a response to an interpellation by lawmaker Kwan Tsui Hang, Wong Wan said that the two public transport concessionaires' contracts with the government state to “promise” a tariff adjustment, as well as adjustments in salaries and workers' benefits.

“The [government's] ongoing preparatory work is for this purpose,” Wong Wan said, adding that he believes these measures will be announced soon. Once this is done, bus drivers are expected to have their working schedule upgraded and adjusted, while at the same time the companies are expected to present a new new career adjustments for its employees.

“The government will closely monitor and supervise the implementation of [bus companies] projects for the adjustment of salaries and employees' benefits,” Wong Wan added.

Meanwhile and also in response to an interpellation by the lawmaker, Shuen Ka Hung, director of the Labour Affairs Bureau (DSAL) said that since January this year, the government has been organising seminars, information sessions and training courses on the “operation rules” of the new Labour Law, which has been in effect since the beginning of the year.

“And for the implementation of such laws and standards, the DSAL is preparing guidelines for working staff in order to help front-line workers overcome practical difficulties in terms of law enforcement as well as to increase services' transparency,” Shuen Ka Hung.

Wednesday, 04 March 2009
Macau Daily Times

Collective influenza reported in one school

2009-03-04T05:18:00.002-08:00

A new cases of collective influenza infection was reported, according to information released yesterday by the Health Bureau's Disease Prevention and Control Centre (CDC).

The collective infection occurred yesterday, in Moradores de Macau School, located in Avenida da Longevidade, leaving five students sick, mainly with symptoms of respiratory tract infection, including fever and cough. However, the students' condition is not reported to be “severe.”

The Disease Prevention and Control Centre conducted a collection of respiratory tract samples from students for examination and are now waiting for the results.

The CDC urged kindergartens and schools to proceed with cleaning, disinfection and air ventilation maintenance within the school premises in order to control the infection.

Wednesday, 04 March 2009
Macau Daily Times

New Chinese language courses at IIUM

2009-03-04T05:18:00.001-08:00

The Centre for Language and Professional Development (CLPD) of the Inter-University Institute (IIUM) will offer three levels of Chinese Language for Foreigners, Elementary Level I, Elementary Level II as well as Intermediate Level I that will start on March 9, was announced in a press conference held Monday by IIUM.

With a duration of 45 hours each, the Elementary I and II courses provide an intensive introduction to modern spoken and written Chinese.

Students will acquire skills in speaking, listening, writing, comprehension, grammar and the calligraphic art and some important traditional Chinese festivals will also be introduced.

At the end of the course, students are expected to understand the basic concept of Putonghua, and be able to apply the knowledge and interactive communication skills to discuss the various occasions and situations.

The Intermediate I course reinforces and consolidates the grammatical concepts presented in elementary level with specific notions such as personal identification, shopping, life in school, among others.

By taking this course, students will build new vocabulary, learn more advanced grammar concepts, increase their reading comprehension skills and develop their knowledge of some essential parts of speech. At this stage, students are expected to express themselves and communicate with others with more confidence.

Meanwhile, CLPD is introducing two new English language courses, the “Effective English Conversation Skills” and “Train the Trainer” with both courses taking place on Saturdays and eight weeks long.

While, “Effective English Conversation Skills” aims at improving the participants fluency in spoken English by focusing on pronunciation as well as common grammatical errors, “Train the Trainer” is an interactive course for any language teacher who wants to learn, develop or simply refresh their teaching methodologies.

Participants will learn how to set up the right learning environment, how people learn, how to increase participation and a variety of powerful teaching methodologies.

This course includes teaching methodologies that are offered in a Diploma of Education and Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE).
The Center for Language and Professional Development was created to serve the developing educational and training needs of the students registered at IIUM as well as the people of Macau.

“In all our courses and programs, students are challenged to actively participate in a wide variety of reality-based situations that the can them use in real life situations. Active and participative approaches to learning and teaching are adopted to maximize student involvement,” said Professor Cristina Água-Mel, the center’s co-ordinator.

Applications deadline for all CLPD courses were extended until this Friday, March 6th.

Wednesday, 04 March 2009
Macau Daily Times

Hong Kong Legislative Council to debate Macau's entries denials today

2009-03-04T05:17:00.002-08:00

Two democratic advocates from Hong Kong, Frederick Fung Kin-kee and Bruce Liu Sung-lee, were barred from entering into Macau for the second time yesterday afternoon.

Yesterday was the day when the National Security Law came into effect in Macau.

As proposed by Hong Kong lawmaker and member of the Democratic Party, Albert Ho Chun-yan, the 11am meeting at the Legislative Council (LegCo) today will at the end hold a debate on the issue of Macau having denied entries of Hong Kongers.

"That this Council do now adjourn for the purpose of debating the following issue: The situation faced by Hong Kong people [including Legislative Council Members, District Council members, members of political parties, people from non-government organizations and journalists] for being persistently refused entry by the Macao Government," the agenda on the LegCo homepage reads.

The debate will be attended by Secretary for Security, Ambrose Lee Siu-kwong.

Fung, a lawmaker and member of the Hong Kong Association for Democracy and People's Livelihood (HKADPL), and Liu, a District Council member and chairman of the HKADPL, were first denied entries into Macau early last month.

As the National Security Law was in force yesterday, Fung said he and Liu made their way to Macau in order to "try whether they could pass the customs", the Hong Kong media reported.

However, they were barred from entries on the ground of Macau's internal security law, Fung said.

According to the Hong Kong lawmaker, the immigration officers said their names were shown on the computer and did not make any further inquiries before turning them away.

He said he suspected that it was in relation to their joint declaration earlier to oppose the enactment of Article 23 in Macau, according to the Hong Kong media.

Fung also said that he will write to Macau Chief Executive Edmund Ho Hau Wah to request for a justification and also to Hong Kong Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen in a hope that he would "discuss the matter" with the Macau side.

On the other hand, Johannes Chan M.M., the Dean of the Law Faculty of the University of Hong Kong, was also reported to have been turned away last Friday when preparing to attend a legal seminar in Macau.

The seminar was cancelled lastly due to Chan's absence, the Hong Kong media reported.

Chan said his trip to Macau was called off after "an immigration officer saw my name on a list".

Wednesday, 04 March 2009
by Natalie Leung
Macau Daily Times

Gov't initiates first phase of chief executive election

2009-03-04T05:17:00.001-08:00

Candidacy registration for the Chief Executive Election Committee started yesterday, with this being the preliminary phase of the upcoming Chief Executive (CE) election.

The deadline for the registration of the CE election committee candidacy ends on March 17.

In addition, only local residents who have registered as voters and are listed on the voter polls are qualified to be nominated as candidates, according to a statement released yesterday by the Public Administration and Civil Service Bureau (SAFP).

Under the SAR's relevant laws, the third chief executive will be elected by a 300-member election committee, which will take place later this year.

The election for the CE election committee members is scheduled to be held on April 26, according to SAFP.

Among the 300 committee members, 254 will be elected by representatives of the respective socio-economic sectors, such as manufacturing, commerce, finance, culture, education, professions, labour and social services, and the remaining 34 will be picked from local eminent political, business and religious figures.

It is also prescribed by the law that a candidate for the committee must be nominated by at least 20 percent of the legal registered voters, mainly local civil groups and organisations, in his or her socio-economic sector. A total of 621 legal voters have appointed their representatives for the nomination until yesterday, according to SAFP.

SAFP also said that a growth of 23.21 percent had been recorded in the number of legal persons that intend to exercise their nomination rights, compared with that of 2004 when the election of the second chief executive was held.

Wednesday, 04 March 2009
Macau Daily Times

Gov't supports councils' work on community services

2009-03-04T05:16:00.000-08:00

The government provides sufficient resources for the three Consultative Councils for Community Services to effectively develop their work, including studies on residents daily lives and community issues, thus building a consultation network, Chief Executive Edmund Ho Hau Wah said yesterday in a session with members of the North, Central and Islands Consultative Councils for Community Services.

The Chief Executive also encouraged the councils to develop their work with an open mind, benefiting from the partnership between the government and civil associations, to understand community issues and provide residents with better services.

The co-ordinator for the Consultative Councils, Cheung So Mui, said the councils are a new platform for citizens to express their views and added that the collaboration between the councils, public services and the community, will be a “real communication bridge” between the government and residents.

Alslo at the session were the secretary for Administration and Justice, Florinda da Rosa Silva Chan, the head of the Office of the Secretary for Administration and Justice, Cheong Choi Ling, the president of the Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau (IACM), Tam Vai Man, the vice-president of IACM and the co-ordinator of the three Consultive Councils for Community Services, Cheung So Mui.

Wednesday, 04 March 2009
Macau Daily Times

Consortium to design mega bridge chosen

2009-03-04T05:15:00.000-08:00

A consortium of three mainland and two foreign companies has been chosen to design the HK$82 billion Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, with work scheduled to begin in December, the Hong Kong Standard reported yesterday.

According to the report, CCCC Highway Consultants, a subsidiary of the Hong Kong-listed China Communications Construction; CCCC First Harbor Engineering; the Shanghai Tunnel Engineering and Rail Transit Design and Research Institute; Britain's Ove Arup and Partners Hong Kong; and Danish company Cowi bid HK$200 million to win the project.

A source told The Standard government officials from Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau met in Zhuhai last week to vet the three bids before selecting the consortium. Tenders were called last December.

Construction will officially commence on or about December 20 - the 10th anniversary of Macau's handover - though the source said reclamation work in seas off Macau and Guangdong may begin as early as July. The project's completion date is set for 2015, the report added.

The bridge design will include the route and relevant facilities along the route, the main bridges, the tunnels, the man-made islands, transport engineering, landscape and environmental protection facilities.

Officials at last week's meeting also confirmed the overall construction cost of 72.6 billion yuan, which is much higher than the original estimate of 40 billion yuan.

The majority of the payment will be met by a syndicated loan up to 56.9 billion yuan offered by the Bank of China, China Construction Bank, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China and the China Development Bank.

The Hong Kong government will contribute about 6.75 billion yuan, the Beijing government 5 billion yuan, Guangdong 2 billion yuan and Macau 2 billion yuan.

The 29.6-kilometer bridge is expected to run from San Shek Wan on Lantau Island to Gongbei in Zhuhai and A Perola in Macau.

The connecting roads in Hong Kong are about 12.6km while those in the mainland will be 13.9km, according to the government.

The construction and related works are expected to create 18,000 jobs for Hong Kong residents, according to government estimates.

Travel times between Hong Kong and Macau and Zhuhai will be cut substantially.

Wednesday, 04 March 2009
Macau Daily Times

Shanghai Expo tickets on sale

2009-03-02T06:41:00.000-08:00

The Shanghai Expo Organising Committee (SEOC) announced that the entrance tickets for the expo is now on sale, with China Travel Service (Macau) Ltd.and Nova Sintra travel agency as the ticket agents for next year's expo.

The Committee yesterday signed the co-operative agreement in regard of the first batch of entrance tickets which will be sold both domestically and overseas with the according regions' representatives.

The content of the agreement confirms that the two travel agencies are designated as the Macau agents entrusted to sell the Shanghai Expo tickets in the territory.

According to a statement from the SEOC, the 2010 Shanghai entrance tickets are divided into nine categorises, and among which there are single and group tickets as well as regular and concessionary tickets. Regular tickets for weekdays is costs 160 yuan each.

The entrance tickets will be sold in three phrases – the first is mainly for group tickets, while single tickets will be on sale from July 1.

After the opening of the Shanghai Expo in May 2010, the public can also purchase tickets at on-the-site ticket counters or self-help ticket vending machines which will be set up inside the Expo.

Macau Daily Times
Monday, 02 March 2009

Macau's printmaking works to be shown in Beijing

2009-03-02T06:40:00.002-08:00

A printmaking exhibition by six artists, who have different kinds of connections with Macau, will open tomorrow at the local art troupe Art For All's (AFA) contemporary art base in Beijing.

According to a statement released yesterday, the launch of the "Awakening - Beijing Macau Printmaking Exhibition" by the AFA Beijing Contemporary Art Centre has a "twofold meaning."

"The dormant art market is once again ‘awakened’ by outstanding art works since the outbreak of the global financial crisis at the end of last year , and it [the exhibition] also represents the opening of a new chapter of communication between printmaking artists from the two places," it read.

Jiang Miao, Yang Hongwei, Li Xin and Xu Xiangdong from the mainland, as well as James Wong and James Chu from Macau, are the six artists who will showcase their 20 recent printmaking works at the art base.

The four Chinese artists used to be instructors for short-term courses of the Printmaking Workshop at the Macao Museum of Art by the invitation from the Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau.

At the same time, James Wong and James Chu, who are also the Printmaking Workshop instructors, are curators for the printmaking education and communication program between Macau and the Chinese capital of Beijing.

"Four years on, printmaking students continue to increase in number and improve their skills with the assistance of the Central Academy of Fine Arts of China," the statement said.

The opening ceremony of the exhibition will be held at 3pm tomorrow at the art centre located in Beijing 318 Art Garden.

The exhibition will run until May 31 from 11am to 6pm daily except Mondays.

The AFA Beijing Contemporary Art Centre was founded to promote artistic exchanges between Beijing and Macau, and also enhance the quality of art works through a variety of exhibitions and activities.

Macau Daily Times
Monday, 02 March 2009

IPIM to support SMEs in 3-day green event

2009-03-02T06:40:00.001-08:00

Hosted by the Macau government, co-ordinated by Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) and Environmental Council of Macao, with the National Development and Reform Commission of the People's Republic of China and the Ministry of Environmental Protection of China as the special support, the Macau green event ‘2009 Macau International Environmental Co-operation Forum and Exhibition’ (2009 MIECF), will be held from April 2 to 4 at the Venetian Macao Resort Hotel.

According to the government information bureau, one of thematic tracks “green business co-operation and finance," it is anticipated that Macau Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) can actively take part in 2009 MIECF and use the event as an opportunity to establish ties and exploit co-operation with overseas environmental delegates during this “Global Green Gathering.” One of the ways is through exhibition, while IPIM is introducing the “SME exhibition incentive scheme” for (SME's), where environmental related enterprises have priority.

Eligible enterprises are entitled to join the exhibition at 2,000 patacas for a nine-square-metre standard exhibit space. Simultaneously, IPIM provides financial incentives for booth decoration, printed and audio-visual materials to exhibitors. Applications will be processed on a first-come-first-served basis.

With the theme “a global green gathering environment-business-connection,” to promote Macau as a co-operation platform for China and international (particularly European) environmental industry. The debut 2008 MIECF, will comprise various theme exhibition areas/pavilions including Macau Pavilion, Pan-PRD Provinces/Regions Pavilion, EU Pavilion, etc. The three-day showcase will feature an exhibition area of over 8,000 square metres with around 180 exhibitors. Internationally renowned cross-national enterprises from France, Germany, England, Finland and Portugal will have their environmental state-of the-art and techniques displayed in multiple theme pavilions, while provinces and cities of mainland China, United States, Canada and Brazil, etc., will also join in the exhibition.

Under the threat of the global financial crisis and economic downturn, 2009 MIECF organisers have reinforced their efforts to support all participating organisations, exhibitors, and business matching sessions, especially with the exhibition incentive scheme for local SMEs to foster co-operation between local enterprises and overseas environmental industry, to foster co-operation and create mutual business opportunities, thus overcoming challenges posed by the economic conditions.

The first two days of 2009 MIECF are open for registration of professional visitors and it will be open to the public on April 4.

Macau Daily Times
Monday, 02 March 2009

Construction homicide suspects taken into custody

2009-03-02T06:39:00.002-08:00

The three suspects who were allegedly involved in a manslaughter at the construction site were taken into custody after the prosecution office completed a preliminary arraignment.

The suspects have been transferred to the Macao Prison in Coloane and police are set to further investigations.

The 28-year-old victim surnamed Cheong was a mainland resident, and working illegally at the construction site when he was stabbed.

On Thursday, the victim got into a brawl with his fellow workmates when cleaning the building's exterior walls after it caused some gravels to fall off onto the ground and hit the three workers who were passing by. The four men were then bickering over the “almost-hit” incident.

During the bickering, the three suspects allegedly stabbed the victim with a screw driver and bamboo sticks.

The victim was sent to the hospital and was pronounced dead shortly after due to the excessive cut on the vein on his neck.

Macau Daily Times
Monday, 02 March 2009

Guia Tunnel to close at midnight for maintenance from Wednesday

2009-03-02T06:39:00.001-08:00

The Guia Tunnel will close from Wednesday to Sunday between 1am and 6am in order to reinstall the two sets of construction platforms which recently knocked down by a high mixer truck.

During the maintenance period, the traffic in Nape and the other surrounding areas of that district will connect to Estrada do Reservatorio and other routes.

The Transport Bureau reiterates that the height limit of the tunnel is restricted to 3.4 metres during the seven-month maintenance period and all kinds of trucks, construction and heavy vehicles are prohibited to drive through the tunnel.

Also only light-vehicle, scooters and buses are allowed to drive through the tunnel until the maintenance work is completed.

The bureau advised drivers to be aware of the traffic alteration and the instruction sign posed near the tunnel.

Macau Daily Times
Monday, 02 March 2009

Cover girl contest calling for contestants

2009-03-02T06:38:00.000-08:00

The organisers of a cover girl competition is calling for local talents who are keen to enter the modelling and entertainment industries to sign up for the event.

The contest is organised by Summit MICE Co. Ltd and Timber Publishing and Cultural Promotion Ltd in conjunction with lifestyle magazine SIGN-in Macau, with the support of several local entities including Creative Macau.

According to a statement, the competition aims to "promote local culture and provide opportunities for local talents in production, modelling, events and styling design."

As a cover girl for a cultural and lifestyle magazine, it says that the champion should posses "inner beauties, along with personality and knowledge about Macau."

Throughout the event, contestants will receive training in different areas from modelling to languages and other knowledge of Macau's cultures.

The organisers said what makes Macau Cover Girl distinguish is that the winner will become "a role model for young people in Macau, promoting various issues that are important to society, such as the knowledge of Macau’s cultural heritage and anti drugs awareness".
In addition, the statement pointed out that the organisers strive to provide a platform for local talents and hopefuls to enter the modelling and entertainment industries, as well as encourage local companies and foreign investors to use local resources and employees.

Macau Daily Times
Monday, 02 March 2009

Companies make excessive profits on petroleum gas sale : lawmaker

2009-03-02T06:37:00.000-08:00

Lawmaker Au Kam San questioned the government for not monitoring the "unjustified" market price of petroleum gas in Macau, despite some oil companies' import cost being 35 percent lower than that of their competitors.

Au said in his interpellation that the government denied earlier in an response that retail pricing for gas commodities, including petroleum gas, was set at the same level across the industry.

From January to September last year, Au said statistics showed 21.9 percent, or more than 6,667,000 kilograms of petroleum gas, were imported from mainland China at a cost of 5.37 patacas per kilogram, a price which was significantly below that from other regions such as Hong Kong.

However, despite the different import costs, the lawmaker said gas commodities had been sold by companies at a "uniform price."
International oil prices had dropped from the peak at 150 US dollars a barrel to about 60 US dollars, whilst gasoline prices had also registered a "significant decrease," Au said, adding that "however petroleum gas for a long term has been staying at 14 patacas per kilogram."

He added that "only under the strong criticism came from the public," petroleum gas price was finally cut by 2.4 patacas to 11.6 patacas in November 2008.

According to the response from Secretary for Administration and Justice Florinda Chan dated January 9, she said more than 80 percent of Macau's oil products were imported from Hong Kong, and hence the market prices in Macau were calculated based on the offshore prices from Singapore to Hong Kong.

However, the lawmaker pointed out that the government statistics indicated although petroleum gas imports from Singapore accounted for 53.2 percent between January and September 2008, at the same time the mainland also made up 21.9 percent, and other countries and regions for 24.9 percent.

He also said that import price from Singapore was at 8.16 patacas per kilogram, whilst that from mainland China was at 5.37 patacas.
Hence, the lawmaker said the retail price of 14 patacas per kilogram of petroleum gas was "clearly profiteering."

"Especially for the agents that import petroleum gas from the mainland, the cost is 35 percent cheaper than that from Singapore, but the selling prices are the same," Au said.

"They [the agents] take advantage of China's preferential policy to Macau in order to import products at a low price, and then seek to sell them to Macau residents at a high price so as to make huge profit," he added.

The lawmaker thus in the interpellation inquired the government as to why it did not consider the import prices from the mainland when "it's obvious that people are making a profit."

He also urged the government to intervene in the market, or otherwise he would question whether the ignorance was an act to "shield the profiteers."

Macau Daily Times
Monday, 02 March 2009

Local citizens march for clean elections

2009-03-02T06:35:00.000-08:00

Around 2,000 people yesterday participated in the clean election march promoted by the Commission Against Corruption (CCAC) together with 42 associations and schools, near the Sai Van Lake.

Due to the participation level the commissioner said it was “naturally satisfied” in what he considers an “important contribution for cleaner elections.”

“Today I'm very satisfied but firstly I would to thank everyone for being here since this is a day to rest, however I think people were really eager to participate,” Cheong U said, adding that he was mostly pleased to pass on the message.

“We are determine to work on prevention and awareness in order to reach all walks of life. With everyone's evolvement we can achieve cleaner elections.”

Fátima de Santos Ferreira, a local, said was very surprised with the number of people at the event. “Since today [yesterday] is Sunday, cold and raining, I wasn't expecting such a the number of participants. This just shows how much Macau wants clean elections.”

The former president of the Legislative Assembly, Anabela Ritchie, was also present. “Many associations participated but individuals also came here just like me making this event also an appeal to cleaner elections,” she said. She also emphasised the important electoral year Macau faces this year, highlighting how important each citizen is by “voting according to their beliefs and not under any kind of influence.”

The election for the Chief Executive is expected to be held in July and that of the Legislative Assembly will follow in September this year.

Macau Daily Times
Monday, 02 March 2009

Caritas receives over 10,000 calls

2009-03-02T06:34:00.000-08:00

More than 10,000 people called Caritas for help last year, a number that according to the Association's secretary general, represents an increase of more than 10 percent compared with 2007. The majority of people asked for help due to emotional problems and difficulties in relationships. For this year Paul Pun Chi Meng, said he believes there will be less 30 to 40 percent of donations which will create problems in Caritas. “It will affect us for sure but we intend to launch the same services without hesitation because when people need help we go and find other channels to meat their needs.”

Paul Pun said he hopes that people are willing to use the government subsidy money that the government promised for this year, given that last year some of the permanent residents' 5,000 patacas and non-permanent residents' 3,000 patacas went towards donations.

The secretary general also said he expects some people give their money to help charities. As for this year's elections, he said he hasn't thought about it due the work being done with locals and those in need.

“I have not yet consider. I have participated in the last two elections but for me, my priorities are to serve the community,” he said.

Caritas de Macau is a social service organisation that aims to provide services to “individuals, families, communities and society, to help them live in a more humane condition economically, morally and spiritually environment.”

Macau Daily Times
Monday, 02 March 2009

National MA program to cultivate administrative personnel

2009-03-02T06:28:00.000-08:00

The first session of the “Master Degree in Public Administrative Region” (MPA) which aims to cultivate the local high-profile administrative personnel in the territory inaugurated yesterday at the Tourism Activities Centre.

The master program was for the first time jointly organised by the China National School of Administration, the Peking University, Public Administration and Civil Service Bureau and Macau Polytechnic Institute.

The program aims to bolster students' analytical capability and problem-solving ability and help students grasp modern technical knowledge in public administration and its according method. The MPA degree will be jointly awarded by the China National School of Administration and the Peking University.

The targeted students for the program are leaderships supervisors in the SAR and senior technicians who are recommended by their departments. National entrance exam and the review test are required to be taken, and the program in the first session will admit 50 students.

Florinda da Rosa Silva Chan, secretary for Administration and Justice said during the opening ceremony that the SAR government is in accordance with the “Public Administrative Reform Roadmap” to promote the administrative reform and the expectation of the government's administrative ability is hoisting, so that the civil servant's administrative ability and service should be in line with society's development.

The SAR government takes serious account on the training of the civil servants in the territory, she said, adding that the purpose of opening the program was to foster the knowledge and the ability of the personnel in order to tackle the needs of the social development and administrative reform.

Also she thanked the Peking University and the China National School of Administration for their support.

In the inauguration ceremony yesterday, apart from the students, there were approximately 120 leaderships and supervisors.

Macau Daily Times
Monday, 02 March 2009

Sciences in Forbidden Places seminar to be held at UM

2009-02-28T17:31:00.000-08:00

The Faculty of Science and Technology (FST) of the University of Macau (UM) will hold a seminar on March 2 with Richard Stone, Asia News Editor of Science Magazine, as the key speaker.

The main subjects to be addressed on the seminar are “Science in Forbidding Places” and “Writing for Science Magazine”, which will be sharing Stone's experience from visiting forbidding places and different challenges he faced, such as his trip to Siberia searching the trace of Mammoth, a nuclear testing area in Kazakhstan, North Korea and Iran.

Stone is living in Beijing and aside from working as the Asia News Editor of Science, he also writes articles for some popular magazines like National Geographic, Discovery and Smithsonian.

His articles are mostly related to Ecology and environmental friendly issues.

Macau Daily Times
Saturday, 28 February 2009

Front-line staffs at casinos to wear tags next month

2009-02-28T17:30:00.000-08:00

The front-line staffers in the six of the concessionary casinos are required to wear name tags in order to distinguish locals from non-locals, starting from March 1.

The Labour Affairs Bureau (DSAL) said in the statement that the government hopes the public to keep supporting and monitoring the scheme.

Anyone with questions related to the identification of the staffers should call the bureau on 283388087 or 28550477.

The staff tag of the six casinos are as following.

Macau Daily Times
Saturday, 28 February 2009

New Portuguese consul general arrives in Macau

2009-02-28T17:29:00.000-08:00

Diplomat Manuel Maria Cansado de Carvalho arrived Thursday to assume his duties as the new consul general of Portugal were he intents to work on the Portuguese heritage in Asia.

“Portugal has been present in Macau for over 400 years, and there is clearly accumulated heritage, present and past, so it is our mission to transport it into the future”, he said minutes after landing in Macau from Singapore.

He also highlighted the work that will be done in the future, which Manuel Cansado de Carvalho is counting on the Portuguese community living in Macau.

“All Portuguese are welcome to face the challenges together with us,” he said.

The diplomat also mentioned the tenth anniversary of the Macau SAR is a year to celebrate with “enthusiasm and will to work.”
“I'm here to work, to listen, to dialogue and to help,” he highlighted.

Manuel Carvalho added its mission includes “the Portuguese presence in Macau and Hong Kong as well” and that he will work for the community with authorities of Macau and Hong Kong as well as from China.

Manuel Maria Camacho Cansado de Carvalho was nominated in December 2008 to replace Pedro Moitinho de Almeida, who remained in Macau for six years and is currently the Portuguese ambassador in Canada .

The new Portuguese consul was previously posted in the permanent representation of the European Union in Brussels.

Macau Daily Times
Saturday, 28 February 2009

IACM to build barrier-free pathway midyear

2009-02-28T17:28:00.000-08:00

by Anni Lam

A barrier-free pedestrian pathway for people with sight disability is set to be built in the Northern district of the Toi San area by mid-year.

After a public conference which is held regularly to allow the public to voice their concerns to the Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau (IACM), the president of Administrative Committee of IACM Tam Vai Man told reporters the bureau has three constructions set forth for this year.

Among the three, one of the constructions is the extension of a barrier-free pedestrian pathway which is now still in the preliminary conceptive stage, Tam said.

He also added that the municipal bureau has visited the relevant community associations in order to get better knowledge of the needs of the sight disabled people.

According to him, the municipal bureau is going to extend the original “pathway for the sight-impaired”, commonly named the “barrier-free pathway,” between Bairro Tamagnini Barbosa and the recreational area at Toi San Peng Man San Chun (Toi San Civilian Public Housing).

The new barrier-free pathway will later have a flyover to intersect Avenida do Coronel Mesquita and Rua do Almirante Costa Cabral, along Avenida do General Castelo Branco and Avenida do Conselheiro Borja to Rua do Dr. Ricardo de Sousa and Toi San Wet Market.

In order to provide convenience to people with visually-impaired, the bureau will also install alerts in the elevators near Bairro Tamagnini Barbosa's flyovers. The pathway for the visually-impaired will also be set between Bairro Tamagnini Barbosa and Rua de Lei Pou Chon.

The pathway in Peng Man San Chun will also be extended to the Border Gates and linked to Rua Marginal do Canal das Hortas in order to co-ordinate the Land, Public Works and Transport Bureau (DSSOPT) 's “guide visually-impaired pathway” construction.

Tam continued to say the municipal bureau was communicating with DSSOPT for further the plan's emulation and construction will be set out after DSSOPT's response.

Also the bureau will pave tiles with convex surface and alerts at the junctions of each of the zebra crossings in order to signal the sight-impaired.

He added that it was a conception to stretch visually-impaired's activity areas and construct a “barrier-free community.”

On the other hand, the municipal bureau will build a flyover near the zebra crossing of the Reservoir's recreational promenade, in order to curb traffic accidents in the nearby area.

Tam said the elevators and alerts for the disabled will be installed as well.

The construction of the flyover will start no later than this year, according to him.

In addition, the third construction is to restructure a construction site at Patio da Perola to the recreational area, Tam said, adding that the tender for the construction will soon be open.

Macau Daily Times
Saturday, 28 February 2009

Portuguese-French consortium heads Light Rail System 1st phase

2009-02-28T17:27:00.000-08:00

The project for the construction of the first phase of the Light Rail System (LRT) was awarded to the Portuguese-French consortium “Stage” from Portugal and "EGIS Rail " and "SETEC its" from France.

The project is expected to last 46 months and will see the consortium invest around 176.2 million patacas, the Transportation Infrastructure Office (GIT).

The GIT will start construction work as soon as the analysis, benchmarking and optimisation set for the light rail system is finished, thus defining the final layout and enabling the initiation of the tendering procedures for the supply system, rolling stock and construction works in the second half of this year.

Since the draft of the first phase of the light rail system covers various technical and professional areas, GIT has a specialised technical team monitoring the implementation of the first phase of the Surface-Running Light Metro.

The GIT said it aims to commence procedure for tenders regarding the purchase of rolling stock in the second half of this year, and then proceed in a phased opening bids for some construction works this year that meet the requirements.

Last week, the Transportation Infrastructure Office sent the award letter and all necessary documentation to the consortium and received yesterday the consortium's response. Both sides will prepare the signing of the contract as soon as possible, it added.

Macau Daily Times
Saturday, 28 February 2009

Imports and exports keep falling

2009-02-28T17:26:00.000-08:00

The value of total merchandise imports and exports continued to decline, announced yesterday the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC).

According to information from DSEC, the value of total exports of goods amounted to774 million patacas in January 2009, down significantly by 56.1 percent year-on-year, with the value of domestic exports decreasing by 65.6 percent to 436 million patacas and that of re-exports dropping by 31.7 percent to 338 million patacas. The value of total imports of goods amounted to 2.86 billion patacas, down by 23.5 percent year-on-year.

The trade deficit for January 2009 was 2.08 billion patacas and the exports-imports ratio decreased from 47.3 percent in January 2008 to 27.1 percent.

Regarding exports destinations, the value of merchandise exported to the United States, European Union, mainland and Hong Kong decreased by 70.7 percent, 68.8 percent, 45.3 percent and 15.9 percent respectively year-on-year.

With reference to principal commodity, the value of textile & garment exports declined by 67.4 percent year-on-year to account for 50.1 percent of the total exports of goods in January 2009. Meanwhile, the value of non-textile exports dropped by 32.8 percent, with exports of machines & apparatus, parts & accessories falling by 60.8 percent. However, exports of Jewellery rose by 9.4 percent.

In addition, the value of imports from mainland and Hong Kong dropped by 44.5 percent and 17.4 percent respectively year-on-year, amounting to 1.13 billion patacas in January 2009.

In terms of broad economic categories, the value of all imports registered year-on-year decreases, of which raw materials & semi-manufactures dropped by 45.1 percent, capital goods fell by 27 percent and consumer goods slid by 15.5 percent.

Macau Daily Times
Saturday, 28 February 2009

IACM verifies smuggle eggs previously sold in mainland

2009-02-28T17:21:00.000-08:00

The Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau (IACM) yesterday verified 30 crates of smuggled eggs which have lately been found at Rua da Alegria were some eggs from the mainland had been sold.

Ng Peng In, committee of the Administrative Commission of IACM told reporters that the store owner admitted at the scene that the eggs had been imported without a valid permission.

Since the store also had stamps which were suspected of having been used to print on the boxes of the “fake” imported eggs, the municipal bureau said it believed the case might involve document forgery and product forgery too.

He added that the bureau has contacted the United States Department of Agriculture in Hong Kong for further investigations.

Ng said the bureau will transfer the incident to the Public Prosecutions Office after completing evidence verification and believed it was a criminal offence.

Meanwhile, the municipal bureau visited the Zhuhai Inspection and Quarantine Bureau in a bid to reinforce food safety, inspection and exchange experiences.

Tam Van Man, the president of Administrative Committee of IACM said the bureau kept a close eye on the “alleged artificial eggs” which happened lately in the territory and had figured out the real reason for the “fake eggs” with the Zhuihai counterparts.

He said the eggs had just undergone the transportation from excessive chill temperature in the place of origin in the mainland to warmer temperatures in the territory and that resulted in the chemical change in the egg yolks.

The municipal bureau will foster the regional co-operation with the Zhuhai counterparts in order reinforce the food safety problem, he added.

Macau Daily Times
Saturday, 28 February 2009

Unemployment rate up by 0.1 pct

2009-02-28T17:20:00.000-08:00

The unemployment rate for the period between November 2008 and January 2009 was 3.4 percent, while underemployment rate was 1.8 percent, both up by 0.1 percentage point over the previous period of October - December 2008, according to the results of the Employment Survey released yesterday by the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC).

Total labour force amounted to 337,000 people in November 2008 - January 2009 period and labour force participation rate held steady at 72.9 percent, same as that in the preceding period.

The employed population was 326,000 people, down by 500 from the previous period, with a decrease in the number of employed in construction, transport, storage&communications, hotels and gaming sectors, while the number of employed in restaurants&similar activities and wholesale&retail registering an increase.

The unemployed population accounted for 11,000 people, an increase of 300 over the previous period. Among the unemployed, 15.4 percent or 1,800 individuals were fresh labour force searching for their first job, down by 1.8 percentage points over the preceding period.

In comparison with November 2007 - January 2008, the unemployment rate rose 0.5 percentage points, and the underemployment rate and the labour force participation rate went up by 0.4 and 0.1 percentage point respectively.

In line with the new "Labour Relations Law", stipulating the minimum age of 16 for entering into an employment contract, DSEC raised the lower age boundary in defining the labour force from 14 to 16 years old. Consequently, the information released is adjusted to the new age boundary.

An analysis of past data series indicated that as the economically active persons aged 14 and 15 is small. Therefore, adjusting the lower age boundary causes only minor changes to the unemployment and the underemployment rates. However, raising the age boundary defining the labour force to 16 years old results in an increment of the labour force participation rate.

Macau Daily Times
Saturday, 28 February 2009

Registration for the Electoral Committee begins Tuesday

2009-02-28T17:19:00.000-08:00

The election preparations as well as the polling procedures and electronic vote counting were addressed yesterday at a Electoral Affairs Committee meeting.

As the registration process of candidates running for members of the Electoral Committee will only begin next Tuesday, the correct number of candidates, from various sectors and sub sectors, is still unknown. Therefore, the Electoral Affairs Committee chose the Tourism Activities Centre, the Polytechnic Institutes's Pavilion and the East Asian Games Pavilion, as possible for voting polls.

The Electoral Affairs Committee requests everyone who hasn't submitted the proper bulletin, to do so as soon as possible, as the last day to exercise the right to vote is March 2.

To facilitate the delivery of the bulletin, the Public Administration and Civil Service Bureau (SAFP), will be open to the public this weekend as well as, the Identification Bureau, located on the 1st floor of China Plaza Building, between 9am and 6pm.

Macau Daily Times
Saturday, 28 February 2009

Dengue fever case detected in Macau

2009-02-28T17:18:00.000-08:00

The Disease Prevention and Control Centre from the Health Bureau detected a case of imported dengue fever, and the department of Health is now calling on locals to take preventive measures.

The patient is a young female Malaysian national, residing in the Northern district, who had been to her home country to visit family. However, began to have fever on the night of February 17, and after her return to Macau, a rash appeared.

On Thursday evening, the laboratory examination conducted by Public Health Laboratory of Health Bureau, confirmed the tests were positive for the disease's anti-body. This is the first case reported.

Currently, the patient is hospitalised at the Conde de São Januário Hospital Centre, were the woman's situation is reportedly stable.
Friends who live with the young woman did not show any signs of symptoms similar to that of dengue fever.

The Department of Health yesterday sent workers to the area where the woman lives to examine and exterminate mosquitoes.

The Health Bureau urged the public to eliminate stagnant water in homes or at work, preventing the proliferation of mosquitoes, apply repellent anti mosquito-when staying outdoors.

When travelling overseas where the risk for the disease is high, locals are urged to wear long-sleeved clothes and stay in air-conditioned areas. When outdoors, one should apply anti-mosquito repellent at all times.

The Health Laboratory is already prepared to provide tests for dengue fever to all medical institutions, free of charge.

Macau Daily Times
Saturday, 28 February 2009

Dead dolphin found near outer harbour

2009-02-28T17:17:00.000-08:00

The body of a dead dolphin was discovered floating at the seashore near the outer harbour, said the police statement.

According to police, the body was seriously decayed and emitting a “stinky” smell when it was found and is believed to have been dead for some time already.

The dolphin was 1.7 metres in length and was entwined in a fishing net.

The Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau has sent staff to manage the body.

Macau Daily Times
Saturday, 28 February 2009

Macau, Guangdong Guangdian power supply co-operation meeting held yesterday

2009-02-28T17:16:00.000-08:00

Aiming at auditing and ensuring stable and reliable power supply in Macau and further enhancing close cooperation, Guangdong Guangdian Power Grid Group CEM Interconnection Liaison Work group (GPG-CEM ILWG) meeting was held yesterday at Starworld Hotel.

This was the second work group meeting this year, where the two parties summarised recent operational issues as well as discussed in detail how to handle potential risks and up-coming projects.

Guangdong Guangdian Power Grid Group delegation was composed of eight members including the vice director of Production and Technology Department Ma Hui, vice director of Safety Supervision Department Wang Zhengyuan, Vice Manager of Operation Planning Department Li Li, and Manager for Metering in Marketing Department Zhang Xinjian.

Representatives from local electricity company, CEM included, among others, Senior Manager of Power and Networks Dispatch Department Benjamin Yue, Unit Head of System Dispatch Support of Power and Networks Dispatch Department Vincent Lam, Customer Services Department Customer Metering Services Manager Lam Ion Chong, and Technical Support Engineer of Network Operations & Maintenance Department River Leng.

Both parties agreed that the meeting reached the expected purpose and achieved fruitful results.

The cooperation between Macau and GPG started in 1984.

Macau Daily Times
Saturday, 28 February 2009

CTM organises sales day

2009-02-28T17:14:00.000-08:00

A large variety of Telecom services and products will be available at CTM's "Sales Day for Teachers and College Students," at CTM Nam Van shop, this weekend.

Especially designed for teachers and college students, the event will offer innovative Telecom services including 15MB mobile broadband service and mobile valued-add free trial services.

The Sales Day will be from 10am to 7:30pm.

Luxury mega sale exceed expectations

The five-day "Asia's First Billion Dollar Brand Sale," has ended successfully last Sunday, February 22. Located at The Venetian's Cotai Expo, the bazaar attracted over 100,000 overseas and local visitors with it's elite brands from The Grand Canal Shops and The Shops at Four Season, with products ranging from designer shoes, handbags, jewellery, luxury luggage, sunglasses and cosmetics. Most participating retailers were satisfied with the extensive clientèle that contributed to the notable business they had.

Alleged rapist waits trial in Prison

The 44-year-old man apprehended this week suspected of having sexually assaulted his now 16 year- old daughter, will wait trial in prison, the Public Prosecutors Office said yesterday.

The suspect, surnamed Chan, will be charged with rape, sexual abuse against children and carnal knowledge of a minor.

This case was exposed after the girl disclosed to a school assistant that she was forced to keep sexual relations with her father since the age of 10.

Macau Daily Times
Saturday, 28 February 2009

Ao Man Long saga continues

2009-02-28T17:11:00.000-08:00

by Irina de Carvalho

The trial for the former secretary for transport and public works Ao Man Long reached its sixth session yesterday. Eight witnesses were present for questioning by the prosecution and defence lawyers about several constructions, namely the Sir Robert Ho Tung School's pavilion and sports' venue, as well as phases I and II of the Macau Stadium, land concession in Penha Hill, City of Dreams and Crown Hotel as well as the construction of 17 houses in the Monte da Guia.

The first witness, a former civil engineer at the Lands, Public Works and Transport Bureau (DSSOPT), Diamantino Torrado, explained the reasons for the additional constructions during the construction of the Sir Robert Ho Tung school pavilion and sports venue.

“Construction was being made in two fronts, one for the school and another for the Macau 4th East Asian Games Organising Committee (MEAGOC) and many changes were required by those users,” he said. When the prosecution directly asked if any company had benefited from a special list provided by the DSSOPT he said in a straight voice “personally I never had knowledge of provisional lists with favoured company names.”

As for the Macau Stadium, engineer Mendes da Costa confirmed that a specialised company was involved in the construction of the metal cover. He also claimed the over budgeted money was caused by deadlines that needed to be meet and also the cover's special parts built by a specific company.

“Keeping the same constructor would guarantee the Games opening ceremony on time and if we changed companies it would probably cost us more with compensations,” he said.

As for the former GDI director Castanheiro Lourenço was excused from yesterday's trial, Lao Oi Ming, previously working at the urbanisation department in DSSOPT, mentioned his name as the superior who ignored property registration for a house in Penha Hill, from Pedro Chiang's company, one of the defendants not yet found to testify in other connected cases.

Macau Daily Times
Saturday, 28 February 2009

Tap Seac Pavilion to hold Astronomy and Environmental-friendly bags workshop

2009-01-08T03:07:00.000-08:00

Tap Seac Pavilion to hold Astronomy and Environmental-friendly bags workshop

To foster and stimulate the astronomic knowledge of the youth, the Education and Youth Affairs Bureau (DSEJ) and Macau Amateur Astronomical Association co-organised an activity entitled “Explore Starry Sky- Astronomy Science Activity” which is expected to be held during the first half of the year.

The activity is divided into four sessions which include astronomy science winter camp, seminars, spring and summer parent-children stargazing and also telescope operation workshop.

The astronomy science winter camp, seminars and telescope operation workshop are targeting to the adolescent aged between 13 to 29 years.

The astronomy science winter camp is organising the participants to exchange astronomic knowledge, make astronomic models, stargaze and observe the sun on January 17 and 18.

The astronomic seminar will be held on February 28 and May 16, respectively.

The spring and summer parent-children stargazing is welcome adolescent aged between 13 to 29 years and their parents together participate in the activity to learn more about astronomic and stargazing knowledge.

And the telescope operation workshop will be held on May 2 at the Hou Kong Secondary School.

In addition, the Tap Seac Pavilion will also organise an “Environmental-friendly Workshop” to cultivate adolescent's creativity and environmental-friendly spirit.

The workshop will teach the tactic of handbag design, dying skills, batik skills and sewing skill, which will be held on February 1 and March 22 respectively.

Thursday, 08 January 2009
Macau Daily Times

University held international symposium on 'Global Developments in Steel Structures'

2009-01-08T03:06:00.000-08:00

University held international symposium on 'Global Developments in Steel Structures'

The “International Symposium on Global Developments in Steel Structures”, jointly organised by the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering of the University of Macau (UM), the Macau Society of Metal Structures, and the Civil Engineering Laboratory of Macau, took place at the university last month.

In a statement released yesterday, the university said “the symposium aimed at providing a technical forum for dissemination of recent advances and global developments in the field of steel and composite structures.”

Six prominent academics, researchers and engineers in this field, who come from United Kingdom, Singapore, the mainland, Hong Kong and Macau, were invited to present their latest works and share their experiences with engineers from various government departments, consultant firms and construction companies.

These included professor Dennis Lam from the University of Leeds in the UK, professor Chiew Sing-Ping from the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, professor Chung Kwok-Fai from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, professor Ben Young from the University of Hong Kong, professor Bo Wu from the South China University of Technology, and Choi Wai-Kin from the Civil Engineering Laboratory of Macau.

According to the statement, during the symposium, audiences were active in raising questions and a debate about the technical issues presented and speakers also responded to audiences’ questions with comments and suggestions.

Chui Sai Peng, president of the Macau Society of Metal Structures and Ao Peng Kong, president of the Civil Engineering Laboratory of Macau were also invited to give the opening speech and closing remarks for the symposium.

Thursday, 08 January 2009
Macau Daily Times

Three best designs for Macau Pavilion's internal display to be revealed next week

2009-01-08T03:05:00.001-08:00

Three best designs for Macau Pavilion's internal display to be revealed next week

Five best design entries for the Macau Pavilion's internal display layout at the 2010 Shanghai World Expo were selected to enter the final round of appraisal on January 12.

The first meeting to review all the 31 entries submitted to the competition was held on Tuesday, in which 13 designs were chosen and five of them would enter into the second and final stage of assessment to compete for the three outstanding awards.

The vetting committee was made up of nine members, including director of the Macau Preparation Office for the Shanghai Expo, Ieong Pou Yee; designer of the Macau Pavilion, architect Carlos Marreiros; and also president from the Macau Convention and Exhibition Industry Association, Ho Hoi Meng.

According to the commission, the assessment criteria were on feasibility of the design such as the budget, duration of the setting up process and technical conditions, consistency between the exterior and interior design of the pavilion, whether it went well with the themes of the Expo and the pavilion, creativity and entertainment elements, as well as the attractiveness of the visual effects.

After a thorough discussion, the committee at last selected 13 entries from the 31 by voting, in which the five best designs would be able to enter into the next round of appraisal held next Monday.

They are No. 001 "MR" by Shen Wen Jin, Fang Jian Hao and Gao Fei; No.010 "The journey to experience Macau" by Chang Chi Hin; No.011 "Macau: the city of a thousand festivities" by Lai Chin Keng, Wang Wen Qiang and Ma Ying; No.019 "The flux of time" by Che Sio Wang, Chen Hong, Liu Jin Ying and Wang Yan Qin; and also No.021 "The extension of the jade rabbit" by Peter Jung Chi Pan.

The designers of the five entries will be invited to attend the second interview on January 12, where each group will need to introduce their design for no more less 15 minutes to the committee and also answer questions posed by the committee in a 10 minute session.

The end of the meeting on that day will see which three entries are to become the winners of the competition and also which 10 groups to take home the finalist awards.

According to the Macau Preparation Office for the Expo, entrants of the competition were mainly local students and designers, in which some members were from Hong Kong or the mainland.

Apart from proposals focused on the internal decoration and display content of the pavilion, some entries also included "creative designs" for merchandises, which the Office said could possibily be adopted in order to showcase the "multicultural and harmonious characteristics of Macau on an international stage".

Thursday, 08 January 2009
Macau Daily Times

Macau, Hong Kong, Taiwan ships can request escort of mainland navy

2009-01-08T03:04:00.000-08:00

Macau, Hong Kong, Taiwan ships can request escort of mainland navy

Ships from Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan can request the escort services of the mainland's navy fleet in Somalian waters, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang at a regular press conference in Beijing on Tuesday.

Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan are all part of China and as such the central government attached high importance to the safety of overseas Chinese, and the escort flotilla in Somalian waters will also protect ships from Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, Qin said.

The Chinese navy has sent two destroyers and one supply ship tothe Gulf of Aden, joining the multinational patrol in the sea lanes where piracy endangers international shipping.

The Chinese Ministry of Transport started accepting escort requisitions of Chinese ships from Tuesday, and 15 merchant ships have applied for escort from January 6 to 10.

Thursday, 08 January 2009
Macau Daily Times

Pet licence registration double that of four years ago

2009-01-08T03:03:00.000-08:00

Pet licence registration double that of four years ago

The president of the Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau (IACM), Tam Vai Man said the number of pet licence and registrations between August and October last year had been around 8,000, double that of 2004.

Reported by the Chinese TDM news, he also added that the injury cases which involving pet animals had also surged to 471 cases in total between the months of August and October last year.

In the letter in response to lawmaker Leong Heng Teng's written interpellaion, the president of IACM said that the bureau had set up two dog-catching teams and will increase more staffers to patrol the streets to catch the stray dogs and cats.

Meanwhile he also advised that the IACM staffers will reinforce the penalty on pet-owners who failed to clear their pets waste on the streets.

At the same time, the IACM will also try to raise citizens' civic awareness on pet keeping by stressing the promotions within community, said the report.

Thursday, 08 January 2009
Macau Daily Times

Water-saving outline to be complete by year-end, 'hopefully'

2009-01-08T03:01:00.000-08:00

Water-saving outline to be complete by year-end, 'hopefully'

Wong Soi Man, group leader of the Construction of Water-saving Society Committee and director of Maritime Administration told media yesterday that the government was going to hold seminars to introduce a “Macau Overall Water-saving Study Plan” to public next month.

Meanwhile, she said the “Water-saving Outline” would be one of the pivotal items in the committee's agenda and it is hoped the outline will be completed draft no later than the end of this year.

According to Wong, the “Macau Overall Water-saving Study Plan ” which is going to introduced and explained to public was conducted by the China (Peal River) Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research.

The committee said it hopes to gather opinions from the public , professional associations, business sectors and large water volume consumption households during the seminars on the “Macau Overall Water-saving Study Plan,” in order to emulate the strategies and measures in the outline.

She said that the government's orientation in water saving could be summarise to “Open Water Source, Encourage Water Saving” and added that recycled water by the waste water treatment plant or water collection could be a pragmatic measure as the rainfall volume has been considered abundant in Macau.

“We know that there are many international cities which have adopted the water-saving appliances such as toilets, bathing sprinklers, hydrants,” she said, adding that the introduction of such sort of appliances might be constrained by certain regulations, therefore the committee will also continue endeavouring on these matters.

The government will also take the initiative to first install water-saving appliances in various government departments and public facilities, Wong went on to say.

In regards of the salinity season, Wong said the salty tide circumstance during the Lunar New Year would be considered “optimistic” and believed the influence should not be incurred during this period.

However, some of the shortcomings such as the water volume generation of the reservoir in the upper stream might decrease during the Chinese New Year.

“Since the seasonal salty tide is assumed to be delayed this year, we are considering to resume the daily report of the latest salty tide information to public until the end of next month,” she added.

Meanwhile, Wong also added that adjacent cities such as Tianjin is a “very good” role model in water-saving strategies, and as such the committee would also consider exchanging experiences with the city.

In addition, the group lead by the Construction of a Water-saving Society Committee added that the measure for saving water in casinos or hotels would be mentioned in the “Macau Overall Water-saving Study Plan.”

The committee yesterday held its first working meeting at the Maritime Bureau.

Thursday, 08 January 2009
by Anni Lam
Macau Daily Times

Anhui Province artists to exhibit 'unique folk' artwork at Lou Kau Mansion

2009-01-08T03:00:00.000-08:00

Anhui Province artists to exhibit 'unique folk' artwork at Lou Kau Mansion

Located in eastern China across the basins of the Yangtze River and the Huai River, Anhui Province is a true cradle of Chinese history and culture. Its breathtaking natural landscapes such as the Huang Mountain or Mount Tianzhu have inspired a number of ingenious artists and artisans, whose unique works have been on display in Macau, at Lou Kau Mansion, since last September.

Until January 18, the inner walls of this important historical building inscribed in UNESCO’s World Heritage List will once again be colourfully adorned, this time round by Wang Binghua’s exotic paper-cuttings and Zhang Weiwu’s vivid phoenix paintings.

Workshops will also be available for those who wish to delve deeper into these two art forms. These will be held on Saturdays, between 3pm and 5pm and on Sundays, from 10am to 12pm and again from 3pm to 5pm.

Paper Cutting is one of China's most prevalent and ancient folk arts, with a history that can be traced back to at least the sixth century. Paper-cuttings are frequently used in religious ceremonies and for decoration, particularly during the Lunar New Year and other festivals, when people affix paper-cuttings to walls, doors and windows to attract good fortune and happiness. Wang Binghua, with the experience of a lifetime devoted to this art, creates works that blend the rugged simplicity of Northern Chinese paper cutting with the delicate beauty of the art's southern form, giving rise to a unique artistic style.

Phoenix Painting involves the depiction of this bird as a symbol of good luck and a blessed life. Coloured lines and techniques derived from both folk art and traditional realistic painting (gong bi) are used, thus appealing to both refined and popular tastes. During his 27-year study of phoenix painting, Zhang Weiwu has managed to organically combine phoenix painting with Chinese classical painting, creating the most dazzling works of art.

Thursday, 08 January 2009
Macau Daily Times

Leong Man Ion begins serving as gaming bureau deputy director

2009-01-08T02:58:00.000-08:00

Leong Man Ion begins serving as gaming bureau deputy director

Leong Man Ion, the newly appointed deputy director of the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ), took office yesterday to start his two-year term of public service.

According to the dispatch from the Secretary for Economy and Finance, Leong was appointed to the DICJ deputy director for a term of two-year starting January 7, 2009.

The swearing in ceremony was held at the DICJ yesterday afternoon, and presided by Secretary Francis Tam Pak Yuen, chief of the Secretary's office, Lok Kit Sim, and also DICJ director Manuel Joaquim das Neves.

The new deputy director acquired a Masters degree in Business Administration from Chu Hai College in Hong Kong and another one in Accounting from the Sun Yau-sen University in mainland China in 1983 and 2000 respectively.

He participated in the study tour to Portugal organised by the then Secretary for Public Administration and Civil Services in 1988 and finished an internship in the national financial department next year.

In 1992 Leong became a registered auditor and served for the then Financial Secretary.

Joining the public servants force in the then DICJ in 1990, Leong used to be the chiefs of the bureau's audit department, research and audit division and audit division respectively.

Thursday, 08 January 2009
Macau Daily Times

Macau Jewellery and Watch Fair begins today

2009-01-08T02:56:00.000-08:00

Macau Jewellery and Watch Fair begins today

The Macau Jewellery and Watch Fair will be held for the second time from today until Sunday at the convention centre of the Venetian Macao, where the Israeli diamond industry is again planning a significant presence.

This year Israeli companies will be exhibiting at the show, both as independents, and as part of the Israel Diamond Pavilion that will be hosted by the Israel Diamond Institute Group of Companies (IDI).

According to Diamonds.net, the show is expected to attract Chinese buyers, and the Israeli participation in this show is due to the great interest of the Israeli diamond industry in the Chinese market.

The Israeli diamond industry, led by IDI, has affirmed China as a major priority and has taken many steps to strengthen the ties between the Israeli and Chinese diamond industries. To that end, IDI operates the IDI Asia Pacific office in Hong Kong as well as a comprehensive portal site in Chinese, which is geared to providing up-to-date information and news for the Chinese diamond and jewellery industry.

IDI has also expanded its participation in trade fairs in China to include, in addition to the Macau show, trade shows in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Shenzhen, the report added.

Moti Ganz, chairman of IDI and president of the Israel Diamond Manufacturers Association (IsDMA), as well as of the International Diamond Manufacturers Association, stressed the importance of the Chinese market to the Israeli industry.

“We greatly value our strategic partnership with the Chinese diamond industry. It underscores our belief in the huge potential of the Chinese market for diamonds and diamond jewellery. Through participation in the Macau Fair, our companies are showing their commitment to developing business ties with this market.,” he said.

Thursday, 08 January 2009
Macau Daily Times

Lawmaker urges gov't to supervise “zero-fee tour”

2009-01-08T02:55:00.000-08:00

Lawmaker urges gov't to supervise “zero-fee tour”

Local lawmaker Lee Chong Cheng handed a written interpellation demanding the government set regulations to supervise the “zero-fee tour package” in order to protect the healthy tourism development in Macau.

Lee said in the interpellation that the “zero-fee tour package” contained certain degrees of fraudulences as it charged the tourists even more than usual tour package.

The travel agencies would take the tourists to the stores which where either operated under the same companies or operated by storekeepers they were familiar with and most of whom were found selling bogus products, according to Lee.

As such, the lawmaker said it seriously affected not only the interest of the tourists but also the integrity tourism image of Macau.
Regarding to this, Lee asked the government whether or not there are any measures to supervise and suppress such sort of illegitimate operational methods in travel agencies.

“The zero-fee tour has been existed for a while, how can the government reorder and regulate the tourism development in Macau?” he asked.

Meanwhile the lawmaker also inquired whether or not the government had considered regional cooperation with the adjacent cities.
“Tourism is one of the most import industries in Macau. The influence of global financial crisis will be accentuated this year, will the government consider to introduce regional 'obstacle-free' tourism in order to promote regional interaction, resource sharing and win-win market?”

Thursday, 08 January 2009
Macau Daily Times

More e-services to come this year

2009-01-08T02:54:00.000-08:00

More e-services to come this year

In line with the Chief Executive's policy address for this year, for the government to go green, secretary for administration and justice Florinda da Rosa Silva Chan yesterday said that more e-services will be available throughout the year.

In response to interpellations by lawmakers Iong Weng Ian and Chan Meng Kam, secretary Chan said the government is committed to building an electronic platform for services that can be disclosed in a digital format.

“The target set in the Public Administration Reform Program is to scheduled more electronic payment services and other services that will facilitate the lives of locals for this year,” the secretary said.

“Under the internal application of the electronic government, an electronic certification has already begun to be used, and the signature and electronic transmission of documents began to be used in 2007,” she added.

In regards to security issues, secretary Chan assured the Public Administration and Civil Servants Bureau “has strengthened internal security measures, giving guidance on security to government services as a rule framework to ensure authorities prepare their own regulations and security criteria.”

Meanwhile, the director of the bureau, Jose Chu, said in response to lawmaker Leong Iok Wa's interpellation that the Public Information Service Centre opened in November last year, providing one-stop services to the public.

“The government will optimise verbal and written government services information in order to ensure all information is uniform and accurate,” Chu said.

In regards to complaints from the civil service, Chu said that the government is “committed to promoting a more humanistic management service in order to solve in a more just manner contradictions found at the workplace, increase work efficiency and encourage harmony in public services.”

Thursday, 08 January 2009
Macau Daily Times

Government aiming to balance economy, society and environment

2009-01-08T02:53:00.000-08:00

Government aiming to balance economy, society and environment

The government is trying to balance society's demands with the economy and environment, secretary for administration and justice Florinda da Rosa Silva Chan said yesterday in response to an interpellation by local lawmaker Jose Pereira Coutinho.

“Given Macau's aim of a sustainable development, the government is actively looking for a development model that balances society with the economy and the environment,” secretary Chan said, adding that the government is keen on protecting nature and the environment as well as the SAR's urban development.

Secretary Chan also said in her response that in the Chief Executive's Policy Address for 2008, in regards to matters on urban planning and coming up with policies for its protection, the government will gradually build an “effective” mechanism for “a reasonable consideration of the urban space” which is aimed to “strengthen the balance between urban construction and the ecological and cultural humanist environment.”

This, secretary Chan said, will “ensure the sustainable development of urban planning and residents quality of life.”

Meanwhile, in response to another interpellation by lawmaker Iong Weng Ian, secretary Chan said the government never stated the day of the Olympic torch relay as a public holiday and information related to the day's event was distributed throughout the various sectors in society according to the Organising Committee in Macau, “which encouraged the participation of everyone from the various sectors.”

The crowd who welcomed the arrival of the Olympic torch comprised students and children from 87 schools, associations, private and government enterprises and services, gathering a total of 250,000 people.

“To ensure the safety of the activities of the Olympic torch relay, police and entities involved in the event carried out tests and investigations in neighbouring areas,” secretary Chan said, adding that “both security and organisers of the commemorative activities for the public, achieved the expected results.”

Thursday, 08 January 2009
Macau Daily Times

China's vice president to visit Macau this week

2009-01-08T02:52:00.000-08:00

China's vice president to visit Macau this week

Xi Jinping, the Vice President of the People's Republic of China, is to pay a two-day visit to Macau on Saturday and Sunday on the invitation by the SAR Government.

According to the schedule disclosed by the government yesterday, Xi will arrive in Macau on Saturday morning, followed by a meeting with the SAR officials and other invited guests in the afternoon. Xi will also pay visit to a number of places in Macau on both days, but the exact locations have not yet been revealed.

Las Vegas Sands to present at global entertainment, media conference

Las Vegas Sands Corp. was scheduled to make a company presentation yesterday at the Citi Global Entertainment, Media and Telecommunications Conference in Phoenix, Arizona, a company statement said.

William P. Weidner, president and chief operating officer of Las Vegas Sands Corp., was to make the presentation, which was scheduled to begin at approximately 10:10am Pacific Time (1am last night local time).

The presentation was also to be simultaneously webcast over the internet.

Fisherman's Wharf awarded for 'brand excellence'

Macau Fisherman’s Wharf yesterday announced the complex has obtained the Macau Prime Awards For Brand Excellence 2008 For Tourism Excellent.

The award represents an excellent reputation for the winner on its quality and services, and according to a company statement released yesterday, the “Macau Fisherman’s Wharf has been recognised as a spectacular entertainment complex providing various choices of entertainment facilities, restaurants and bars, meeting venues, shopping areas and accommodation.”

The Macau Prime Awards For Brand Excellence launched since 2005, aimed at compliment industries on their professionalism.

This year there are 16 winners, voted by readers through Prime Magazine’s website as well as vetting committee, from various sectors of the industry including tourist attractions, hotels, and restaurants.

Thursday, 08 January 2009
Macau Daily Times

Third Standing Committee agrees amendments on provident fund

2009-01-08T02:51:00.000-08:00

Third Standing Committee agrees amendments on provident fund

The Third Standing Committee in the Legislative Assembly yesterday discussed the amendments on the “Accounts of Civil Servant's Provident Fund System” and agreed to amend the provident fund settlement period, extending it from the original 90 days to five years.

Cheang Chi Keong, president of the committee said that the Committee unanimously agreed with the decision as it hoped to dampen the influence to the civil savants that brought by the global economic crisis.

In regards to the interchange of other investment plan, Cheang said that it would be violating the agreement if the civil servants transferred to other investment plans within the five year's settlement period.

The president of the Committee also said that the Committee will meet the government representatives to exchange opinions this Thursday.
Once the amendment of the provident fund is approved, retired civil servants will be allowed to pay the instalment in three times of separate settlement within five years.

Winter shelter opens to public

Due to the sudden drop in temperatures in Macau, the Social Welfare Bureau's winter shelter in 56 Avenida do Conselheiro Borja was open at 6pm last night for the homeless and other people in need. The centre also provides cup noodles and beverages for those who stay at the centre.

New taxi stand for Venetian Macao's west wing

The Transport Bureau (DSAT) was planning to set up a taxi pick up and drop off stand in the west wing of The Venetian Macao Resort Hotel amid the constant irregularities committed by taxi drivers, Chinese TDM news reported yesterday.

The bureau said they were always concerned about the situation and had conducted inspections from time to time.

As an audience of TDM radio station alleged that taxi drivers awaiting in the west wing area of the resort hotel always "over-charged fares and rejected rides to certain passengers", some other taxi drivers hoped that a formal taxi stand could be set up in order to regulate passengers pick up and drop off.

The DSAT stressed that according to the taxi regulations, overcharging taxi fares and rejecting rides could be fined 1,000 patacas. If passengers encountered the above situations, the DSAT said they could file a complaint to the bureau.

Thursday, 08 January 2009
Macau Daily Times

Bank of China records significant growth in home mortgage loans

2009-01-08T02:48:00.000-08:00

Bank of China records significant growth in home mortgage loans

Deputy general manager of the Bank of China (Macau Branch), Ip Sio Kai, said a double digit increase in home mortgage loans for brand new property was registered in 2008 over the previous year.

Mr Ip said the majority of which were in the category for a three million pataca worth of home, according to Chinese TDM news yesterday.

He also said that the bank did not toughen any home purchasing loans, adding it was because of a decrease in property transactions.
However, as more construction of new properties were completed in recent months, Mr Ip said applications for home mortgage had recorded a "significant number", the television news reported.

At the same time, once the government launched the "four percent interest subsidy" for first homebuyers, Mr Ip said he foresaw the measure would drive potential transactions in the market and also stimulate demands that eventually facilitate the banking industry and other areas.

On the other hand, Mr Ip also predicted that the bad debt rate would be increased in the coming year but "within the tolerance degree of the bank".

He said the bank itself had a set of risk management and could tolerate a certain level of risk.

Amid the global financial crisis, he said quality of bank credit "must be affected unavoidably".

As for the government's loan scheme launched recently for local small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), Mr Ip said no significant growth in the number of applications was seen.

However, he said the demand in Macau was still "ample" as the SMEs loan scheme introduced by the Bank of China had received "a large number of inquiries and applications".

He said he expected that as soon as the government could adjust the scheme, along with the other measures set out by the commercial and banking industry, more local SMEs should be attracted to the government's loan scheme.

Thursday, 08 January 2009
Macau Daily Times