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The Macao SAR Government today released a consultation paper on the draft of the national security law, kick-starting a 40-day public consultation on the proposed legislation. In a press conference to introduce the consultation paper this afternoon, Chief Executive Edmund Ho Hau Wah stressed that the need to legislate on safeguarding national security was prescribed by Article 23 of Macao’s Basic Law. “It is our constitutional obligation to safeguard the sovereignty, unity, territorial integrity and security of our country,” he said. Mr Ho said he hoped the draft law could pass in the legislature before he leaves office by the end of next year. Since the Handover of Macao, the legal provisions concerning national security in the Penal Code of Portugal has ceased to apply in Macao, leaving behind a legal void in the safeguarding of national security in the SAR. According to the Chief Executive, the drafting of the national security law, which is intended to fill the legal void in this area, has struck a balance between safeguarding national security and basic rights of residents. Mr Ho also assured that the freedom of speech, of the press and of publication guaranteed by the Basic Law of Macao would not be compromised under the new law. The consultation paper released today consists of three parts: the draft of the national security law containing 15 articles; the background and guiding principles of the legislative work; and a comparative study on similar laws in other countries that follow the civil law tradition. The public consultation exercise will last until 30 November 2008. In order to promote public engagement in the consultation, the government will organise six introductory sessions on the draft law and provide various channels for the public to make suggestions. Opinions collected in the exercise will be reviewed extensively before a final draft of the national security law is submitted to the Legislative Assembly. According to Article 23 of Macao’s Basic Law, “the Macao Special Administrative Region shall enact laws, on its own, to prohibit any act of treason, secession, sedition, subversion against the Central People's Government, or theft of state secrets, to prohibit foreign political organizations or bodies from conducting political activities in the Region, and to prohibit political organizations or bodies of the Region from establishing ties with foreign political organisations or bodies”.
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International event and conference organizers in Australia now have eyes on Macau after Viva Macau Airlines, the only airline flying direct between Australia and Macau, and Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO) today led a delegation to Sydney to showcase Asia’s newest capital of MICE (Meetings, Incentive, Conferences, Events). Macau’s biggest integrated hotels and resorts – offering world-class event and convention facilities - joined a special Macau promotional tour flying Viva Macau Airlines to meet with key Australian MICE organizers to promote opportunities for the booming city that has fast become the destination for leisure, entertainment, international events, conferences and conventions. At the “Introduce the New Macau” luncheon held in New South Wales Parliament House, the Macau delegation, including senior representatives from the Macau Government Tourist Office, Viva Macau Airlines, The Venetian Macao Resort Hotel, City of Dreams/Crown Macau, Sheraton Macao, Macau Fisherman’s Wharf/The Rocks Hotel and The Westin Resort Macau, were welcomed by The Hon. Tony Stewart MP, Minister for Small Business New South Wales Government and The Hon. Jodi Mckay, Minister for Tourism New South Wales Government. Also joining the luncheon was Madame Zhao Xuefang, Deputy Consul General for The Consulate-General of the People’s Republic of China in Sydney. Deputy Director of Macau Government Tourist Office, Ms Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes said, “Apart from being a popular destination that gives new surprises to its visitors, Macau is also emerging as a new international MICE player with its extensive development of luxury hotels, resorts and MICE facilities. We would like to show to the event and conference organizers in Australia that Macau is committed to develop business travel and the MICE industry and is now well suited to host various kinds of MICE activities. Already for a few centuries, Macau has been a historical 'meeting place', albeit of a different nature. The Macau of today builds on this platform with modern MICE amenities, but without sacrificing its old world charm - the unique culture and heritage that marks the difference of Macau." Viva Macau Chief Executive Officer Con Korfiatis said,” Viva Macau offers the convenience of value-for-money direct flights to excitement, glitz, glamour, heritage and world-class convention facilities of the new Macau, which is also only one-hour ferry away from Hong Kong and neighbor to the Pearl River Delta region of Mainland China for those who are interested in a side trip,” Korfiatis added. “Although we are low-fares airline, we provide a two-class product, Premium and Economy Class, catering to different corporate needs of the sophisticated MICE market in Australia. In addition to the very competitive airfares, event organizers are offered a quality product and service,” Korfiatis added. Viva Macau’s Premium Class on Sydney flights features a generous 50-inch seat pitch, complimentary hot meals and beverages, complimentary pillows, blankets and headsets as well as broadcast in-flight entertainment system that provides a variety of movie and video programs. Economy Class offers 32-inch seat pitch that is comparable to premium airlines, food and beverage on-demand as well as in-flight movie and video programs. “The new Macau, the ideal MICE destination in Asia and Viva Macau Airlines provide a first-class product and experience for event organizers in Australia,” Korfiatis said Viva Macau currently flies four times direct between Sydney and Macau. Flights depart from Sydney to Macau every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday and depart from Macau to Sydney every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service indicated that number of operating cooked-food stalls in the markets, restaurants and similar establishments totalled 1,537 in 2007, engaging 17,508 workers. Sales & Other Receipts of the industry amounted to MOP 3.87 billion; Total Expenditure amounted to MOP 3.74 billion, of which expenses of Purchase of Goods (MOP 1.51 billion) and Compensation of Employees (MOP 1.26 billion) accounted for 40.4% and 33.6% of the total. Gross Value Added, a gauge of the sector’s contribution to the economy, amounted to MOP 1.40 billion, and Gross Fixed Capital Formation totalled MOP 330 million. There were 1,494 restaurants and similar establishments in 2007, of which 1,147 were eating-places that shared 76.8% of the total. Total number of persons engaged was 17,429 at the end of 2007, with 9,439 (54.2%) working in eating-places. Sales & Other Receipts of restaurants and similar establishments was MOP 3.85 billion; Total Expenditure amounted to MOP 3.74 billion, with expenses of Purchase of Goods (MOP 1.51 billion), Compensation of Employees (MOP 1.26 billion) and Operating Expenses (MOP 973 million) accounting for 40.3%, 33.7% and 26.0% of the total respectively. Meanwhile, Gross Value Added stood at MOP 1.39 billion. In addition, a total of 43 cooked-food stalls, with 79 workers, were operating in municipal markets in 2007. Sales & Other Receipts of these stalls totalled MOP 13.96 million; Total Expenditure amounted to MOP 7.87 million, of which the expenses of Purchase of Goods (MOP 6.03 million) took up 76.7% of the total. Moreover, Gross Value Added amounted to MOP 6.60 million. This survey covered all licensed restaurants, eating & drinking places, as well as cooked-food stalls in municipal markets in 2007, but excluding hotel-operated restaurants and similar facilities, and the street hawkers.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service indicated that the Composite CPI for September 2008 rose by 9.07% year-on-year to 126.32, of which the price indices of Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages, Health and Clothing & Footwear soared by 16.44%, 14.27% and 9.11% respectively. Among the subgroups of Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages, notable increase was observed in the prices of rice (+66.09%), fresh beef (+56.58%), canned meat (+55.65%), edible oil (+54.37%), fresh water fish (+35.82%), noodles (+33.79%), chilled or frozen pork (+27.50%), fresh pork (+25.82%) and meals bought away from home (+13.71%). For the subgroups of Health and Clothing & Footwear, charges for medical consultation service (+25.25%), clothing materials (+32.60%) and garments for women (+13.65%) registered marked increase. Meanwhile, the price index of Recreation and Culture recorded an increase of 8.33% owing to dearer charges for outbound package tours. Despite higher charges of taxi service starting from September, the index of Transport registered a slow down in year-on-year growth from +8.88% in August to +7.59%, on account of the exemption of consumption tax on automotive fuels and lubricants, as well as lower gasoline prices following the price drop of petroleum in international market. On the contrary, due to lower prices of mobile phones, the price index of Communication registered year-on-year decrease of 6.87%. The CPI-A and CPI-B for September 2008 were 128.85 and 125.68 respectively, up by 9.56% and 8.89% year-on-year. The average Composite CPI for January to September went up by 9.00% over the same period of 2008. For the 12 months ended September 2008, the Composite CPI rose by 8.43% over the preceding period. The Composite CPI September 2008 increased by 0.42% month-to-month, of which the price indices of Education, Miscellaneous Goods & Services and Housing & Fuels rose by 2.91%, 2.29% and 0.99% respectively, due to higher charges of tuition fees, school sundry fees, nursery and tutorial class in the new academic year, as well as rising rentals for housing. On the other hand, with the seasonal sale of women’s clothing, the price index of Clothing & Footwear recorded a decrease of 1.64%. In spite of the increase in charges of taxi service, the index of Transport recorded a drop of 1.28% owing to lower prices of gasoline as well as air ticket after the Summer holidays. Moreover, the CPI-A and CPI-B increased by 0.70% and 0.46% respectively month-to-month. The Composite CPI for the third quarter of 2008 rose by 9.00% to 125.96 over the same quarter of 2007, with marked increase in the price indices of Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages (+18.24%), Health (+14.39%) and Transport (+9.73%). The Composite CPI reflects the impacts of price changes on the general population. The CPI-A relates to about 49% of households, which have an average monthly expenditure of MOP3,000 to MOP9,999. The CPI-B relates to about 31% of households, which have an average monthly expenditure of MOP10,000 to MOP19,999.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service indicated that visitor arrivals totalled 2,312,924 in September 2008, a year-on-year increase of 2.1%. Visitors from Mainland China (1,318,526) and Southeast Asia (113,332) rose by 8.0% and 23.9% respectively, while those from Hong Kong (659,485) decreased by 7.2%. Same-day visitors took up 53.6% of the total arrivals, at 1,240,263. The majority of the visitors came from Mainland China, Hong Kong and Southeast Asia, which accounted for 57.0%, 28.5% and 4.9% of the total respectively. In view of the tightening of the Individual Visit Scheme, 371,129 (28.1%) Mainland visitors travelled to Macao under such policy, down notably by 24.6% year-on year. In the first nine months of 2008, visitor arrivals reached 22,485,493, up by 15.4% year-on-year. Visitors from Mainland China (13,115,883) and Southeast Asia grew significantly by 23.1% and 46.0% respectively, while those from Hong Kong dropped slightly by 0.1%. Furthermore, same-day visitors made up 52.9% of the total arrivals, at 11,902,440. Analyzed by mode of transport, visitor arrivals by sea increased by 10.2% over the first nine months of 2007 to 7,166,180. Among them, 5,999,197 arrived at the Outer Harbour (-2.4%), with 58.0% from Hong Kong and 21.8% from Mainland China. Visitor arrivals by land rose by 17.7% to 14,046,125. Visitors arriving through the Border Gate increased by 13.7% to 13,298,122 and the majority were visitors from Mainland China (80.1%) and Hong Kong (14.3%). In addition, visitor arrivals by air totalled 1,273,188, up by 20.3% over the first nine months of 2007. Visitors arriving at the Macao International Airport rose by 18.6% to 1,246,320, with those from Taiwan, China (35.1%), Southeast Asia (30.0%) and Mainland China (22.1%) as the major users.
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The Macao Historical Archives operates under the auspices of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, and is responsible for the preservation of records of historic value. Given Macao’s geographical location in a sub-tropical zone, it is essential to actively protect paper records in order to avoid deterioration and ensure their correct preservation. Such measures include regular pest control. The next scheduled pest control in the Macao Historical Archives will take place on 24th and 25th of October. The Reading Room will be closed to the public from 2.30pm on Friday 24th October, and throughout the day on Saturday 25th October. It will re-open to the public on Monday 27th October.
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Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) and Macau Grand Prix Committee (MGPC) co-organized the “Experience Macau!” Carnival at Festival Walk in Kowloon Tong today (19 October 2008) to promote the “55th Macau Grand Prix” and Macau’s tourism. Engineer João Manuel Costa Antunes, Director of MGTO and Coordinator of Macau Grand Prix Committee (MGPC) and representatives from MGTO and MGPC attended the event. MGTO engaged the theme of “Experience Macau!” for the carnival, in which the audience could experience Macau’s unique sceneries, cuisines, inspirations, sound and music, and exciting new changes through the five senses – “See”, “Taste”, “Feel”, “Hear” and “Touch”. There were various performances and exhibitions in the carnival which showed that Macau is an ideal tourism destination where East meets West and both of its traditions and new developments co-exist. MGTO Director Engineer João Manuel Costa Antunes and the famous twin-artists Soler, model Amanda S., artist and racer Chin Ka Lok then officiated the opening ceremony. The organizer invited the “Best Video Awards” and “My Favourite Video Awards” winner of “Macau Feel and View” Digital Video Campaign, organized by Hong Kong Representative of MGTO, to share their experiences in capturing Macau’s fascination with their video cameras. The winning videos of “Best Video Awards” were also broadcasted at the carnival. Nonetheless, the celebrities Soler, Amanda S. and Chin Ka Lok shared their travel experiences in Macau with the audiences. Other on-stage performances included the Racing Girl Fashion Show and a Live Ensemble performance. Finally, the carnival ended with a cheerful Portuguese Folk Dance performance. It attracted a substantial number of audiences and media from Hong Kong and Macau. Apart from the thrilling performances on stage, MGTO has specially set up the “Macau Grand Prix” exhibition area that showcased a Formula 3 racing car, rescue car and the 3D Guia circuit model, as well as the “Macau World Heritage” and “Macau Wedding Photo Shooting Tour” exhibitions. It has also set up a booth to distribute Macau’s tourism brochures and guidebooks to the participants. MGTO continued to employ “Experience Macau” as the promotional campaign this year with the slogan, “A World of Difference, the Difference is Macau” for a series of promotions around the world. The overall visitor arrivals to Macau in the first 9 months of 2008 were over 23,000,000. It has become one of the key leisure and business destinations in the Asia Pacific region.
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To have a better understanding of the local community services for women in Macao, a delegation of the Women’s Commission, led by the Secretary for the Administration and Justice, Florinda da Rosa Silva Chan, visited the Good Shepherd Sisters and its Women’s Mutual Help Centre this afternoon. The delegation of the Women’s Commission arriving at the Good Shepherd Sisters was greeted by Sr Suzanne Devoy, Social Service Officer Lai Choi In and Service Development Executive Tam Chi Neng. The delegates were briefed by Sr Suzanne Devoy on the services provided by the organisation, and also interacted with the front line staff and shared their views on the challenges and problems related to their work. The visiting group then headed for the Good Shepherd Sisters Women’s Mutual Help Centre which is responsible for external relations, and was warmly received by the Centre In-charge Kou Wai Kun and Social Service Officer Tam Ha Hong. They introduced to the commission members the operations of the centre, enabling the delegates to have a better idea of the service nature of the centre and the women’s community services available in Macao. The visit concluded with an exchange of souvenirs and a group photo session. Secretary for the Administration and Justice Florinda Chan highly recognises the long term commitment of Good Shepherd Sisters in providing assistance to women. She emphasised that the joint effort of the Macao SAR government and the local community was critical for protecting women’s rights. The MSAR government has long accorded a high priority to women affairs. With the establishment of the Women’s Commission, the women-related policies, rights, legal matters, education and relevant publicity and promotion work can be actively and thoroughly followed up. Sr Suzanne Devoy and the Good Shepherd Sisters Women’s Mutual Help Centre have also actively assisted in and contributed their constructive opinions on the preparatory work of the legislation. Ms Chan pointed out that women in Macao are under the protection of the Basic Law and other laws. In addition, international covenants protecting women are also applicable in Macao. However, there are still existing cases of women suffering from unfair treatment or violence threat, which should be condemned under moral principles or subject to punishment under the law. She said that as the Law against Human Trafficking has come into effect for more effectively combating human trafficking-related crimes in Macao, the administration authorities will by all means protect and provide assistance to victims of crime. At the same time, the Women’s Commission has also established a special unit to conduct relevant studies, organise seminars on legal matters, and pay visits to the Public Security Police and the Human Trafficking Deterrent Measures Concern Committee to exchange views on women’s rights and domestic violence. The Good Shepherd Sisters and its Women’s Mutual Help Centre is a non-profit Catholic sister organisation under the Roman Catholic Diocese of Macao, providing community services mainly to women and children from single-parent families and those in special needs. The aim of its establishment is to assist women in enhancing self-respect and self-confidence through counselling services and a variety of activities, which facilitate the building of community support network, the development of individual potential, the widening of spiritual living space and the improvement of family life for an abundant life. Delegates also included the Secretary-General of the Women’s Commission Tang Wai Lin, and commission members Van Iat Kio, Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, Kong Mei Fan, Sam Iok Ha, Chao Ngai, Chio Ngan Ieng, Ling Paula Hsião Yun, Anabela Fátima Xavier Sales Ritchie, Chan Sao Chai, Lao Mui Kuai, Cheang Man Man, Lou I Wa and Wong Man I.
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Being the most important component of the Macao economic structure, the development of SMEs is closely intertwined with that of the Macao economy, which influences to the stability and prosperity of the society. With the objective to strengthen the competence of local SMEs as to combat challenges posed by economic conditions, the Macao SAR government places high emphasis on its policy for the sustainable development of SMEs. As highlighted in Macao government policies to support SMEs and slogan of SME Service Centre - Take Service as a fundamental and SME as a Priority - Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) has launched a number of initiatives to assist local SMEs, with the objectives of assisting them to enhance the overall comprehensive competitiveness and seize the business opportunities brought about by Macao's economic development. MIF is the largest economic event in Macao for promoting bilateral trade and investment. In this year’s MIF, we will have more than 200 delegations from 50 countries and regions to participate, as well as received 36 business associations from Macao to organize activities here in 13th MIF, with all of it making MIF the ideal destination for economic and political congregation, global connection and opening up new business opportunities. To encourage SMEs to take advantage of the business opportunities presented in the MIF platform, IPIM, for its first time, will hold the “SME International Business Days” (24/10/2008 – 25/10/2008) during the MIF. IPIM hopes that the 13th MIF will facilitate an ideal business platform to SMEs for global connection, investment fund raising, market exploration, business matching, accessing up-to-date market information and most importantly, promotion of trade and economic co-operation and development. By way of holding this themed event continuously during the MIF, it is believed the themed activities and services will provide SMEs a breeding ground to leverage their competitive edges and grasp business opportunities.Besides, IPIM will continue to strive on organizing more activities as well as creating more opportunities for SMEs to explore business opportunities abroad. The two-day event comprises four components: (1). Seminars, Presentations & Information Series; (2) Business Capacity Expansion and Business Matching Series, (3) Product/Services Promotion Series and (4) Forum Series Brief Introduction of “SME International Business Days” The enriching programme of “SME International Business Days” is composed of some 30 seminars/forums and a multi-faceted variety of business services specially dedicated to SMEs. Seminars, Presentations & Information Series - “Seminars on International Business Opportunities” is a collection country or region-themed business promotion seminars with two categories: Gateway to China and Venturing Abroad, with the objective to let SMEs grasp updated industry and product information on international markets. Business Capacity Expansion and Business Matching Series - Invited speakers of various conferences and seminars of “Special Topics on Branding, Licensing, Franchising and Financing for SMEs” will be going to share their experiences and insights with SMEs and inspire SMEs to explore different business strategies. There will be themed business matching events at the “Buyer’s Corner and Business Matching Area” presenting SMEs an opportunity to meet with on-site international business delegations and look for business partners. Product/Services Promotion Series - Amongst other themed pavilions, the “Macao SME Pavilion” will be a showcase of the products/services promotion of the 13th MIF SMEs exhibitors. Apart from exhibition, the “Product Presentation Area” located in the hub of “Macao SME Exhibition” will be the best arena for SMEs and enterprises to utilize MIF as a efficient platform of promotion/demonstration for their business offerings. Forum Series - “New Generation Market Exploration Forums Series” include forums furnished with elements of Macao’s New Generation and Modern Market Concepts. Invited guest speakers will give expert lecture and keynote speeches to stimulate SMEs with the 21st generation’s business concepts. The Opening Ceremony of the “SME International Business Days” will be held at 10 am to 10.30 am at the Seminars and Presentations Area. Interested parties are cordially invited to sign up for the above activities. For further details, please visit our website at www.mif.com.mo or contact SME Service Centre (SMEC). Enquiry Hotline: 28728212. The ultimate objective of the “SME International Business Days” is to work side by side, with the Macao International Trade and Investment Fair (MIF). By way of holding this themed event continuously during the MIF, it is believed the themed activities and services will provide SMEs a breeding ground to leverage their competitive edges and grasp business opportunities.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service indicated that the Tourist Price Index (TPI) for the third quarter of 2008 was 143.70, up by 12.52% year-on-year. The price indices of Miscellaneous Goods; Clothing & Footwear; and Restaurant Service surged significantly by 22.97%, 20.60% and 14.18% respectively, which was attributable to dearer jewellery prices driven by rising gold prices, higher prices of men’s and ladies’ clothing, as well as rising charges of restaurant services. Moreover, the price index of Food, Alcoholic Drinks & Tobacco went up by 10.55% due to increasing prices of alcoholic beverages and pastries. Compared with the second quarter of 2008, TPI rose slightly by 0.11% in this quarter, with the price index of Clothing & Footwear rising by 12.22%, on account of higher prices of new arrivals of men’s and ladies’ clothing; meanwhile, the price indices of Restaurant Service and Food, Alcoholic Drinks & Tobacco rose by 3.32% and 2.93% respectively. On the contrary, the price index of Accommodation registered a quarter-to-quarter decrease of 9.34% as a result of lower hotel room rates. The average TPI for the last 4 quarters ended the third quarter of 2008 increased by 12.48% over the previous period. In the first three quarters of 2008, TPI went up by 12.78% year-on-year. TPI reflects the price changes of goods and services purchased by visitors, which is compiled based on the consumption pattern of visitors. TPI covers eight sections of goods and services, namely Food, Alcoholic Drinks & Tobacco; Clothing & Footwear; Accommodation; Restaurant Service; Transport & Communications; Medicine & Personal Goods; Entertainment & Culture; and Miscellaneous Goods. The base year of TPI is from July 1999 to June 2000.
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