News

Consumer Council conducted a survey on prices of driving lessons of 125cc motorbike and light vehicle. Responses show that all driving schools charge both driving lessons at the same price but in different ways, and consumers may not be able to get full refund if they choose to terminate their paid courses, consumers are suggested to inquire about charges and relevant terms of driving schools before applying for these lessons. Details of the survey can be found in issue no. 275 of Consumer Report. Same lesson fees but different charges for driving test application Among the 22 answered surveys, all driving schools charge the same price for lessons of both 125cc motorbike and light vehicle, fees include theory and practical lesson, as well as car rental fees during driving examination. However, practical skills lessons are paid either in lump sum or by installments, and there are differences in the service charge of driving test application. Withdrawn lesson may not get full refund In case a consumer fail to pass the body check or wish to terminate his lessons in midcourse, some driving schools respond that they would not impose any service charge on the consumer, some say they would charge about $100 to $600, and some say no refund or any unused lesson fees will be given to consumers who terminate lessons in midcourse. Different driving course also set out different regulations for consumers who wish to terminate driving lessons and ask for day off. Make comparison and inquire more Consumers are advised to check the details of the mentioned survey and make inquiry at driving schools before choosing any lesson that suit themselves. Meanwhile, any agreement should be listed on the invoice or other transactional documents to safeguard personal consumer rights. Driving schools suggested to include detailed regulations for lesson services Driving schools are suggested by the Council to set up clear and detailed regulations for its driving lessons, and let consumers know before consumption to safeguard the rights and responsibility of both parties. The mentioned survey on driving lesson fees is now available in issue no. 275 Consumer Report. Consumer Report is now available free of charge at the Council (Av. Horta e Costa, N.º 24-A, Edf. Cheung Heng, R/C), and the service counter of the Council at Macao SAR Government Service Centre (Rua Nova da Areia Preta, Nº52), Public Information Centre at Vicky Plaza, libraries and bookstores. Consumers may also access the magazine online on the Council’s official website (http://www.consumer.gov.mo) and WeChat official account. For enquiry, please call 8988-9315.
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The Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On, today (Monday) directed all relevant Government departments to provide all necessary medical and practical assistance to the victims of this afternoon’s accident involving a tourist bus. Mr Chui gave the instruction this evening during a meeting with Government officials and representatives of the Kiang Wu Hospital. The Chief Executive visited the hospital to gain a better understanding on the condition of the injured. At approximately 2.42pm today, the Fire Services Bureau was notified that a tourist bus had crashed into a building in Rua da Entena, near Kiang Wu Hospital. The bus was carrying 44 tourists from several provinces in the mainland that had travelled from Shenzhen in Guangdong Province to Macao. Details of the accident were given during a press conference held this evening at Government Headquarters by the Office of the Government Spokesperson. Representatives of the Fire Services Bureau; the Public Security Police Force; the Health Bureau; the Kiang Wu Hospital; the Land, Public Works and Transport Bureau; the Macao Government Tourism Office; and the Social Welfare Bureau attended the press conference. A total of 32 mainland tourists – ranging in age from seven years to 78 – were injured in the accident. A total of 31 of the injured were treated at Kiang Wu Hospital, while one person was sent to the Conde S. Januário Hospital. Among those injured, three patients were said to be in critical situation. Two of the three were being treated in intensive care with non life-threatening head injuries and were conscious when admitted to hospital. The third, a 46-year-old woman with head injuries, remained in a coma after surgery. A further five patients were being kept under observation. The remainder of those that were treated in hospital had since been discharged. The police said the driver of the tourist bus was a local resident and had been kept for questioning following the accident. The police were carrying out further investigations into the cause of the accident: there was suspicion that dangerous driving was involved. One theory is that the driver may have failed to apply the handbrake properly before leaving the bus. The driver told police he left the bus because his vehicle had been hit by another vehicle; he got off to check the situation. The Government has initiated work to reinforce the building hit by the tourist bus. The Land, Public Works and Transport Bureau said one of the supporting pillars of the building was seriously damaged in the crash. Only once reinforcement measures were completed could the authorities remove the bus from the scene. The affected building has six storeys, accommodating a total of 21 residential units and six shops. More than 10 residents in the building were evacuated after the accident. The Centre for Victims of Disaster, located in Ilha Verde, has been made available to provide shelter for residents from the affected building. Police on duty at the crash site – along with community associations – were available to provide assistance to affected residents, including arranging admission to the Centre for Victims of Disaster. Officials from the Macao Government Tourism Office and the Tourism Crisis Management Office visited the crash site and the hospitals where the injured were treated, in order to provide assistance to tourists affected by the accident. The accident has been reported to the China National Tourism Administration and the Guangdong Tourism Bureau. The Government would make arrangements to assist relatives of those being treated in hospital to come to Macao.
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In response to the serious tour bus accident that occurred this afternoon, the Macao SAR Government activated its tourism crisis response mechanism and an emergency meeting was held at 8 p.m at the Tourism Crisis Management Office (GGCT) in order to discuss the follow-up work and assist the affected tourists. The Offices of the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, the Secretary for Land, Public Works and Transport and the Secretary for Security, the Unitary Police Service, Public Security Police Force, Macao Government Tourism Office, Health Bureau, Fire Service Bureau, Macau International Airport Co. Ltd., Administration of Airports Ltd., Association of Macao Tourist Agents, Travel Industry Council of Macau were all represented among a total of 18 entities who joined the meeting to discuss several topics such as the treatment of the injured tourists, the support by the tourism industry to the travel agency involved in the accident and visit permits of the injured tourists. The Tourism Crisis Management Office will continue to coordinate with the relevant entities and follow-up. If necessary, affected tourists and their families can contact the 24-hour Tourism Hotline: (853) 2833 3000.
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The Government has nearly completed a first phase of restructuring regarding public departments. It involved the integration of Macao Post with the Bureau of Telecommunications Regulation; and the integration of the Security Forces Coordination Office with the Unitary Police Service. The Secretary for Administration and Justice, Ms Chan Hoi Fan, on Friday (5 August) told reporters that the Government was confident the restructuring could be completed as scheduled. The Government had increased the amount of effort it applied to rationalising administrative structures and streamlining public services, Ms Chan said. In addition, the Government would review the licensing process for the catering and hotel sectors, in a bid further to enhance one-stop cross-departmental services. It was expected that such revisions would be completed before year-end, she added. Ms Chan said that the Government would review – in the course of this year and next year – a total of 45 licensing procedures involving cross-departmental cooperation. The Government would also study the possibility of establishing an online system that would allow individual applicants for licences to gain a better understanding of licensing procedures and requirements; and would allow them to check the progress of their respective applications. Ms Chan also stated the Government would strictly control the growth in the number of civil servants. The Government did not expect to expand its administrative workforce: recruitment would focus instead on replacement of people that had resigned or retired.
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The deadline for applications for the 2016 Subsidy Programme for Fashion Design on Sample Making, launched by the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) in June will end on Friday, 26 August, 5pm. All interested parties are welcome to take this chance to apply for the Programme. IC launched the Subsidy Programme for Fashion Design on Sample Making in 2013, as part of the Subsidy Programme for Macao’s Cultural and Creative Industries Series. This programme seeks to encourage local fashion design and creativity, promote fashion designers to draw up feasible and optimised business plans, encourage the industry to be involved in commercial activities or participate in local and international fashion marketing activities, enhance the popularity and market competitiveness of the local industry and carry forward the sustainable development of the local fashion design industry. The maximum quota of the Subsidy Programme is eight beneficiaries. Eligible applicants will be granted subsidies up to a maximum of MOP160,000 each. The Programme’s application rules and forms can be downloaded from IC’s website (www.icm.gov.mo/cn/CCI-Subsidy) and from the Macao Cultural and Creative Industries Website (www.macaucci.com). For enquiries, please contact Ms. Lam, staff member of IC, through tel. no. (853) 2892 4040 during office hours.
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To mark the commencement of the 15-day data collection of the 2016 Population By-census, a kick-off ceremony was held for field enumerators on 7 August at Escola Keang Peng. The ceremony was hosted by the Director of the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) Ieong Meng Chao, Deputy Director Cheng I Wan and Acting Deputy Director Mak Hang Chan. Ieong Meng Chao indicated that the population by-census is one of the largest household surveys in Macao and he called upon the DSEC staff to work together and do their utmost for the 2016 Population By-census. Ieong stressed that all DSEC staff must strictly comply with the regulations of statistical confidentiality and keep all personal information collected in strict confidence. He urged the enumerators to always be safety-minded and conscious of their work surroundings. DSEC stated that enumerators of the 2016 Population By-census will visit the selected housing units to collect information; meanwhile, e-questionnaire is also available for households to complete by themselves. Households in receipt of the notification letter of the 2016 Population By-census may complete the e-questionnaire via the DSEC website www.dsec.gov.mo or the DSEC mobile application by following the instructions on the letter no later than 13 August. DSEC appealed to members of the public to support the 2016 Population By-census and provide accurate information. For assistance in completing the e-questionnaire or to schedule an interview with the enumerator, please contact DSEC by calling the 2016 Population By-census Hotline at 8809 8809.
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Data collection of the 2016 Population By-census will take place from 7 to 21 August, for a period of 15 days. Acting Director of the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) Cheng I Wan stated that the 2016 Population By-census aims to obtain up-to-date information for updating the population statistics of Macao, prior to the next round of population census, in order to keep track of the changes in population. By-census data are essential source of information for government policy formulation as well as for business and academic researches. The 2016 Population By-census adopts a sampling fraction of one-seventh to select about 33,000 housing units in Macao for enumeration. Information on demographic, social and economic characteristics will be collected from members of the households living in these housing units. Notification letters have been sent by DSEC to the selected housing units in early August. Households may complete the e-questionnaire via the Internet or the DSEC mobile application, or provide information through face-to-face interview with the visiting enumerators. All enumerators will wear a yellow uniform of the 2016 Population By-census, carry a 2016 Population By-census identity badge that bears the name and photo of the enumerator, and a black satchel of the 2016 Population By-census. Enumerators, who conduct household interviews in pairs, will introduce themselves to the household upon arrival, present their identity badge and verify the address of the household. The 2016 Population By-census adopts a paperless data collection approach, and enumerators will use mobile phones to collect information. Meanwhile, DSEC has set up the 2016 Population By-census Hotline 8809 8809 to provide households with a convenient way to make enquiries relating to the By-census, to schedule face-to-face interview appointment and to verify the identity of the enumerators. DSEC appealed to members of the public to support the Population By-census and provide accurate information. They stressed that all information collected will be kept in strict confidence and used solely for statistical purposes. Data will be processed and published in aggregate form only, and no information pertaining to individual persons or households shall be disclosed. Moreover, to raise public awareness of the Population By-census, DSEC and the General Union of Neighbourhood Associations of Macau co-organized the 2016 Population By-census FUN Show on 6 August at the leisure area of Edf. Lok Yeong Fa Yuen in Fai Chi Kei. The event, which attracted nearly 1,000 people, included drama, magic performance, singing and dancing, as well as game booths and lucky draw, offering a chance for the public to have fun and to learn more about the 2016 Population By-census.
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The 30th Portuguese Language Summer Course, organised by the University of Macau (UM) Department of Portuguese, ended with great success today (5 August). This year’s course attracted approximately 400 students from around the world. During the three-week intensive training, participants spent time with over a dozen experienced Portuguese instructors every day and communicated with the instructors in Portuguese. Some participants said the course not only helped them learn more about the Portuguese language and the cultures of Portuguese-speaking countries, but also boosted their confidence when communicating in English. Launched in 1986, the Portuguese Language Summer Course aims to train bilingual students and to promote the Portuguese language and culture, through well-designed courses conducted by experienced instructors, tailor-made to suit the different levels of different students. This year’s course attracted students from the United Kingdom, the United States, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, East Timor, Australia, mainland China, Macao, Hong Kong, and other parts of the world. According to the course coordinator, Prof Ana Nunes, this year’s course was focused on improving the participants’ knowledge of the history and culture of Macao. In addition to the four levels offered in the previous years, namely the beginner’s level, the basic level, the intermediate level, and the advanced level, this year’s course also introduced a new level, the superior level. A class in translation between Chinese and Portuguese was also offered for the first time. Various activities, including visits to local museums and the Historical Centre of Macao, Portuguese folk dance, and choral singing, were organised to help participants learn more about the linguistic, historical, and cultural aspects of Macao and Portugal. Prof Nunes said this year saw the highest satisfaction rate among the participants. At the closing ceremony, students showcased what they had learned from the course, with some delivering a speech in Portuguese and others giving dance and singing performances. Jose Campos, in the beginner’s level class, is a Chinese Portuguese who grew up in a Chinese environment. ‘I participated in the course with the hope of learning the Portuguese language and culture,’ she said. Another participant, Pasky Ho from Hong Kong who was in the intermediate level class, said the course provides a perfect platform to learn the Portuguese language. ‘Earlier I visited Brazil and that experience made me develop a strong interest in the Portuguese language. We don’t really have the kind of language environment in Hong Kong that is conducive to learning Portuguese, so I chose the Portuguese department at UM for further studies,’ he says. ‘The Portuguese Language Summer Course offered by UM is very famous,’ says Amado from East Timor. ‘The course provides a very good opportunity to learn more about the cultures of Macao and Portugal. I’ll definitely recommend this course to my friends.’ Over the past 30 years, the Portuguese Language Summer Course has trained many bilingual professionals for Macao and many other regions and countries. This year’s course received support from government departments, including the Tertiary Education Services Office and the Education and Youth Affairs Bureau, as well as private institutions.
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Organized by the Cultural Affairs Bureau, the 30th Macao International Music Festival (MIMF) will be held from 1 October to 30 October, offering a total of 20 programmes and 27 excellent performances. Tickets will be on sale from 10am this Sunday, 7 August, at the Macau Ticketing Network; telephone and online bookings will be available from 12pm on the same day. On the first day of ticket sales, sales are limited to 10 tickets per performance and per person and to 2 tickets per person for free admission performances. The Cultural Affairs Bureau will distribute queuing vouchers at the Macau Ticketing Network starting from 9am on the first day of ticket sales. Purchasers can buy tickets according to the respective queuing vouchers. In celebration of the Pearl Jubilee of the MIMF, top-level musicians and ensembles from all over the world will gather in Macao. This edition of the MIMF, under the theme “Glorious 30 . The Sinophone Rhapsodies”, specially presents several works that demonstrate the charm of the Chinese culture. The vast programme includes the opening performance, Puccini’s opera in three acts, Turandot, the closing programme Chaplin Once More! with the collaboration of the Macao Orchestra, the world famous Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra (Russia), the brilliant jazz trumpeter Roy Hargrove, the chamber opera A Dream of Fragrancy created by local artists, the “Queen of Pipa” Zhang Hong Yan, the well-known huqin master, Xu Ke, the superb Mongolian State Morin Khuur Ensemble, Portugal’s new rising fado star Carminho, as well as a performance by the first Artistic Director of the MIMF and outstanding Portuguese pianist, Adriano Jordão. In addition, the concerts Bravo Macao! will be held on 29 September and 30 September, allowing local musicians to showcase their talent. Several early bird discounts are available on ticket purchases between 7 and 14 August, a 30% discount is available for ticket purchases for 4 or more different performances, of 10 or more tickets for the same performance, and for valid full-time Student Card or Teacher Card holders. Macao Senior Citizen Card or Disability Assessment Registration Card holders can enjoy 50% discount on ticket purchases (one discounted ticket per performance per card holder). Holders of BOC Multi-Currency Credit Card or BOC Card may also enjoy 30% discount on tickets for Turandot, A Dream of Fragrancy, From Russia with Classics and The Russian Legends. Besides, a 20% discount will be offered on the purchase of any 30th MIMF tickets for holders of BOC Multi-Currency Credit Card or BOC Card, as well as holders of ICBC Bank, BCM Bank, OCBC Wing Hang Bank’s MasterCard, VISA or UnionPay cards. For more details on the 30th MIMF’s programmes, please visit the Festival website at www.icm.gov.mo/fimm. For any inquiries, please call IC through tel. 8399 6699 during office hours. 24-hour ticketing hotline: 2855 5555. Ticketing website: www.macauticket.com.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that a total of 1,141 new companies were incorporated in the second quarter of 2016, a decrease of 153 year-on-year. Total value of registered capital dropped by 61.8% year-on-year to MOP140 million, attributable to a decrease in capital of new companies registered with capital of MOP1,000,000 or over. Analysed by industry, there were 400 new incorporations operating in Wholesale & Retail and 277 in Business Services. Companies in dissolution totalled 228 in the second quarter, and the value of registered capital of companies in dissolution amounted to MOP58 million. Analysed by size of registered capital, there were 786 new companies (68.9% of total) registered with capital under MOP50,000, and the total value of capital was MOP20 million. On the other hand, there were 24 new companies registered with capital of MOP1,000,000 or over, and the total value of capital amounted to MOP77 million (54.8% of total). As regards origin of capital, the majority of the capital came from Macao (MOP77 million) and Mainland China (MOP30 million). Capital from the 9 Provinces of the Pan-Pearl River Delta Region totalled MOP21 million (93.1% from Guangdong province), of which companies operating in Wholesale & Retail Trade and Information & Related Activities accounted for 52.2% and 24.3% respectively. Analysed by combination of shareholders, there were 778 new companies established solely by Macao shareholders, and 128 joint ventures between shareholders from Macao and other countries or regions. In the first half year of 2016, a total of 2,258 new companies were incorporated, down by 17.9% year-on-year; total value of registered capital decreased by 49.9% to MOP263 million. Number of companies in dissolution totalled 424, and the value of registered capital of companies in dissolution amounted to MOP111 million. At the end of the second quarter of 2016, number of registered companies totalled 54,892, an increase of 3,789 from a year earlier.
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