News

The Government aims to transform Macao into an international city and to create more favourable conditions for living and working, and for transport, travel and entertainment. These are the major development goals for Macao in the coming five years, said the Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On, when he chaired on 3 November the first meeting of the Committee for Development of the World Centre of Tourism and Leisure. The Committee will assist the Government in transforming Macao into a World Centre of Tourism and Leisure (an approach also known as the “Centre” policy). The Government’s medium-term plan is to help the “Centre” policy to achieve concrete results. To realise the Government’s overall vision for the city, the Chief Executive also outlined seven aspirations. These are: to maintain economic vitality; develop the structure of local industry; optimise infrastructure in pursuit of creating an international tourism city; to enhance local people’s quality of life; improve education quality; raise awareness on environmental protection; and strengthen the effectiveness of governance and boost the rule of law. These aspirations aim to help Macao manage its macroeconomic policy, and to strengthen the establishment of long-term mechanisms for delivery of education, social security, healthcare, housing and cultivation of local talent. Detailed proposals on delivery of these goals will be published in the Policy Address for the Fiscal Year 2016. The Committee will then set up a website and other relevant tools to collect public opinion. Mr Chui highlighted some of the specific outcomes sought via this approach. They include: to optimise further the planning of the city; to improve the city’s transportation network and quality of telecommunication services; to help boost emerging industries; to strengthen support for local small- and medium-sized enterprises; to encourage regional integration; to ensure employment priority for local residents; and to streamline the administration team for greater executive effectiveness. This five-year plan incorporates advice from the National Development and Reform Commission, from Tsinghua University in Beijing and from other agencies. It also takes the country’s five-year plans and other studies on the “Centre” policy as reference points in formulating future development. Members of the Committee for Development of the World Centre of Tourism and Leisure also present at the meeting included: the Secretary for Economy and Finance, Mr Leong Vai Tac; the Secretary for Transport and Public Works, Mr Raimundo Rosário; the Chief-of-Office of the Chief Executive’s Office, Ms O Lam; the Chief-of-Office of the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture’s Office, Mr Lai Ieng Kit; the Government Spokesperson, Mr Chan Chi Ping; the Director of the Policy Research Office, Mr Lau Pun Lap; advisors to the Chief Executive’s Office, Mr Wu Kan and Ms Lei Ngan Leng; and the Deputy Director of the Policy Research Office, Mr Ung Hoi Ian. The Committee for Development of the World Centre of Tourism and Leisure was formed last week. It is responsible for drafting a blueprint for tourism development for the next five years. The Committee will conduct research and offer advice on policies to help transform Macao into a World Centre of Tourism and Leisure.
…

The Wireless Communication Laboratory under the University of Macau’s (UM) Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Rohde & Schwarz Hong Kong Ltd (RSHK). Both parties agree to increase collaboration in the training of wireless communication professionals in Macao and in the development of innovative wireless communication systems. Several collaborative initiatives are included under the MOU, including the intention to establish a joint laboratory and the donation of advanced equipment in the field of wireless technology, with the aim of providing professional training, creating an R&D platform, enhancing the quality of education and research in wireless communication, and promoting the development of related technologies in Macao. The collaboration will allow UM students from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering to put their knowledge into practice and will create more overseas internship opportunities for students majoring in the related areas. Heino Gregorek, vice president for sales and marketing, Asia Middle, Rohde & Schwarz Ltd, and Prof Tam Kam Weng, associate dean of the FST, officiated at the MOU signing ceremony. After the ceremony, representatives of RSHK demonstrated various features of its products, including EMI debugging, interference hunting, network coverage measurement, and network benchmarking.
…

Review of the submitted works for the Macao Annual Visual Arts Exhibition 2016 – Western Media Category, organized by the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC, from the Portuguese acronym), completed between 10 and 11 October, at the exhibition room of the Old Court Building. A total of 361 works by 176 local artists were submitted. Following a thorough evaluation, the jury selected 83 works to be included in the exhibition as well as the 10 best works among them. The Macao Annual Visual Arts Exhibition aims to promote the city’s visual arts works, encourage innovation and seek for local talents in artistic fields. This edition of the Exhibition is dedicated to western media and Awards of Distinction are: “Tree．Person Series” by Lee On Yee; “Coloane Shipyard” by Sam Pak Fai; “Wool Sweater” by Wu Hin Long; “All Living Things Series 1 and 2” by Cheong Hang Fong; “Refuge for All” by Leong Wai Lap; “Screen” by Chan Un Man; “Changing City” by Chan Hin Io; “Ruins of St. Paul No. 1” by Mak Kuong Weng; “Shushan 02” by Ieong Man Pan; and “Crossing” by Cai Yi Lang. The 83 selected works include 28 paintings, 22 photographs, 14 prints, 7 ceramic pieces, 3 sculptures, 7 mixed works and 2 videos. The guest jury panel included the President of the Beijing Shangyuanren Artists’ Association and national first level artist, Li Xiang Ming; Guangzhou’s Fine Arts Academy Associate Professor and Masters Advisor, Yang Xiao Hua; multimedia and digital arts creator and Assistant Professor at the Department of Design of the Hong Kong Polytechnic Institute, Hung Keung; the Director of Taipei Artist Village, Wu Ta-Kun; and Malaysian artist Kuik Ching Chieh. Selected works will be shown during the 27th Macao Arts Festival. The list of selected works is available at the Old Court Building and Tap Seac Gallery, and can also be accessed through IC’s webpage at www.icm.gov.mo. For the non-selected works, artists can retrieve them between 27 and 30 November, from 10am to 7pm, at the Old Court Building. Respective artists must present the original submission receipt and their identification document. Should the work(s) be collected by a representative, he/she must also present an authorization letter signed by the artist as well as an identification document copy of both artist and the representative. The organizer reserves the right to dispose non-collected works out of the collection period if needed. For more information, please attend in person to the Old Court Building during the collection period or contact Mr. Sio through the telephone number 8399 6628, during office hours.
…

Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the average daily wage of construction workers increased by 9.5% quarter-to-quarter to MOP771 in the third quarter of 2015, due to increase in demand for workers engaging in interior finishing works of large-scale entertainment facilities in progress in Cotai. The average daily wage of non-resident construction workers (MOP661) rose by 8.5% quarter-to-quarter, while that of local construction workers (MOP980) went up by 3.7%. The average daily wage of skilled & semi-skilled workers was MOP776, up by 9.8% quarter-to-quarter. Among the principal occupations, the average daily wages of carpenters (MOP931), concrete formwork carpenters (MOP897) and electricians & electrical workers (MOP818) increased by 5.8%, 4.3% and 3.9% quarter-to-quarter respectively. However, the average daily wage of plumbers (MOP711) fell by 8.4%. Meanwhile, the average daily wage of unskilled workers was MOP398, down by 1.7%. After discounting the effect of inflation, the wage index of construction workers (101.9) increased by 3.8% quarter-to-quarter in real terms, while that of local construction workers (126.4) rose by 1.2%. As regards construction materials, the average price of concrete increased by 3.0% quarter-to-quarter, at MOP784 per cubic metre in the third quarter of 2015; the average price of spiral & round reinforcing steel bars decreased by 0.8% to MOP4,533 per tonne. Meanwhile, the price index of construction materials for residential buildings (132.2) in the third quarter of 2015 edged up by 0.5% quarter-to-quarter.
…

A memorial service for the Director General of the Macao Customs Service, Ms Lai Man Wa, will be held tomorrow at Kiang Wu Hospital Funeral Home, Government Spokesperson Mr Chan Chi Ping announced today. The ceremony will be followed by a funeral at St Michael’s Cemetery on Thursday, said Mr Chan at a press conference held this afternoon at the headquarters of the Judiciary Police. The press conference was called in order to reveal more information on the case and clarify any doubts. It was attended by the Secretary for Security, Mr Wong Sio Chak; the Commissioner General of the Unitary Police Service, Mr Ma Io Kun; the Director of the Judiciary Police, Mr Chau Wai Kuong; and a forensic expert of the Conde S. Januário Hospital, Mr O Heng Wa. Mr Wong reiterated that there was no evidence found so far to invalidate the initial findings of the investigation – that Ms Lai had committed suicide on 30 October. The handling of the case had been in line with legislation and with internal police guidelines, he added. He said the Government would continue to investigate the case in depth and will announce any further findings in due course, noting that there was a great deal of interest in information about the case. To fulfil the public’s right to know, the Secretary revealed details of the case based on the information gathered by the authorities, and after approval from the Public Prosecutions Office. The information gathered indicates the following: Ms Lai returned to her apartment in Ocean Gardens at 1.24pm on 30 October and left the building at 2.35pm on the same day. Ms Lai was then seen at 2.37pm walking to the location where her body was later found. The police received a call reporting the case at 3:30pm. An emergency medical team arrived at the scene at 3:38pm and on-site treatment was tendered at 3:40pm. Ms Lai was transported to Conde S. Januário Hospital at 4.03pm and certified dead at 4.41pm. Mr Wong denied allegations from some sources that the police had somehow concealed the truth and hindered media coverage, saying such claims were unfair on his team. Mr O Heng Wa, who examined the body at the hospital emergency room on 30 October, said forensic investigations indicated Ms Lai committed suicide and the cause of her death was suffocation. He added her urine samples were found positive for Benzodiazepine, a drug used to treat anxiety and insomnia. Mr Ma Io Kun additionally recalled that there was nothing strange about Ms Lai’s demeanour when he spoke to her by telephone on the morning of the day of her death.
…

On 3rd November 2015, the government of the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China and the government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, acting in full accordance with the United Nations Convention Against Corruption, held a signing ceremony at the Macao Government Headquarters for the return of the illicit assets confiscated in the case of Ao Man Long from the United Kingdom to the Macao Special Administrative Region. Chan Hoi Fan, Secretary for Administration and Justice of the Macao Special Administrative Region, and Caroline Wilson, Consul General to Hong Kong and Macao of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, representing respective governments, met and signed the certificate. Under this arrangement, the government of United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland will return a sum of £28,718,752.63, equivalent to about 350 million Patacas, to the government of the Macao Special Administrative Region. Until today, most of Ao’s proceeds of corruption abroad that the Macao Court ordered to confiscate have already been successfully recovered. Secretary Chan Hoi Fan indicated that the UNCAC, as an international anti-corruption instrument, has established a very important legal system for fighting corruption at international level. The mechanisms for recovery of property and return of assets, in particular, provided the legal basis on which we are able to establish close cooperation with and to recover the illicit assets from the British Government. In 2010, with the strong support and assistance from the Central Government, the Macao SAR Government conveyed the request to the British Government via diplomatic channels for returning the corruption proceeds in Ao’s case. It is commonly known that executing a court’s order of confiscation of corruption proceeds abroad is a difficult part in law enforcement. It involves complicated procedures including the request for legal assistance sent to the foreign State Party in which the illicit assets are located, the requested State Party’s recognition of the court judgement made by the requesting State Party and the seizure of the illicit assets. During the course of cooperation, the law enforcement agencies of the United Kingdom demonstrated a high level of professionalism, commitment and cooperative spirit, for which the government of the Macao SAR owes much gratitude and appreciation. In the process of enforcing the court’s order, the Commission Against Corruption and the Public Prosecutions Office of the Macao SAR had also made enormous efforts over the years to recover the assets. The British Government returning the confiscated assets is indeed an exemplary case of the successful implementation of the UNCAC. It has significant implications for fighting crimes, upholding justice and combating money laundering abroad.
…

Consumer Council conducted its first ‘Supermarket price survey’ in November on 3 November for the implementation of Section 2b), Article 10, Law 4/95/M of 12 June. Surveyed locations included supermarkets near Areia Preta and Avenida de Venceslau de Morais in N. Sra. de Fátima Parish. The latest ‘Supermarket Price Survey’ is now available on Consumer Council’s website (www.consumer.gov.mo), ‘Supermarket Price Information Platform’ iPhone and Android apps, and on the Council’s WeChat account page. The survey is also available free of charge at the offices of Consumer Council, IACM’s Iao Hon and S. Domingos Markets, bookstores and libraries. Consumers may also access the resources through WAP channels on their mobile phones. With reference to the local six parishes and the number of supermarkets in each parish, the Council has divided around 100 supermarkets into 8 areas for price collection. The Council collects prices from these supermarkets for the provision of a more comprehensive database for consumers to check price discrepancies and make price comparisons according to their desired locations. For inquiry, please call 8988 9315.
…

The Macao Orchestra under the auspices of the Cultural Affairs Bureau will stage the chamber music concert All About Strings at 8:00pm on Saturday 7th November 2015. The concert will present two iconic string ensemble works, just like having a touched conversation with audience by music. Macao Orchestra will perform Ludwig van Beethoven’s String Quartet in B-flat Major, and Felix Mendelssohn’s String Octet in E-flat Major in this performance. The creation of the String Quartet ran throughout the entire musical career of Beethoven and the repertoire was an early work of the composer. With fresh and brisk rhythm, the piece is concise and intelligible, demonstrating the influences of Franz Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and other predecessors. Haydn once said the string quartet was a conversation between four individuals. The four string instruments are like four people with different personalities: one of them speaks softly, another echoes the others’ words, while the other one speaks eloquently. Mendelssohn was one of the important composers in the Romantic Period. He completed String Octet in E-flat Major at the age of 16. This outstanding piece of chamber music in the history of Western music was inspired by Faust, the tour de force of the literary giant Johan Wolfgang von Goethe, and was hailed ‘reaching perfection’ with magnificent symphony momentum by Robert Schumann. Tickets for the chamber music concert All About Strings are priced at MOP120 and MOP100. Ticketing hotline: 2855 5555. For details of programme, please visit Macao Orchestra website: www.icm.gov.mo/om.
…

Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that total number of licensed motor vehicles reached 246,452 at the end of September 2015, up by 4.3% year-on-year; motorcycles and light private cars accounted for 52.0% and 41.3% respectively. New registration of motor vehicles in September increased slightly by 12 year-on-year to 1,635; new registration of motor vehicles in the first three quarters (14,757) decreased by 2.4% year-on-year due to a 12.6% decline in that of light private cars. Traffic accident casualties totalled 394 in September, with 1 being killed. In the first three quarters, number of traffic accidents (11,747 cases) edged up by 0.1% year-on-year, resulting in 4,010 casualties and 10 of them were killed. Cross-border vehicle traffic totalled 418,089 trips in September 2015, up by 4.7% year-on-year. In the first three quarters, cross-border vehicle traffic (3,819,356 trips) increased by 4.6% year-on-year, with 77.5% crossing the Border Gate. Passenger ferry movements between Macao and Hong Kong and between Macao and Mainland China in the first three quarters (109,618 trips) increased by 3.8% year-on-year, with the Ferry Terminal at the Outer Harbour sharing 66.4% of the total. The Macao International Airport had 4,131 commercial flight movements in September 2015, up by 5.6% year-on-year. In the first three quarters, commercial flight movements (38,702 trips) increased by 9.1% year-on-year, with movements to and from Mainland China, Taiwan and Thailand rising by 5.8%, 3.7% and 16.6% respectively. Meanwhile, helicopter flight movements between Macao and Hong Kong and between Macao and Mainland China totalled 1,204 in September, up significantly by 64.0% year-on-year; helicopter flight movements in the first three quarters (10,553 trips) decreased by 3.7% year-on-year. Gross weight of seaborne containerized cargo increased by 35.8% year-on-year to 25,163 tonnes in September 2015. Seaborne container throughput totalled 12,241 TEU, equivalent to 8,249 containers handled, up by 17.4% and 16.3% respectively year-on-year. In the first three quarters, gross weight of seaborne containerized cargo (199,290 tonnes) increased by 11.0%, of which 58.7% passed through Ka Ho Harbour; seaborne container throughput (112,396 TEU) and containers handled (75,815) increased by 9.2% and 6.1% respectively. Gross weight of containerized cargo by land totalled 2,632 tonnes in September and 18,112 tonnes in the first three quarters, down by 18.7% and 15.8% respectively year-on-year. The Macao International Airport handled 2,646 tonnes of air cargo in September 2015, up by 4.2% year-on-year. In the first three quarters, inward air cargo (5,415 tonnes) and outward air cargo (11,376 tonnes) increased by 16.1% and 4.2% respectively year-on-year. Taiwan remained the major origin and destination of air cargo; inward air cargo from Taiwan (61.0% of total) and outward air cargo to Taiwan (42.1% of total) rose by 34.9% and 3.0% respectively year-on-year. Transit air cargo increased by 14.5% year-on-year to 4,614 tonnes. At the end of September 2015, number of fixed-line telephone subscribers decreased by 4.1% year-on-year to 148,307. Number of mobile telephone subscribers increased by 7.6% to 1,816,020, of which stored-value GSM card subscribers shared 62.8%. As regards internet services, number of subscribers totalled 325,920, up by 10.2% year-on-year. The cumulative duration of usage in the first three quarters (786 million hours) rose by 11.9% year-on-year.
…

(Macao—31 October 2015) The exhibition of the "Precious Moments in Macao" 2015 Photography Competition opened today at Lou Lim Ieoc Garden Pavilion, showcasing 58 winning entries. Speaking at the opening ceremony, the Director of the Government Information Bureau (GCS), Mr Chan Chi Ping, said that from the “New Faces of Macao” during 2004 and 2009 to the current “Precious Moments in Macao”, the photography competition has stood testimony to the rapid growth of Macao. As the name of the competition implies, Macao people are still able to discover the beauty of the city and feel the harmony between Macao and its people from the winning photos even though the city has put on a new face, said Mr Chan. Response to this year’s competition was overwhelming: More than 220 contestants submitted a total of 952 entries of various themes. Mr Chan pointed out that the special feature prize of this year’s competition is titled “Creative Industries for Economic Diversification” since the Government has been actively promoting the creative sector in recent years, adding that the fledgling sector has been thriving under a series of supporting policies. A total of five entries that reflect the diversity and vitality of the creative and cultural sector were awarded the special feature prize by the Macao Yearbook Editorial Committee. This year’s competition is jointly organised by the GCS, eight photographic associations and five media organisations – Photographic Society of Macao, Photography Salon Society of Macao, Macao Association for the Promotion of Photographic Art, Macao Association of Photographers, Macau Multi Media Photographic Association, Macao Association of Photographic Art, Macao Camera Lens Art Association, Macao Digital Photography Association, Macao Media Workers Association, Macao Journalists Club, Macao Journalists Association, Macao Media Club and Macao Association of Sports Journalists. From the 952 submissions, 53 winning entries were selected after five rounds of professional evaluation. The top three winners are: First Prize: Lam Sze Chun; Title: Colourful Life Second Prize: Wan Wai Sai; Title: Happy New Year Third Prize: Leong Son Io Antonio; Title: Marching to the Future The winning works of the "Precious Moments in Macao" 2015 Photography Competition will be displayed at the Lou Lim Ieoc Garden Pavilion from 1 to 6 November 2015, during the opening hours from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. All visitors are welcome. The GCS will continue to host photography competitions to capture the amazing moments of people’s everyday lives in Macao.
…