News

A total number of 3,614 cases were received by Consumer Council during the first six months of 2013. The total number of cases includes 843 complaint cases, 2,749 inquiries, and 22 suggestions. Number of cases received has dropped 4.68 percent compared to the figures from the same period of 2012. 415 cases or 11.48 percent of the total number of cases received were lodged by tourists.
Among the top five categories of complaint cases, 'telecommunication equipment and supplies' (109 cases, 12.93 percent of total) replaced 'telecommunication services' as top one of the first-half year. 'Telecommunication services' (97 cases, 11.5 percent of total) came next, followed by 'food and beverages' (78 cases, 9.25 percent of total) and 'electrical appliances' (46 cases, 5.46 percent of total). 'Tourism' and 'restaurants' (both 43 cases, 5.1 percent of total) replaced 'clothing and apparel' as number five of the first half of 2013.
For the 415 cases received from tourists, 187 were complaints. The top five complaint categories were 'telecommunication equipment and supplies' (33 cases), 'tourism' (19 cases), 'watches' (18 cases), 'photographic equipment and supplies' (15 cases) and 'clothing and apparel' (14 cases).
A detailed analysis of the number of cases received in the first six months of 2013 will be published later by the Council in its monthly magazine Consumer Report. For inquiry, please call 8988-9315.
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According to statistics released today by the Monetary Authority of Macao, new approvals of residential mortgage loans (RMLs) and commercial real estate loans (CRELs) grew in May 2013. With regard to outstanding balance, RMLs and CRELs both witnessed increases. New Lending Approved In May 2013, new RMLs approved by Macao banks rose 27.2% month-to-month to MOP4.1 billion; of which, 97.2% was extended to residents. In terms of value, new RMLs to residents and non-residents increased 26.9% and 38.2% respectively. When compared with the same period of 2012, new approvals of RMLs witnessed growth of 3.8%. New RMLs collateralised by uncompleted units (i.e. equitable mortgage) grew significantly by 189.6% month-to-month to MOP380.6 million. The equitable mortgage extended to residents, which accounted for 98.2% of the total, increased 185.9% while the amount to non-residents went up notably by 913.9%. When compared with the same period of 2012, this type of bank mortgage expanded by 146.4% New CRELs rose 31.6% month-to-month to MOP2.6 billion; of which, 99.3% was granted to residents. In terms of value, new CRELs to residents increased 35.5% whereas the amount to non-residents declined 75.2%. On an annual basis, new approvals of CRELs rose 33.2%. Outstanding Balances As at end-May 2013, the outstanding value of RMLs reached MOP104.5 billion, an increase of 2.2% from one month earlier or 29.0% from a year ago. The resident component made up 93.7% of the total. Compared to end-April 2013, outstanding RMLs to residents grew 2.5% whereas the amount to non-residents dropped 1.2%. Concurrently, the outstanding value of CRELs went up by 2.1% from end-April 2013 or 20.4% from end-May 2012 to MOP76.9 billion. Residents accounted for 91.9% of the loans. Compared with one month earlier, outstanding CRELs to residents grew 2.5% whereas the amount to non-residents went down by 1.2%. Delinquency Ratios At the end of May 2013, the delinquency ratio for RMLs stood at 0.05%, which was largely unchanged from one month earlier but down 0.01 percentage point from a year ago. The ratio for CRELs went down by 0.01 percentage point from end-April 2013 and end-May 2012 to 0.08%.
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Cheong U, secretary for social affairs and culture of Macao SAR, on 17 July called another cross-departmental meeting to discuss mattersrelated to the construction progress and handover of the University of Macau's (UM) new campus. Construction works inside the new campus have been overall finished. Relevant personnel are now testing electromechanical systems in order to remedy any possible defects. The underwater tunnel is scheduled to receive the first inspection of the fire protection system in late July. The fire protection systems in the various independent buildings on the new campus will receive inspection in stages. The public and private sections of the main roads inside the new campus have been laid with bitumen. In view of the latest inspection progress, UM has adjusted its relocation plan accordingly. According to the latest relocation plan, UM will relocate to the new campus in stages.Starting mid-August, some students will be arranged to move to the residential units on the new campus in batches. After the start of the next academic year in mid-September, a small percentage of the courses will be conducted on the new campus, and some academic support units and administrative units will also move to provide support. After the handover, the new campus will be put into operation in stages. Cheong U noted at the meeting that after the joint meeting held on 26 April this year, various tasks proceeded in an orderly manner. The Infrastructure Development Office and the contractor Nam Yue Group tried their best to speed up construction, and made arrangements for equipment testing and inspection of fire protection systems to be completed before the handover. Cheong U said that other departments concerned also provided full support with respect to the application of the laws of Macao SAR on the new campus. Cheong U thanked the various departments for their great support during the process of construction. He noted that the new UM campus is a significant project which the Macao SAR government and Macao residents care about deeply. He said that after the handover, the new campus will be governed by the laws of the Macao SAR, and he hopes that the various departments continue to strengthen collaboration and work together with a sense of ownership to complete the various new-campus-related tasks so as to create better conditions for Macao youth to receive quality higher education. At the meeting, representatives from the Infrastructure Development Office updated participants on the latest progress of the new campus. Representatives from UM reported the latest relocation plan. Various departments exchanged ideas about handover-related matters. Advisors of the Office of the Chief Executive, Office of the Secretary for Economy and Finance, Office of the Secretary for Security, Office of the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, and Office of the Secretary for Transport and Public Works; representatives from the Macao Customs Service and the Government Information Bureau; officials fromdepartments directly under the various secretariats; as well as UM's top management attended the meeting. Two representatives from the contractor sat in on the meeting.
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The Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On, met with the Director-General of World Health Organization (WHO), Dr Margaret Chan, to exchange views on the prevention and control of infectious diseases and co-operation on Chinese traditional medicine projects. The meeting took place at the official venue to receive VIPs, Santa Sancha, where Mr Chui thanked Dr Chan on behalf of the Macao Government for the WHO concern and long-term support on building of health and medical services, and in the prevention of communicable diseases. He said Macao and WHO have a close relationship, which was again highlighted in the recent H7N9 case when the Government, working in close contact with the WHO, quickly provided timely and comprehensive information and launched preventive plans which helped put the minds of residents at ease. Mr Chui said that the Macao Government would spare no efforts to safeguard the people's health by strictly following the guidance provided by WHO in dealing with public health issues. Dr Chan advised that it was necessary to closely monitor the changes of H7N9 virus in the winter, and that the WHO would keep in close contact with the Macao Government on this. She also expressed interests in the Traditional Chinese Medicine Science and Technology Industrial Park, and the co-operation project of traditional medicine between the Macao Government and the WHO, adding that WHO would soon announce its 10-year development plan for traditional medicine. On behalf of the Macao SAR Government and WHO, they had signed a co-operation agreement on Chinese traditional medicine on 28 July 2011. The terms of the agreement, which commenced from 2 September 2011 and ending on 31 December 2015, include holding training courses in Macao.
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With the aim of continuing to deepen the co-operation between Guangdong and Macao and implement joint investment promotion of the Guangdong-Macao Co-operation Industrial Park, enabling the Macao community and interested parties to have better understanding of the investment promotion procedures of the Guangdong-Macao Co-operation Industrial Park and relevant preferential policies in Hengqin, the "Guangdong-Macao Co-operation Industrial Park Joint Investment Promotion and Hengqin Policies Seminar" was jointly organised by the Commercial Office of the Economic Affairs Department of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Macao SAR, Department of Foreign Trade and Economic Co-operation of Guangdong Province, Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM), Administrative Committee of Hengqin New Area and the Zhuhai Investment Promotion Bureau. The seminar was held from 15:00 to 17:00 on Wednesday, 17 July 2013, at the Lotus Room located on the 5th floor of the Macao World Trade Centre Building. During the Seminar, speeches were made by Mr. Hu Jingyan, Deputy Director-General of Economic Affairs Department, Head of Commercial Office of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Macao SAR and Mr. Chen Yuehua, Deputy Director-General of Department of Foreign Trade and Economic Co-operation of Guangdong Province. Mr. Jackson Chang, IPIM's President, talked about the guidelines and arrangements of the joint investment promotion of the industrial park. Mr. Yezhen, Deputy Director of the Administrative Committee of Hengqin New Area, briefed on the priority industries, policies on taxation, customs clearance, finance and trade in services, as well as the business environment in Hengqin. Mr. Liuyang, Director of Exchange and Co-operation Bureau of the Administrative Committee of Hengqin New Area in Zhuhai, gave a presentation on the "Guiding Catalogue for the Development of Industries in the Hengqin New Area". Mr. Yanwu, Director of Finance Affairs Bureau of the Administrative Committee of Hengqin New Area, Zhuhai gave a presentation on the "Interim Administrative Measures of the Department of Finance of Guangdong Province on Subsidising the Differences in Personal Income Tax of Hong Kong and Macao Residents Working in the Hengqin New Area in Zhuhai". A Q & A session was held to enable participants to raise questions on the requirements and procedures of investing in the industrial park, as well as related preferential policies in Hengqin. Macao enterprises and investors interested in investing in the Guangdong and Macao Co-operation Industrial park may submit their application to Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) between 1 August to 31 October. Application Collection Counter of Guangdong-Macao Co-operation Industrial Park in Hengqin is located at IPIM's Macao Business Support Centre (address: 19th Floor, China Civil Plaza Building, 263 Alameda Dr. Carlos d'Assumpção, Macao). For enquiries, please contact 853-2872 8328 or email to onestopservcie@ipim.gov.mo, or visit IPIM's website www.ipim.gov.mo.
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From 1 to 9 July, Institute for Tourism Studies (IFT), Macao and Leeds Metropolitan University, U.K. jointly organised Summer International Exchange Programme 2013 in Yorkshire. U.K. Themed "Developing Cultural Tourism" this year, the Programme attracted 25 students from China (including Macao and Hong Kong), Japan and the United Kingdom to participate. In the nine-day programme, they acquired the knowledge about the theme through interacting and exchanging ideas with experts, industry professionals and officials, as well as conducting seminars, field trips and presentations. In the last day of the programme, the participants concluded what they had learnt in a sharing session and received certificates from the organiser. Since 1998, IFT has been organising the Summer Programme annually with different themes, and brought students from all over the world to Macao and IFT for cultural exchange. From 2009, IFT has been collaborating with an overseas partner, Asia-Pacific Education and Training Institutes in Tourism (APETIT), to conduct the Programme out of Macao for widening local students' horizon. This programme not only welcomes university students from Macao but also other countries and regions to join. Participants can have the unique opportunity to experience other cultures and get along with people from different cultural background that It is certainly beneficial for them to develop career in the tourism industry in the future. This is the fifth year that IFT organised the programme in cooperation with institutions outside Macao. Through conducting collaborations with institutions in other countries and regions alike, IFT strives to promote the globalised tourism education development of Macao.
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A male inmate from Mainland China, sentenced to imprisonment for homicide, lost consciousness while taking a shower at the detention zone yesterday (15 July). He was sent to the hospital for treatment but was certified dead later. The male inmate's surname Li, aged 47, Mainland Chinese resident, was born in Kaiping, Guangdong. He was sentenced to 18 years in prison for homicide in 1995. In February 2000, while serving his sentence, he was given a 15-year sentence for killing another inmate, making his total imprisonment 33 years. According to the Prison's medical records, inmate Li was suffering from a chronic illness. He commenced his psychiatric treatment in 2003. In 2009, he was diagnosed with chronic nephritis. The deterioration of his kidney function led to illnesses such as renal failure and secondary hypertension. Hence, starting from September 2011, he needed to undergo renal dialysis twice a week at the hospital. Inmate Li was confined on the single cell floor in Block 7 of the Male Detention Zone. Approximately 5:05 p.m. yesterday, inmate Li suddenly fainted while taking a shower. A foreign inmate witnessed that and called the on-duty prison guard for help. The prison guard instantaneously summoned the prison medical staff to perform first aid, and called an ambulance to transport the inmate to Conde S. Januário Hospital for emergency treatment. The hospital certified his death at 6:27 p.m.. Prison information indicates that there were no anomalies surrounding his death while the cause was yet to be confirmed. After the incident, prison social workers contacted his family, and would assist with the ensuing formalities and provide appropriate counseling services. Furthermore, the incident has been passed to the Judiciary Police while the Prison will initiate an internal investigation. In addition, two pregnant female inmates were sent to the hospital on an ambulance in early morning yesterday (15 July) and at the wee hours of today (16 July) respectively. One of the female inmate surname Ning gave birth to a baby girl on 15 July night; both mother and daughter are in good health. The other female inmate, surname Tian, is still in hospital. According to prison regulations, female inmates are entitled to living together with their newborns until they reach three years of age, per the internal regulations and conditions.
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Consumer Council conducted its specific price survey on household cleansing products on 15th July for the implementation of Section 2b), Article 10, Law 4/95/M of 12th June. Result of the mentioned survey has been uploaded to the Council's website (www.consumer.gov.mo) and is available in the Council's 'Supermarket Price Information Platform' iPhone and Android apps. For inquiry, please call the Council's hotline: 8988 9315.
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Consumer Council conducted its specific price survey on personal hygiene products on 12th July for the implementation of Section 2b), Article 10, Law 4/95/M of 12th June. Result of the mentioned survey has been uploaded to the Council's website (www.consumer.gov.mo) and is available in the Council's 'Supermarket Price Information Platform' iPhone and Android apps. For inquiry, please call the Council's hotline: 8988 9315.
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Institute for Tourism Studies emphasises on both theoretical and practical learning. Students can choose to perform a 6-month internship programme in Macao or overseas organisations which are related to their specialisations, so as to apply the theory and practical techniques they have learnt in classes to actual work environment. It is hoped that students can keep up with market demands and get ready for their future career. Besides studies, IFT always encourage and support students to join more public activities in the areas of sports, culture, language, art, creativity etc., in order to maintain their mental and physical well-being. In the academic year of 2012/13, IFT students participated in various extra-curricular activities and achieved outstanding results in sports events:
- The 9th University Games of the People's Republic of China - 100m Breaststroke Men 1st Runner-up, which broke the record of Macao and was the first medal that students in Macao had ever won in this game;
- FINA World Championships, Sweden - participated and broke 2 short course records of Macao:
- Macao University Bowling Championship – the Champion
- Macau Open Taekwondo Championship - the Champion in Black Belt Female Adult Group A and 2nd Runner-up in Male Group F
- Macao University Volleyball Championship – the Champion in both women and men category;
- The 21st Hong Kong University Science and Technology Volleyball Tournament – the Champion in men category and 2nd Runner-up in women category Other than sports activities, students also enthusiastically engaged and performed very well in other activities such as the 1st Young Macanese Cooking Competition, the 10th Macao Inter-Tertiary Debate Competition, the 4th Higher Educational Institutions Games' Challenge in Pearl River Delta Region, the 5th Tourism and Hospitality Quiz, the 2nd Macao-wide Business Knowledge Competition, the 8th Macao Inter-Universities Writing Competition, etc. IFT has been offering various types of extra-curricular activities for students to join, including jazz dance, step aerobics, Portuguese folk dance, samba, oil painting, sketching, architectural drawing, photography, film appreciation, choir, guitar, dragon boat, fencing, volleyball, badminton, basketball, squash, soccer, hockey, taekwondo, English/Mandarin debate, Portuguese, French, everyday Mandarin for foreigners, professional etiquette, theme cake workshop, skin care and make up workshop. IFT hopes that students can effectively utilise their spare time, participate in more extra-curricular activities to get to know more people and new things in order to broaden their view and social network, these are all the essentials that tourism professionals should possess.
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