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Two more imported Influenza A (H1N1) cases have been confirmed today, taking the total number of confirmed cases to 20, the Health Bureau announced. The 19th confirmed patient was a 26-year-old Macao citizen who worked at a casino. He visited Guangzhou from 19 to 22 June and went to Hong Kong from 23 to 25 June. He developed flu symptoms on 27 June and went to Kiang Wu Hospital for medical attention the next day. His test sample was sent to Hospital Conde S. Januário, and the test result confirmed that he had contracted the virus. It was believed that he had not contracted the virus at the workplace since he had been taking leave from 19 June. His parents and a friend were considered as close contact persons and had to stay at home for medical observation and take medication. The 20th confirmed patient was a nine-year-old Macao citizen who lived and studied in Hong Kong. She went to Macao with her mother and uncle on 26 June and developed flu symptoms such as fever and cough the next day. On 28 June, her mother brought her to the Taipa branch of Kiang Wu Hospital for medical attention and the girl was later transferred to Hospital Conde S. Januário. She was tested positive for the virus in the evening. Her mother and uncle, considered as close contact persons, were required to undergo medical observation and take anti-virus medication. The Bureau also announced that two female patients were discharged from hospital today after recovering from the disease. Currently there were 12 confirmed Influenza A (H1N1) patients receiving treatment at the quarantine wards at Hospital Conde S. Januário. Four people were placed under medical observation at a designated venue and 13 people were asked to stay at home for medical observation. Macao’s pandemic alert remained at Level VI, Blue, which indicated no outbreaks, no fatal cases and no more than 20 patients were being treated at hospital at one time.
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The Monetary Authority of Macao announced today that the preliminary estimate of Macao SAR’s foreign exchange reserves amounted to MOP140.6 billion (USD17.61 billion) at the end of May 2009. The reserves rose by 2.4% from the revised value of MOP137.4 billion (USD17.21 billion) for the previous month. When compared with the same period last year, the reserves increased by MOP24.2 billion or 20.8%. Macao SAR’s foreign exchange reserves at end-May 2009 represented 31 times the currency in circulation or 251.2% of Pataca M2 at end-April 2009. The trade-weighted effective exchange rate index for the pataca, a gauge of the domestic currency’s exchange rates against the currencies of Macao’s major trading partners, fell by 1.25 points month-to-month but rose by 4.10 points year-on-year to 91.34 in May 2009. For enquiry, please contact:
Research and Statistics Department, Monetary Authority of Macao (Tel: 83952532; Fax: 28353042)
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According to statistics released today by the Monetary Authority of Macao, on a monthly basis, money supply M2 increased in April. As both deposits with banks and total loans slid slightly, the loan-to-deposit ratio remained largely unchanged from a month ago. Money supply
Currency in circulation increased whereas demand deposits noted a decline. M1 thus shrank 6.0% month-to-month. On the other hand, quasi-monetary liabilities rose 1.4%. The sum of these two items, i.e. M2, grew slightly by 0.4% to MOP197.5 billion. On an annual basis, M1 and M2 rose 10.7% and 6.8% respectively. The share of Pataca (MOP) in M2 stood at 28.4%, up 0.1 percentage point over a month ago or 0.6 percentage points over a year earlier. Concurrently, the share of Hong Kong Dollar (HKD) in M2 was 53.5%, down 0.1 percentage point month-to-month or up 0.2 percentage points year-on-year. Deposits
Resident deposits rose by 0.4% from the previous month to MOP192.9 billion. Of which, MOP deposits, HKD deposits and other foreign currency deposits grew at respective rates of 0.6%, 0.3% and 0.5%. On the contrary, non-resident deposits and public sector deposits with the banking sector fell 2.6% (to MOP70.6 billion) and 2.9% (to MOP13.2 billion) respectively. As a result, total deposits with the banking sector edged down by 0.6% from the previous month to MOP276.7 billion. The shares of MOP and HKD in total deposits were 22.4% and 45.3% respectively. Loans
Domestic loans to the private sector grew 0.2% month-to-month to MOP92.0 billion. Among which, MOP19.2 billion was MOP-denominated and MOP66.8 billion was denominated in HKD, representing 20.8% and 72.6% of the total respectively. On the other hand, external loans dropped by 2.0% to MOP56.5 billion; of which, loans denominated in MOP and HKD accounted for 1.9% and 57.6% respectively of the total, at values of MOP1.1 billion and MOP32.5 billion. Loan-to-deposit ratios
As the growth pace of domestic loans to the private sector is similar to that of resident deposits and public sector deposits with the banking sector, the loan-to-deposit ratio for the resident sector at end-April 2009 remained virtually unchanged from a month ago at 44.7%. The ratio for both the resident and non-resident sectors also stayed flat at 53.7%.
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Law No. 8/2009 of “The Scheme of Macao Special Administrative Region Travel Documents” and Administrative Regulation No. 20/2009 were published in the Official Gazette of the Macao SAR on 15 May 2009 and 29 June 2009 respectively, stipulating the basic legal system of the Macao SAR electronic travel documents and the detailed rules of implementation. 1. Features and Types of Electronic Travel Documents Due to the development trend of travel documents nowadays, many countries and regions have already issued electronic travel documents. With the considerations of current Macao SAR travel documents being used for nearly 10 years and the first-batch issuance of Macao SAR travel documents being due for replacement soon, the Macao SAR will start issuing electronic travel documents. At the same time, to comply with the standard of International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) for new travel documents, the new Macao SAR electronic travel documents is embedded with a chip which stores the holder’s identification information. This helps to reinforce the security of documents and hit document forgery, illegal immigration and transnational crimes related to counterfeit documents. The new travel documents are still divided into two types: passports and travel permits. The design of the front cover remains unchanged except an electronic travel document symbol ( ) is added. Inner pages are incorporated with new design and more advanced security features, whereas the personal information page is newly designed. The chip is embedded in the back cover of the document and digitally stores the personal information, photograph and fingerprint image of the holder. 2. Date of Issuance Electronic travel documents will be issued from 1 September 2009. 3. Eligibility I Passport Persons duly fulfill the following criteria can be issued a passport:
i. a Chinese citizen; and
ii. a holder of a Macao SAR Permanent Resident Identity Card. II Travel Permit (a) Persons duly fulfill the following criteria can be issued a travel permit:
i. a Chinese citizen with the status of Macao SAR non-permanent resident; and ii. ineligible to apply for any other travel document.
(b) Persons possess a valid identity card proving the eligibility of refugee, in accordance with Article 23(2)(1) of Law No.1/2004, can be issued a travel permit, provided that they must submit the holding national passport or any other travel documents to the Identification Services Bureau which will then submit the relevant documents to the refugee committee.
(c) Under special circumstances, the director of the Identification Services Bureau can issue a travel permit to persons not satisfying the abovementioned regulations. The director of Identification Services Bureau must take the considerations of the factors of public interest and humanity, and other public entities can be consulted for opinions. Chinese citizen refers to persons of Chinese nationality in accordance with the “Nationality Law of the People’s Republic of China” and the “Explanations Concerning the Implementation of the Nationality Law of the People’s Republic of China in the Macao Special Administrative Region”. 4. Valid Period I Passport (a) The valid period is 5 years if the document holder is aged below 18 on issuance date;
(b) The valid period is 10 years if the document holder is aged 18 or above on issuance date. II Travel Permits are valid for a period of 5 years. 5. Replacement I Application Formalities The application of travel documents must be lodged with the Identification Services Bureau by the applicant in person. If the applicant is an underage, a quasi-interdicted or an interdicted person, application must be signed by both parents or the legal representative. The legal representative or guardian must present a documentary proof of such identity. The application of travel documents consists of the following documents:
(a) Application form;
(b) Photocopy of the applicant’s Macao SAR Permanent Resident Identity Card;
(c) Photocopy of the identification document of both parents or the guardian if the applicant is underage;
(d) Photocopy of the identification document of the legal representative if the applicant is an interdicted or a quasi-interdicted person;
(e) Recent photograph;
(f) Applicant’s fingerprint; and (g) Other documents required by laws and regulations. II Application by Appointment Appointment can be made via our service hotlines (2837-0777 or 2837-0888) or at this bureau in person to confirm a specific date and time. Appointment is made on first come first served basis. The appointment service is also applicable to first-time application and replacement for reasons of loss, damage and etc. III Overseas Application If applicants are in other countries or regions, a request for application form can be made to diplomatic or consular authorities of the People’s Republic of China in foreign countries and other foreign institutions authorized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or to the Identification Services Bureau by mail. The applicants should also submit documents of proving why they cannot make the application at the Identification Services Bureau in person (e.g. proofs of education, employment and etc). 6. Existing Version of Macao SAR Travel Documents will Remain Valid until their Expiry The existing version of Macao SAR travel documents will remain valid until their expiry. Applications for replacing the new electronic travel documents can be made before the expiry of current travel documents. However, applications lodged by holders of expired and to-be-expired travel documents will be processed at a higher priority. 7. Processing Time I The process of application is normally completed in 10 working days after the day of submission of all necessary documents. Under special circumstances, the Identification Services Bureau may adjust the processing time.
II If travel documents are requested to be issued in 2 working days, extra processing fees will be collected according to relevant regulation.
III The Identification Services Bureau may take necessary measures for verification for cases of damaged, stolen or lost travel documents; therefore, the processing time for the replacement can be extended to 60 days at maximum. 8. Photograph Standard The photograph standard remains the same as the existing version of Macao SAR travel documents. The photograph must be 1 1/2 inch, coloured, bareheaded and in white background. 9. Application Fees I The application fees remain unchanged as follows:
(a) Passport is MOP300;
(b) Travel Permit is MOP250;
(c) Extra processing fee is MOP150 if the travel document is requested to be issued in 2 working days. II If the applicant cannot present the original Macao SAR travel document or the replacement is made for the reason of damaged travel document, the extra processing fees to be collected remain unchanged as follows:
(a) MOP150 for 1st time;
(b) MOP300 for 2nd time;
(c) MOP600 for 3rd time;
(d) MOP1,200 for 4th time;
(e) MOP2,400 for 5th time or above. 10. Serial Numbers I Passport number is composed of 2 letters of the alphabet and 7 Arabic numbers for identification.
II Travel Permit number is composed of 2 letters of the alphabet and 6 Arabic numbers for identification. 11. Enquiry Please call 2837-0777 or 2837-0888 for enquiries about application formalities of Macao SAR travel documents, or visit the official website of the Identification Services Bureau (www.dsi.gov.mo) for further details.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the unemployment rate for March-May 2009 was 3.5%, down by 0.3 percentage point over the previous period (February-April), but up by 0.6 percentage point year-on-year. Total labour force was similar to the previous period, at 333,000 in March-May, with an employed population of 321,000 and number of the unemployed decreasing by 1,100 to about 12,000. Among the unemployed, 9.9% (1,200) were fresh labour force entrants searching for their first job, up by 0.6 percentage point over the previous period. Except Manufacturing and Transport, Storage & Communications, the unemployment situation has shown improvement in all other sectors. Labour force participation rate for March-May 2009 (72.6%) held stable from the previous period, but fell by 0.2 percentage point year-on-year. The underemployment rate was 1.7%, down by 0.1 percentage point over the preceding period, but up by 0.1 percentage point year-on-year.
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A 25-year-old Macao citizen who worked for a casino was confirmed as Macao’s second local Influenza A (H1N1) case today, the Health Bureau announced. The patient developed flu symptoms on 24 June and sought medical attention at Hospital Conde S. Januário yesterday afternoon and was tested positive for the virus later. He was considered as a locally infected case since he had no travel history seven days before the flu symptoms were developed, despite having visited Hong Kong with his wife on 15 to 16 June. His wife was regarded as a close contact person and had to stay at home for medical observation. The Bureau also reported one more imported case as a five-year-old boy was tested positive for the virus yesterday evening. The patient, a kindergarten student, visited his relatives in the Philippines with his parents from 12 to 25 June, where he attended classes from 16 to 19 June. He developed flu symptoms on 22 June and received treatment and medication in the Philippines and his body temperature returned to normal on 24 June. After returning to Macao on 25 June, he went to school for a rehearsal of graduation ceremony on 26 June and had fever again that evening. He went to Hospital Conde S. Januário for medical attention after being turned down from attending the graduation ceremony and was tested positive for Influenza A (H1N1). His parents and an aunt were regarded as close contact person that required medical observation and medication. Currently there were 12 confirmed Influenza A (H1N1) patients receiving treatment at the quarantine wards at Hospital Conde S. Januário. Four people were placed under medical observation at a designated venue and 14 people were asked to stay at home for medical observation.
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The 11th National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee passed a bill today to give Macao jurisdiction over the new campus of the University of Macau (UM) on Hengqin Island. Macao would exercise jurisdiction over the new campus upon its completion, which is expected to be within three years. At that time the plot of land would be rented to Macao until 19 December, 2049. The Chief Executive, Mr Edmund Ho Hau Wah, said at a press conference today that the decision by the Central Government demonstrated its support nurturing talents and maintaining the prosperity and stability of Macao. It also showed the co-operation of Guangdong Province and Zhuhai in supporting Macao, Mr Ho said. On behalf of the Macao SAR Government, Mr Ho expressed gratitude to the Central Government, Guangdong Province and Zhuhai. In the last two years, the UM University Council and University Assembly had been in discussion with the Government on the feasibility of setting up a campus on Hengqin Island, and submitted a proposal last year. The Government highly regarded and supported the proposal and submitted a report to the Central Government regarding moving UM to Hengqin and authorising Macao to exercise jurisdiction over the new campus, Mr Ho said. During the 5th Anniversary celebration of the Macao SAR, the President, Mr Hu Jintao, urged Macao to speed up nurturing talents for the development of the SAR. Thus, the Central Government had approved Macao’s request and submitted a bill to the NPC in order to give Macao the power to exercise jurisdiction over the new campus on Hengqin, which is currently under the jurisdiction of Zhuhai. The new campus would be located on the eastern coast of Hengqin Island and to the south of the Lotus Bridge, just across a narrow marine channel from Macao, said the Secretary for Transport and Public Works, Mr Lau Si Io. The campus will cover 1.0926 square kilometres, about 20 times larger than the current campus. A tunnel will be built under the channel to enable 24-hour commuting between the Hengqin campus and Macao, and people entering or leaving the campus will not be subjected to border control. The Hengqin campus would serve as a ‘pilot project’ as part of a wider collaboration between Guangdong and Macao in the joint development of Hengqin. Macao had formed a working group to discuss with Guangdong and Zhuhai over the construction of the new campus. The current campus would not be used for gaming and commercial purpose, and would serve for educational, academic, cultural, recreational and sports activities that are relevant to the Macao community, said Mr Lau.
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The Health Bureau announced one more imported case today, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 16. The 24-year-old patient, a Mainland resident, visited Macao on 5 June and visited the Philippines on 21 to 22 June. He developed flu symptoms such as fever, cough and sore throat on 23 and went to Kiang Wu Hospital for medical attention yesterday. He was tested positive for the virus and was transferred to Hospital Conde S. Januário early this morning. His friend who lived with him in Macao was considered as a close contact person and had to stay at home for medical observation. Macao’s pandemic alert remained at Level VI, Blue, which indicated no outbreaks, no fatal cases and no more than 20 patients were being treated at hospital at one time. Two patients confirmed with the virus on Monday and Tuesday respectively were discharged from hospital today after recovering from the disease, bringing the number of discharged H1N1 patient to 5. Currently there were 10 confirmed Influenza A (H1N1) patients receiving treatment at the quarantine wards at Hospital Conde S. Januário. Fifteen people were placed under medical observation at a designated venue and 16 people were asked to stay at home for medical observation.
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Two more imported Influenza A (H1N1) cases have been confirmed today, taking the total number of confirmed cases to 15, the Health Bureau announced. The 14th confirmed patient, a 24-year-old woman, visited Taiwan from 18 to 21 June for a graduation ceremony and developed flu symptoms on 24 June. She went to Hospital Conde S. Januário the next day for medical attention and was tested positive for the virus. Her parents and a friend were regarded as close contact persons and were required to undergo medical observation at home. The 15th confirmed patient, a 37-year-old Indian man, visited Macao with three family members via Hong Kong on 24 June and developed flu symptoms on the way to Macao. He went to Hospital Conde S. Januário the next day and was tested positive for the virus. The 16 people who joined a local tour with the patient were regarded as close contact persons. Six of them had left Macao before the Health Bureau could reach them and ten of them were asked to undergo medical observation in Macao. Macao’s pandemic alert remained at Level VI, Blue, which indicated no outbreaks, no fatal cases and no more than 20 patients were being treated at hospital at one time. A man confirmed with the virus last Saturday was discharged from hospital today after recovering from the disease, bringing the number of discharged H1N1 patient to 3. Currently there were 11 confirmed Influenza A (H1N1) patients receiving treatment at the quarantine wards at Hospital Conde S. Januário.
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On 27 June 2009, Saturday the ninth session of the Standing Committee of the eleventh National People’s Congress (NPC) passed a bill to authorize the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) to have jurisdiction over the new campus of the University of Macau (UM) on Hengqin Island. The passage of this bill means that the Macao SAR Government will exercise jurisdiction over the new campus zone according to the laws of the Macao SAR. UM officials point out that this authorization not only demonstrates the great importance that the Central Government attaches to nurturing talents for Macao through higher education, and the determination of the SAR Government to support UM’s development, but also reflects the NPC Standing Committee’s respect for the opinions and suggestions raised by the Macao community as well as UM faculty, staff and students during the process of consultation. The new campus will offer an appropriate academic environment and advanced teaching and research facilities to enable UM to pursue its objectives of offering high quality undergraduate education and promoting innovation in scientific research, thereby developing UM into a world-class university. Dr. Daniel Tse Chi-Wai, Chair of the University Council of UM, says that the establishment of the Hengqin campus will be conducive to developing UM into a university of international standing and nurturing outstanding leaders for Macao and beyond. Furthermore, it will help strengthen the collaboration between Guangdong, Macao and Hong Kong in higher education as set out in the Outline of the Plan for the Reform and Development of the Pearl River Delta, and promote an appropriate diversification of Macao’s industries in accordance with the Hengqin Island Overall Development Plan recently ratified by the State Council. UM Rector Wei Zhao says that the construction of the Hengqin campus is an unprecedented and great undertaking which will bring far-reaching benefits for UM’s long-term development. Granted by the Central Government to UM, this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity is the first of its kind. He says: “UM is a young university with a short history of 28 years, but it already enjoys good reputation both at home and abroad. The Central Government’s support for UM is a recognition of the diligent efforts of all UM staff members over the past two decades. Prof. Zhao further notes that UM’s uniqueness, educational ideals and governance regime, as well as its teaching, research and administrative systems will be maintained on the Hengqin campus, which will complement the higher education system in Mainland China and help accelerate joint development. The new campus will be located on the eastern coast of Hengqin Island and to the south of the Lotus Bridge. The site is just across a narrow water channel from Macao. It will cover approximately one square kilometre (100 hectares). A tunnel will be built under the channel to enable 24-hour commuting between the Hengqin campus and Macao. Faculty, students, staff, visitors and the Macao residents will be able to access the campus conveniently through the tunnel without going through any border control. The new campus will be twenty times larger than the current one, with a minimum accommodation capacity of 10,000 students, which echoes the student enrollment target set out in the 10-Year Development Strategy. With a spacious new campus, UM will be able to pursue high quality undergraduate education and promote innovation in scientific research to the fullest extent, particularly on the following fronts: (I) Teaching: UM will increase the number of faculties from five to eight, thereby providing a more comprehensive range of academic programmes and more choices for local high school graduates. (II) Campus life: UM will introduce a residential college system. Around ten residential colleges will be set up to enrich students’ campus life and attain the objective of whole-person education. Students from different majors, backgrounds and academic levels living in the same college can experience diverse lifestyles, cultures and ways of thinking through the interaction with peers and teachers. (III) Research development: three open research bases, namely Information and Electronic Research Base, Medical and Pharmaceutical Research Base, and Energy and Environmental Research Base, will be set up to promote R/D exchange and collaboration between UM and other universities in Macao, the Pearl River Delta Region and beyond. In addition, UM will promote commercialization of its research outcomes so as to create opportunities for an appropriate diversification of Guangdong and Macao’s industries. The Hengqin campus will be a green, efficient, and eco-friendly campus. The overall design will be people-oriented and aims to reflect UM’s educational ideals. Emphasis will be on creating a comfortable, liberal, but stimulating atmosphere. The architectural style will mainly feature four unique Macao characteristics, namely “a blend of Chinese and western cultures”, “a combination of mountain and sea views”, “a reflection of the characteristics of Southern Chinese Region”, and “a style reminiscent of South European flavour”. New technologies and new materials will be utilized to create a green, efficient, energy-saving and eco-friendly university with a solid foundation for sustainable growth. The new campus will not only become a new landmark in Macao and Hengqin, but also feature a landscape that is unique among universities around the world. The architectural design will reflect UM’s educational ideals and highlight a tiered layout of the residential colleges. The new campus is expected to be completed within three years. After the construction is completed, relocation will be carried out in an orderly and stage-by-stage manner. Once the new campus is in use, the current campus will continue to serve for educational, academic, cultural, recreational and sports activities that are relevant to the Macao community. Being the leading public university in Macao, UM is dedicated to its mission of nurturing talents for the local community. Therefore it is important for UM to possess outstanding faculty members and sufficient financial resources. It is equally important to have a sufficiently large campus that allows UM to pursue its educational ideals and carry out various teaching and research activities. The Central Government’s approval for providing UM with a piece of land on Hengqin Island and the NPC Standing Committee’s decision to authorize the Macao SAR Government to exercise jurisdiction over the new campus area have solved the problem of land scarcity that has hindered UM’s development for a long time. The area per student of the current campus is only 8 square metres, far less than the minimum 67-square-metre-per-student standard set by the Ministry of Education. The embarrassing fact of “buildings with no open space” makes it impossible for UM to pursue its educational ideals to the fullest extent. Since 2002 UM has been engaged in seeking for a piece of green field to realize the dream of building a new campus, but to no avail due to the limited land resources in the densely-populated territory of Macao. In February 2006, the Legislative Assembly of the Macao SAR passed the Judicial Regime of the University of Macau, establishing a new legal status for UM. In 2007 UM submitted several proposals fof land acquisition to the SAR Government, but none were considered feasible due to various valid reasons. In the same year, UM formulated its 10-Year Development Strategy, which rendered the need for building a new campus more urgent. In May 2007, the possibility of building a new campus on Hengqin Island was discussed for the first time at the Joint Meeting of the University Assembly and University Council presided over by the Chief Executive. After a field trip to Hengqin Island, the University Council submitted a formal proposal regarding the construction of a new campus on Hengqin Island to the SAR Government in mid 2008. In January 2009 following a visit paid to Macao by Mr. Xi Jinping, Vice President of the People’s Republic of China, UM was informed of the possibility of building a campus on Hengqin Island and that this campus would serve as a “pilot project” as part of a wider collaboration between Guangdong and Macao in the joint development of Hengqin, and UM immediately started the process of revising the campus construction proposal. Starting from February UM carried out 21 consultation and briefing sessions to collect opinions inside and outside campus for the revision. A draft proposal on the “Preliminary Thoughts and Concepts on UM Hengqin Campus” was subsequently submitted to the University Council and was approved after careful and intense deliberation. The proposal was then submitted to the SAR Government for consideration. The SAR Government attached great importance to this proposal, and on 24 April officially submitted a proposal to the State Council requesting the Central Government to approve the establishment of UM Hengqin campus and to authorize the Macao SAR to have jurisdiction over the new campus site. Subsequently, the bill proposing to authorize the Macao SAR to have jurisdiction over the UM Hengqin campus site was submitted by the State Council to the NPC Standing Committee on 22 June and was passed on 27 June.
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