News

Due to routine inspection and preservation, the Exhibition of the Bryde’s Whale Skeletal Specimen at the Seac Pai Van Park in Coloane, will be temporarily closed to the public from 2nd to 3rd March 2009. The exhibition will be opened again on 4th March 2009. Along with the exhibition, there is a Chinese White Dolphin skeletal specimen on display also. Exhibition venue: Seac Pai Van Park, Coloane
Opening hours: 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (closed on Mondays)
Admission: free
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The passage of the National Security Law has filled a longstanding legal vacuum, fulfilled an inevitable constitutional obligation, and laid down a solid foundation for Macao’s social stability. In an address to the Women’s General Association of Macau at the Women’s Day Reception today, Mr Ho said the enactment as required under Article 23 of the Basic Law marked a substantial step forward for the SAR. Despite the completion of the legislative process, we should continue to promote public awareness and understanding of the law, he said. Our constitutional obligation did not only refer to the legislative procedures, but also to the implementation by the Government. With a view to enhancing our legal system, we should continue to promote our laws and provide training for related staff. Mr Ho said in facing the future, we must maintain our focus on the overall situation and continue to safeguard social stability and promote the sustainable development of the SAR. Speaking on the importance of the role of women in Macao, he said they played key roles in the building of the Macao SAR and in times of challenges. He encouraged the Association to continue to work with the Government and the public to tackle the challenges brought about by the global financial turmoil and contribute to the implementation of the principle of “One Country Two System”.
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According to the results of the Employment Survey released by the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC), the unemployment rate for November 2008 - January 2009 was 3.4% and the underemployment rate was 1.8%, both went up by 0.1 percentage point over the previous period (October - December 2008). Total labour force was 337,000 in November 2008 - January 2009; the labour force participation rate stayed at 72.9%, same as that in the preceding period. The employed population was 326,000, down by 500 from the previous period, with decrease in the number of employed in Construction; Transport, Storage & Communications; Hotels; and Gaming sectors, while the number of employed in Restaurants & Similar Activities; and Wholesale & Retail registering an increase. The unemployed population was 11,000, an increase of 300 over the previous period. Among the unemployed, 15.4% (1,800) were fresh labour force entrants searching for their first job, down by 1.8 percentage points over the preceding period. In comparison with November 2007 - January 2008, the unemployment rate rose by 0.5 percentage point, and the underemployment rate and the labour force participation rate went up by 0.4 and 0.1 percentage point respectively. In line with the new Labour Relations Law, stipulating the minimum age of 16 for entering into an employment contract, DSEC raised the lower age boundary in defining the labour force from 14 years old to 16 years old; consequently, data in the text above are adjusted figures using the new age boundary. An analysis of past data series indicated that as the economically active persons aged 14 and 15 is small; therefore, adjusting the lower age boundary causes only minor changes to the unemployment and the underemployment rates. However, raising the age boundary in defining the labour force to 16 years old will exclude those aged 14 and 15, which will result in larger increment in the compilation of the labour force participation rate.
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The government of Macau Special Administrative Region and the Malacca Historic City Council signed a Memorandum of Understanding to establish the ‘Macao Gallery’ and to strengthen mutual relationship and cooperation as well as promote mutual tourism and culture. Entrusted by the Chief Executive, Chui Sai On, Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, on behalf of the government of the Macau Special Administrative Region, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the establishment of the Macao Gallery in Malacca with Encik Yusof bin Haji Jantan, Mayor of the Malacca Historic City Council. The signing ceremony was witnessed by the State Secretary of Malacca, Datuk Wira Omar Bin Kaseh. Chief Executive of the Macau Special Administrative Region, Edmund Ho Hau Wah, paid an official visit to Malaysia in April 2007. During his visit, the authority of Malacca agreed to provide a venue for Macau to promote its tourism and culture. The venue is now named as ‘Macao Gallery’. The Macao Gallery is situated only ten minutes away from central Malacca. The building was previously a governmental department of the authority of Malacca built in typical Siam style and is part of the historical heritage in Malacca. This two-storey architecture has an area of about 3,000 square meters. The Macau SAR government and the authorities of Malacca agreed to sign a MOU for the management and usage of the architecture. The Macau SAR government together with the Malacca Historic City Council will be responsible for the management of the Macao Gallery. The Gallery will showcase the arts and culture of Macau as well as the history of Macau and Malacca. The MOU also states that the two parties will share experiences in the fields of education and culture, so as to further understand the historical background of both places. Director of Macau Government Tourist Office João Manuel Costa Antunes, Chief of the Cabinet of the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Alexis Tam and officials of Malacca were present at the signing ceremony. Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) organized the “Experience Macau! Celebrations!” Dinner in Kuala Lumpur and launched the Celebrate Macau Package as the first promotional activities to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the Establishment of the Macau Special Administrative Region. The Consular Counselor of the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Malaysia, Su Qiang, Representative of the Chief Minister of Malacca, Y.B. datuk Latiff Bin Datuk Tamby Chik, Mayor of the Malacca Historic City Council, Encik Yusof bin Haji Jantan and Ngiam Foon, President of Malaysia Association of Tours and Travel Agents (MATTA) attended the mentioned event. With the honour of Secretary Chui Sai On to officiate the opening ceremony, Malaysia became the first station to launch the global series of promotional activities to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the Establishment of the Macau SAR. MGTO will soon roll out the series of promotional activities in major source markets all around the world after the launch in Malaysia. Speaking at the “Experience Macau! Celebrations!” Dinner, Director Antunes noted that MGTO will showcase “Experience Macau” through the five senses for the year long Celebrate Macau Package. Malaysia is one of the major source markets of Macau. Last year, Macau received 450,000 visitors from Malaysia, an increase of 12.28 percent over 2007 that makes it the 4th visitor generating market. At present, Malaysia Airlines flies several times weekly between Macau and Kuala Lumpur, while AirAsia provides 21 services a week between the two places. Starting from March, AirAsia will add a new service between Macau and Penang.
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The passage of the National Security Bill by the Legislative Assembly today filled a longstanding legal vacuum and fulfilled an inevitable constitutional obligation of the Government and the legislature, according to a Government statement. The statement was read by the Secretary for Administration and Justice, Ms Florinda Chan, after the Legislative Assembly completed the clause-by-clause discussion and voting of the bill. The administration was deeply encouraged by the passage of the bill and extended gratitude to the legislators and residents for their efforts in the legislative process, she said. It was the longstanding stance of the Government that it was necessary for the SAR to legislate to protect national security with a view to fully implementing the Basic Law, according to the statement. The legislation was also the indisputable and unavoidable constitutional obligation for the Government and Legislative Assembly. The patriotism shown by the residents during the legislative process would be valuable for the consolidation and advancement of the SAR in the future. The Government reiterated that it would continue to govern in accordance with the law and ensure that the residents would continue to enjoy the fundamental rights and freedom enshrined in the Basic Law, including the freedom of speech, of the press and of publication. It would also strike an appropriate balance between protecting the national security and the fundamental rights and freedom. The Government would launch an extensive promotion campaign to ensure the proper enforcement of the law, beginning with training sessions for staff of law enforcement authorities and judiciary, she said.
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With the objective to enable the public to obtain comprehensive data on the arrivals of visitors and other non-residents, the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC), in collaboration with the Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) and the Public Security Police (PSP), provides monthly breakdown on the non-resident arrivals starting January 2009. To facilitate direct comparison, respective arrival figures for 2008 were re-compiled accordingly. In line with international practice, visitor refers to a person travelling to a place other than that of his/her usual environment for less than 12 consecutive months and whose main purpose of travel is other than the exercise of an activity remunerated from within the place visited. Other non-resident refers to a person being neither a visitor nor a Macao resident, namely an imported worker, a foreign student, etc. Number of visitor and other non-resident arrivals was 2,464,374 in January 2009, with number of visitor arrivals totalling 1,913,344, up slightly by 0.8% compared with 1,898,709 visitors in January 2008. Analyzed by place of residence, 949,876 visitors came from Mainland China (49.6% of total visitor arrivals), down by 9.5% compared with 1,050,006 in January 2008. Among the Mainland visitors, 571,731 travelled to Macao under the Individual Visit Scheme, down by 3.8% as against 594,015 in January 2008. Visitors from Hong Kong (645,326) surged notably by 30.4%, while those from Taiwan, China (103,404) and Japan (31,855) decreased by 3.7% and 3.9% respectively. Furthermore, visitors from Thailand (20,924) and Indonesia (13,350) registered increase of 12.0% and 11.2% respectively. Same-day visitors accounted for 54.1% of the total visitor arrivals, at 1,034,700, with 527,585 coming from Mainland China. Analysed by mode of transport, visitor arrivals by sea totalled 801,548 in January 2009, up by 17.0% from 684,854 in January 2008, with 560,033 arriving at the Outer Harbour, a decrease of 12.2%. Visitor arrivals by land decreased by 8.4% year-on-year from 1,089,630 to 997,832 in January 2009; visitor arrivals through the Border Gate and the Checkpoint of CoTai were 920,975 and 76,857 respectively. Visitor arrivals by air were 113,964, down by 8.3% from 124,225 in January 2008. Number of visitors arriving at the Macao International Airport dropped by 9.6% to 110,912, with the majority coming from Taiwan, China (36.2%), Mainland China (28.6%) and Thailand (6.9%).
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The Government welcomed the move by Macao’s six gaming operators to form a trade association, the Secretary for Economy and Finance, Mr Francis Tam Pak Yuen, said today. Mr Tam said the association would help strengthen communication between the operators and between the sector, the Government and the community. He said he believed the association would benefit the development of the industry and the entire economy.
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Infrastructure, services industry, developing Hengqin and Zhuhai-Macao Cross-Border Industrial Zone, and building a high-quality living community are the key areas for Macao to co-operate with Guangdong and Hong Kong in implementing the long-term development plan for the region. The Secretary for Economy and Finance, Mr Francis Tam Pak Yuen, said this in Hong Kong today when he attended a press conference after a tripartite meeting with Guangdong and Hong Kong officials on the implementation of "The Outline of the Plan for the Reform and Development of the Pearl River Delta (2008-2020)”. The meeting was attended by official delegations from Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao, which were led by the Vice Governor of Guangdong, Mr Wan Qingliang, the Chief Secretary for Administration of Hong Kong, Mr Henry Tang Ying-yen, and Mr Tam. Mr Tam said since the Outline covered a large number of areas and projects, Macao would focus on four key areas, namely 1. co-ordinating on large-scale infrastructure;
2. enhancing co-operation in services industry;
3. pushing forward the development of the new territory of Hengqin and Zhuhai-Macao Cross-Border Industrial Zone, and
4. building a high-quality living community together. The three parties concluded that they would co-operate in infrastructure planning, tourism, environmental protection, finance, education and innovative technology. They would also formulate a co-ordinating mechanism and propose to the Central Government to include their co-operative projects in the nation’s Twelfth Five Year Plan. Mr Tam said the meeting marked the beginning of a co-operation mechanism on the implementation of the Outline and it should be seen as a milestone for the co-operation between the three parties. According to the Outline, Macao should position itself as a global centre of tourism and recreation. Therefore, Macao would strengthen co-operation with Guangdong in boosting multi-destination travel, he said. Macao would work with Guangdong and Hong Kong to build the whole region into ‘a high-quality living community’ and ‘one of the world’s mega metropolitan areas with the most abundant core competitive strengths’, he said.
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The European Union Business Information Programme (EUBIP) celebrated the launch of a series of activities and initiatives in Macao and Hong Kong on Thursday evening, at an event attended by a broad spectrum of the Macao, Hong Kong and European business community. Using the resources, expertise and networks of its consortium and external partners, and a grant from the European Commission, EUBIP aims to generate real business opportunities for Macao and Hong Kong by raising awareness of the benefits of the European Union as a business partner. It will also serve as a vehicle to promote a better understanding between the EU, Macao and Hong Kong on policies and regulations. The consortium partners for the three-year project are the European Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong, the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) and the Institute of European Studies of Macau (IEEM). Speaking at the event, LEE Peng Hong, President of the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute, said: “By providing EU trade and investment information and co-hosting a series of business events such as the Green Business Day at the 2009 Macao International Environmental Co-operation Forum and Exhibition (MIECF), EUBIP can further encourage Macao enterprises to develop even more extensive business co-operations with their EU counterparts, enabling new opportunities and benefits in the time of global economic slowdown.” Johan Adler, Chairman of the European Chamber of Commerce echoed the views of his fellow EUBIP partners. “EUBIP is about creating tangible benefits through practical, timely and business-relevant initiatives and activities. We believe we can build on our already strong ties to bring together even more business people from Europe, Macao and Hong Kong and, over the next three years, this is what we plan to do.” Franz Jessen, Head of Unit for China in the Directorate-General for External Relations of the European Commission, which provides funding and expertise to EUBIP, said: “The European Union is already one of Macao and Hong Kong's largest trading partner, Through EUBIP we will reinforce this growing interaction as well as strengthening economic cooperation, dialogue and communication between Hong Kong, Macao and the EU in the coming years.” At the reception, the EUBIP consortium partners - Miss Echo Chan, Executive Director of IPIM, Mr. Johan Adler, Chairman of European Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong and Dr. José Luis de Sales Marques, President of IEEM, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to work together on a series of events over the next six months. These included: - Co-hosting the Green Business Day and organising expert speakers at the Macao International Environmental Co-operation Forum & Exhibition (MIECF) - Organising an EU Delegation and Pavilion of companies and government agencies at MIECF
- Co-hosting with the European Commission a seminar on REACH, updating the industry on the latest EU regulatory developments on the use of chemicals
- Organising Macao experts to attend a 'Brand Protection' symposium to be held in Hong Kong
- Partnering with the Institute of European Studies of Macao (IEEM) to host a seminar on intellectual property rights (IPR) in Macao and Hong Kong
- Organising a seminar on 'Identifying opportunities in the EU and improving market access’
- Overseeing research into improving market access between the EU, Macao and Hong Kong Mr Adler told guests: “This is a snapshot of what EUBIP is doing over the next six months. Future events are being planned in Macao, Hong Kong and Europe and will be announced as they are confirmed.” Notes to Editors:
The annual EU-Macao Joint Committee Meeting, the highest-level delegation between the two economies, was held earlier in the day. About EUBIP:
The three-year European Union Business Information Programme (EUBIP) supports business-focused initiatives that create a platform for business exchange between European Union, Hong Kong and Macao companies. The focus of EUBIP is on practical, timely and relevant projects that generate business leads and build business efficiency. EUBIP also serves as a vehicle to promote a better understanding between the three economic regions and to provide up-to-date information on EU policies, regulations and institutions to a broad range of audiences including businesses, policy makers, regulators and service providers. Priority sectors are: trade and customs, finance, people-to-people links (including academia), transport, the environment, health and food safety. About EU/Macao business relations:
Bilateral trade between Macao and the European Union was valued at €452 million in 2008. Macao already has a strong European business community, including major investments in utility, finance and tourism sectors. The European Union comprises 27 nations with a population of 495 million. GDP is estimated to reach €12.8 trillion in 2008.
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In face of the current financial crisis, 2009 MIECF will introduce a number of incentive measures to actively support and assist organisations around the world to participate in this year’s MIECF. Efforts have been made in seeking more valuable environmental projects to enhance the effectiveness of the event. The 1st MIECF held last year has successfully established a new platform for the environmental industry to foster active communication among operators. The 2008 MIECF was participated by 883 units from 14 countries and regions and completed over 100 sessions of business co-operation partnership. Free Admission, Preferential Hospitality Arrangements for Business visitors To strengthen enterprise’s participation in the exhibition, and further encourage local enterprises to communication with Mainland and overseas enterprises, the Organiser of MIECF will provide incentive packages to participating delegations organised by enterprises/Mainland and overseas business organisations. Delegation members may visit the exhibition free of charge and obtain admission pass for the forum, business-matching service and networking cocktail reception. The Organiser is also providing accommodation, lunch, dinner and transportation arrangement services to overseas business visitors at a preferential rate. In addition, in view of global economic recession, this year’s MIECF will also provide participation incentive measures to local SMEs to encourage communication and co-operation between local, Mainland and overseas environment industry. Exhibitors Enjoy Discounted Price For Exhibition Space Rental and Booth Construction As for participation incentives, the Organiser will provide Mainland and overseas exhibitors raw space/booth construction free of charge or at a discounted price, with extra quota for participation in MIECF activities being provided. To encourage international major renowned environmental industry to participate in the event in Macao, this year’s MIECF will add new Prime Exhibitors to provide a series of participation services for the said enterprises. Same as the previous year, IPIM will continue to provide incentive packages to local SMEs – participating environmental-related industries and qualified enterprises will be eligible obtain a 9 square metres standard exhibition booth at MOP 2,000. For further enquiries, please contact 2009 MIECF Secretariat on Tel: (853) 8798 9675, Fax: (853) 2872 8213 and Email: info@macaomiecf.com
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