News

The Olympic Flame has arrived in Macao tonight, for tomorrow’s Torch Relay in the afternoon. The Executive Vice-President of the Beijing Organising Committee for the 2008 Olympic Games (BOCOG), Mr Yang Shuan, presented the tinder lamp to the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Mr Chui Sai On, who welcomed the Olympic Flame at the airport. In a speech at the welcoming ceremony, Mr Chui said all residents were excited for the first visit of the Olympic Flame to Macao, and he thanked the efforts of the Central Government, the International Olympic Committee and BOCOG. He said that the Olympic Flame belonged to the people of the world and it signified the aspirations and pursuit of the Olympic Spirit by all people. The Torch Relay would spread the blessing to people from all over the world and it also would also bring people’s best wishes to the Beijing Olympics. The Olympic Flame finally arrived in Macao, he said, and so all the people in Macao could do their part in the event and to pursue the Olympic dream. The people in Macao have all along been longing for the Beijing Olympics, which opens in August, he said. The Macao SAR Government, the Macao Olympic Committee, schools, organisations and all residents are well prepared for the Torch Relay, he said. Mr Chu wished the run tomorrow a success, and wished the best for the Beijing Olympic Games.
…

Following on from the 2006 publication of The Canton-Macao Dagregisters relating to 1762, the Cultural Affairs Bureau announces the publication of the 1763 volume in this series, translated and annotated by Paul Van Dyke. The daily record, written up by the supercargoes of the United Dutch East India Chartered Company, recounts all issues relating to Dutch trade in China. The records also throw light on the links between Canton and Macao, where the merchants sojourned during the off-season, Macao’s role in international trade, and how current cooperation in the along the banks of Pearl River delta emerged. Publication of this series has been made possible through cooperation between the Cultural Affairs Bureau, Leiden University and the National Archives of The Hague. The volume is available (Price: MOP 150.00) at the following sales counters: Macao Central Library, Macao Historical Archives, Kun Iam Ecumenical Centre, Seng Kwong Bookstore, Plaza Cultural Macau Lda. and Portuguese Bookstore.
…

The 2010 Shanghai World Expo (the “Shanghai Expo”) will be held from 1 May to 31 October 2010 in Shanghai, China. It is another international event that focuses world attention, after the 2008 Beijing Olympics. So far, 205 countries and international organizations have confirmed to participate in the Expo; and it is expected to generate as many as 70 million visitors. Theme of Macao Pavilion: Macao – Spirit of Cultures, Essence of Harmony
Echoing the main theme of the Expo “Better City, Better Life”, the theme of Macao Pavilion is “Macao – Spirit of Cultures, Essence of Harmony”. Through showcasing the development and new physiognomy of Macao’s diverse economy and cultures, Macao will reveal the social “Spirit of Cultures, Essence of Harmony” inherited from Macao’s tradition of east and west cultural exchanges. Macao Pavilion is a self-built pavilion in the China Pavilion. Besides Macao Pavilion, China National Pavilion, Regional Government Pavilion, Hong Kong Pavilion and Taiwan Pavilion will also be constructed under China Pavilion. Macao Pavilion is located southwest of the China National Pavilion, next to the Hong Kong Pavilion. Macao Pavilion will cover a total construction area of 1,100 meter square; surface area of 600 meter square; and showroom area of 800 meter square. It is a temporary construction that will be demolished thereafter. Organization
The Competition is organized by several governmental departments and professional organizations. Hosted by the Office for Preparation of Macao’s Participation in the Shanghai World Expo, the Competition is organized jointly by Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau, Macao Association of Architects, Macao Institute of Engineers, Macao Designers Association; supported by Government Information Bureau, Economic Services, Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute, Cultural Affairs Bureau, Macao Government Tourist Office; and funded by the Industrial and Commercial Development Fund. The Competition seeks innovative, unique and excellent workable proposals from the local talents for the construction of Macao Pavilion. Fairness and Justice Chaired by Mr Francis Tam Pak Yuen, Secretary for Economy and Finance, the Jury is seated by 11 jurors from government departments and professional associations. They are (1) Ms Ieong Pou Yee, Director of the Office for Preparation of Macao’s Participation in the Shanghai World Expo; (2) Mr Lo Veng Tak, Member of the Administration Committee of Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau; (3) Mr Nuno Maria Roque Jorge, President of Macao Association of Architects; (4) Mr Leong Man Io, President of Macao Institute of Engineers; (5) Mr Dirco Fong, Chairman of Macao Designers Association; (6) Mr Chan Chi Ping, Director of Government Information Bureau; (7) Mr Sou Tim Peng, Director of Economic Services; (8) Mr Chang Chou Weng, Acting President of Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute; (9) Ms Tse Heng Sai, Head of Promotion & Marketing Department; and (10) Mr Cheong Cheok Kio, Chief of Cultural Heritage Department, Cultural Affairs Bureau. A technical team of architects, engineers, designers and technology specialists has been set up to provide technical consultation to the Jury. The Competition will award first prize, second prize, third prize, 5 excellence entries and 10 selected entries. The prizes for the first three winning entries are MOP180,000, MOP60,000 and MOP30,000 accordingly; prize for excellence entry is MOP10,000 each; and prize for selected entry is MOP3,000 each. All winning and selected entries will be displayed at a documentary exhibition on World Expo and 2010 Shanghai World Expo to be held in coming October. Self-built Macao Pavilion
Macao Pavilion symbolizes and represents Macao. To realize the conception of a self-built Macao Pavilion, the production of the Pavilion will employ basically Macao people. Likewise, the prerequisite of participants in the Competition is Macao permanent residency. Individual or group participation is admissible. For individual participant, he/she must be a holder of Macao SAR Permanent Resident Identity Card qualified to register as listed architect with the Land, Public Works and Transport Bureau. For group participants, member participants can be holders of Macao SAR Resident Identity Card as long as the group leader meets requirements for individual participant.
The threshold of professional qualification for this Competition is just qualification to register as listed architect with the Land, Public Works and Transport Bureau, relatively low as compared to other parallel competitions (that may require participants to be registered architect). Also, as long as one is Macao resident, he/she can still participant in the Competition as a group. This requirement is to provide opportunities to both famous architects and high fliers to prove their talents. Requirements of Macao Pavilion design
The design of Macao Pavilion must incarnate its theme so as to feature Macao’s image as a city of tourism, entertainment and leisure; and its cultures, new infrastructure and economic achievements after the Handover. The design must be in tune with that of China Pavilion and be attractive visually through applications of advanced multimedia technology and recognition of environmental protection concepts and materials. The concrete design contents should demonstrate, through the three aspects of cultural diversity, economic development and new physiognomy of Macao, the economic prosperity created by the harmonious blending of Macao’s multi-business and multi-cultures, with the intention to present Macao as a metropolis that is good for residing, traveling and business. Intellectual property rights
In consideration of the complexity of work involved and in view of successful construction of Macao Pavilion, and to adopt top technology in architecture and multimedia presentation, the intellectual property rights of the three winning entries shall be vested in the MSAR Government. The MSAR Government shall have the right to recommend any or all of the winning or selected entries, or after modifications, for adoption as the final plan of Macao Pavilion. The “Right of indication of authorship” shall remain with the respective winners. The MSAR Government will quote the names of winning participants should it publicize or duplicate their winning entries. Announcement of results in July
Entries should be submitted to Rua Dr. Pedro José Lobo, 1-3, Luso International Bank Building, 24/F, MACAO by post or by delivery before the submission deadline of 4 July 2008. Entries should be submitted during office hours, except weekends and public holidays. Results will be announced in July 2008. General information and application form can be downloaded from the MSAR Governmental Portal http://www.gov.mo/egi/Portal/index.htm and IACM homepage http://www.iacm.gov.mo. For technical enquiries, please email to info@2010expomacao.gov.mo. The organizer will reply within 7 days by email. For general information, please call Ms Ng at 85972245 or Mr Chan at 85972247.
…

Permanent and non-permanent residents of Macao who will get a cash subsidy of 5,000 patacas and 3,000 patacas respectively, will start getting their money from July. Considering the buoyant economy and satisfactory fiscal income in recent years, the Government decided to introduce the programme in order to share economic gains with the residents, said the Spokesperson of the Executive Council, Mr Tong Chi Kin, at a press conference today. Residents with Macao Identification Cards on 1 July 2008 or before are entitled to the cash subsidy. The programme is expected to cost 2.6 billion patacas. The Secretary for Economy and Finance, Mr Francis Tam Pak Yuen, told the press that the subsidy will be delivered in two ways -- bank transfer or crossed cheques. People on government payroll, pension or welfare, teachers receiving teaching subsidy, students receiving scholarship or on government loan, and the elderly receiving old-age allowance, will receive the subsidy by bank transfer in July. About 80,000 people will receive the money in this way. Other residents, estimated at some 460,000, will receive a crossed cheque by mail between July and September and they could deposit it into their accounts, up to June 2011. Residents with new addresses are required to declare it to the Identification Bureau or renew the record on the Bureau’s website from 2 June. The Government will also set up an office and a hotline for inquiries concerning the distribution of this subsidy. The Chief Executive, Mr Edmund Ho Hau Wah, last month announced the granting of the cash subsidies when he attended a plenary session of the Legislative Assembly.
…

The Secretary for Economy and Finance, Mr Francis Tam Pak Yuen, met with the management of six casino concessionaires today to exchange views on the development of the industry. Speaking to the press after the meeting, Mr Tam disclosed that the discussions were focused on the commission rate on VIP chips and the number of tables. He said the operators had basically concurred that 1.25% is a reasonable rate for a commission cap. He said the Government would continue to review this matter and, if necessary, give operators some guidelines in line with the consensus they have reached, for their self-regulation, and would introduce measures to enforce the guidelines if necessary. The operators had offered different opinions on the number of gaming tables, Mr Tam said. He said that recently the Government has become concerned with the industry’s competition for the VIP business. The Government is responsible for the healthy and sustainable development of the industry and the balance between the interest of the industry and the society as a whole, said Mr Tam. The Chief Executive, Mr Edmund Ho Hau Wah, said at the Legislative Assembly last month that the Government was reviewing the future direction of the industry. Mr Tam said the Government believed that now is the appropriate time for the Government to play a more active role in directing the scale of the industry and maintaining its healthy development, four years after the first new operator entered the market. He reiterated the remarks of the Chief Executive – that the Government would strictly control the scale of the industry and co-ordinate with the industry for its healthy and sustainable development. Representatives of the six companies who attended today’s meeting included Mr Francis Lui of Galaxy Casino, S.A.; Mr Lawrence Ho of Melco PBL Jogos (Macau), S.A.; Ms Pansy Ho of MGM Grand Paradise, S.A.; Mr Stanley Ho of Sociedade de Jogos de Macau, S.A.; Mr Stephen Weaver of Venetian Macau, S.A. and Ms Linda Chan of Wynn Resorts (Macau), S.A.
…

The Statistics and Census Service released the results of the Employment Survey for the first quarter of 2008. Principal indicators such as the labour force participation rate and unemployment rate have been published in April. In the first quarter of 2008, total labour force was estimated at 327,000, including 317,000 employed and 9,600 unemployed. Compared with the fourth quarter of 2007, the labour force registered an increase of 3,800, with the employed and the unemployed populations increasing by 3,700 and 100 respectively. Analysed by industry, the majority of the employed population were engaging in Recreational, cultural, gaming & other services (25.2%) and Hotels, restaurants & similar activities (12.8%). In terms of occupation, most of the employed population were Clerks (including casino dealers, floorpersons, betting service operators, etc.) and Service & sales workers, accounting for 26.0% and 21.7% respectively. The overall median monthly employment earnings was MOP8,200, with the median of those working in Recreational, cultural, gaming & other services amounting to MOP12,000. Median monthly employment earnings of the employed residents stood at MOP 9,500. Within the unemployed, 7.4% had never worked and were searching for their first job, with 92.6% had worked previously and were searching for a new job. With regard to the educational attainment, 43.1% of the unemployed had primary or lower education; 28.0% had junior secondary education and 22.0% had senior secondary education. For the unemployed that were searching for a new job, analyzed by the previous industry engaged, 33.5% were in Construction and 16.6% in Hotels, restaurants & similar activities. In terms of the previous occupation, 25.5% were Service & sales workers and 24.9% were Unskilled workers.
…

The Chief Executive Mr Edmund Ho Hau Wah, other principal officials and bureau-level officials stood in silence at 2:28 p.m. for three minutes at Government Headquarters today to mourn for the victims of the Sichuan earthquake. Many people in Macao also stood in silence at the exact time the deadly earthquake struck Sichuan a week ago, which claimed the lives of tens of thousands of people. After the silence, Mr Ho asked all government agencies to strictly observe the instruction of the Central Government that all public amusement and celebrations be suspended during these three days of national mourning. He said he noticed that many civil servants have made donations to help the victims of the earthquake. He urged members of the Government to maintain their generosity to help speed up re-construction of the affected region. Motor vehicles and marine vessels sounded their horns during the three minutes silence. The national and regional flags at public agencies, organisations and schools were flying at half-mast. Members of the Executive Council also stood in silence to mourn for the victims before their meeting today.
…

Due to the tragic earthquake which occurred in Sichuan province, the Government has decreed three days of national mourning, from 19 to 21 May, in memory of the victims. During this period, all the 19th Macao Arts Festival performances will be suspended, namely the performance Sensorama – Multiperceptual Experiences by the Mexican group Sensorama scheduled for 20 and 21 May at Lou Kau Mansion. The holders of tickets for the referred performances may obtain reimbursement or exchange the tickets for another date at Kong Send Ticketing Network. The performances will be resumed on 22 May.
…

The Chief Executive, Mr Edmund Ho Hau Wah, today urged the public to donate and help relieve the hardship of the victims of the Sichuan earthquake disaster. Attending a public event this morning, Mr Ho expressed his condolences to the victims. “The Sichuan earthquake is the most serious one since the founding of the People’s Republic of China,” he said. After the quake, the Central Government is going all out to help the victims, while all Chinese around the world are contributing. He again urged the public to continue to donate and help the victims rebuild their homes and relieve their plight. The Chief Executive said that he believed that every citizen would observe the mourning rituals announced yesterday and offer their condolences to the victims.
…

In accordance with the announcement of the State Council, national flags and regional flags of all agencies of the Macao SAR Government will fly at half-mast during the national mourning days from tomorrow to Wednesday. All public amusements are required to be suspended during the three mourning days for the victims of the Sichuan earthquake disaster. Residents are asked to stand in silence for three minutes from 2:28 p.m. tomorrow, the exact time a week ago when the earthquake struck. All motor vehicles and all automobiles and ships would sound their horns.
…