Lau Si Io appointed as Secretary for Transport and Public Works

The State Council of the People's Republic of China has accepted the Chief Executive Mr Edmund Ho Hau Wah's nomination of Mr Lau Si Io as the new Secretary for Transport and Public Works of the Macao Special Administrative Region (MSAR). Mr Ho expressed his gratitude to the Central Government's trust and support, and extended his warmest regards and congratulations to Mr Lau. According to the MSAR Basic Law, the Secretary for Transport and Public Works is a principal official. The Chief Executive has to appoint a nominee who has Chinese nationality and is a permanent resident of Macao. The Chief Executive also has to send his nomination to the Central Government for approval. Mr Ho said that Mr Lau, who has rich experience in administration, was the most suitable candidate for the post of Secretary for Transport and Public Works. He was also confident Mr Lau to be honest and clean in performing his official duties. As a result of the appointment, Mr Lau has stepped down from his position of President of the Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau. Mr Lau Si Io, 51, is an engineering graduate of the University of Calgary in Canada. After working in the private sector for three years, he joined the civil service, starting with the Leal Senado in October 1984. He held various positions including assistant technician, chief of sector, chief of division in the Public Works Department, chief of the Hygiene and Cleansing Department, vice-president and president of the Leal Senado. After the establishment of the MSAR, he became vice-president of the executive board of the Provisional Municipal Council of Macao. The Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau was established in January 2002 and Mr Lau was sworn in as the President of the administration committee. Mr Lau had attended a number of training courses for civil servants, in Macao, the Mainland and Portugal.