News

Two extremely important professional conferences relative to their fields were hosted in Macao in mid-October and late October respectively. These two conferences were the “28th East Asian Insurance Congress” hosted by the Macau Insurers' Association, and the “Nano-medicine Conference” (IEEE- NanoMed 2016) hosted by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). The organizers of these two conferences had declared that they chose Macao to be the host city of the conferences for this year, due in part to Macao’s attractiveness stemming from the interflow between Chinese and Western cultures in addition to Macao’s distinguished cultural outlook. Additionally, the adequacy of the conference facilities allowed the participants to enjoy themselves in a comfortable conference environment permitting many opportunities for exploration. The organizers of these two conferences also praised Macao for its rapid development, indicating Macao’s future possibilities of being chosen as place where more international large-scale conferences will be hosted. A professional conference which was established more than half a century ago Hitherto, the East Asian Insurance Congress has had a history of more than 50 years. It is hosted once every two years, and in each instance one of the 12 member cities in the Asian region is selected to be the Host City upon the assessment conducted by the Executive Committee of the East Asian Insurance Congress. This year the East Asian Insurance Congress has attracted 41 countries and regions, and more than 1,600 executives and elites in the field have participated. In this way, the related field in Macao has benefited greatly. Mr. Chris Ma, Vice President of the Macau Insurers’ Association, and Chairman of the 28th East Asian Insurance Congress Organizing Committee, states that from the successful bid which took place in 2014 to the full conclusion in 2016, the businesses in the field have become more united by jointly organizing the conference, and this unity provides a solid foundation for reciprocal collaboration in the future. Mr. Chris Ma mentions that the first time the East Asian Insurance Congress was hosted in Macao was in 1998, and this year the same event was hosted in Macao again.. The organizing committee has been amazed by Macao’s improvement of infrastructure including conference facilities, hotel facilities, services, and so on. He claims that when the “19th East Asian Insurance Congress” was held in Macao in 1998, the scale of the event was limited by the venue facilities and reception capacity of hotels to a certain degree. Having developed for almost 20 years, Macao’s reception capacity and the scale of venues have extended so drastically that all the participants could have meetings and be accomodated under one roof.. In this way, the cost of transportation and human resources was lowered by a large amount, and thus the participants could spend more time on experiencing leisure and entertainment in Macao. Both Mr. Chris Ma and Zhidong Wang, Chairman of the“IEEE-NanoMed 2016”Organizing Committee, point out that the economic benefits brought up by large-scale conferences can be felt beyond the event itself. Not only have the participants been attracted to spend money in Macao, more importantly the participants will also play a role similarly to that of Macao’s promotional representatives, as they may promote Macao’s distinguished culture and attractions. This will contribute to the progression of Macao’s international image which in turn may improve tourism and economic opportunities within the community. Solid foundation for hosting large-scale conferences in Macao The successful hosting of the two conferences mentioned above is not only contingent upon the venues and facilities provided by international class hotels, but also the professionalism of the exhibition services providers in Macao. Meridian Concepts Ltd., serving as the primary provider of the “28th East Asian Insurance Congress”, has been responsible for jobs such as event planning, advertising, and reception. Edmund Wong, Director and Chief Executive Officer of the company, states that this professional conference has brought about remarkable effects, and Macao’s hard and soft capacities of hosting large-scale conferences are well proven. He claims that as the SAR government has been making efforts over the years, Macao’s conference facilities and reception capacity have been among the best in the world. Additionally, Macao’s cultural inclusiveness is very strong. The totality of these characteristics are Macao’s distinct advantages which can stimulate further interest in hosting international large-scale conferences. Additionally, he is satisfied with the fruitful results of this East Asian Insurance Congress, as it has not only allowed for the exchange between businesses in the field, but also many participants have even signed contracts after negotiations right in the venue. In this way, the functions of the platform of this event are fully illustrated, and the objectives of the professional conferences have been fulfilled. Large-scale exhibition events coming soon From December this year to January 2017, exhibition events will take place in Macao consecutively as usual. Those events include the “15th Hong Kong Jeunesse University and Greater China Fifth Anniversary Conference”, of which the expected scale covers more than 12,000 people, and several international professional conferences which have decided to host their events in Macao, including the “3rd Cross-strait and Hong Kong and Macao Regional Nursing Summit and Symposium”, “CMS 2016 Annual Business Summary Conference”, and the “10th International Conference on Computational Physics”, etc. For details, please visit the official website of the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute: http://www.ipim.gov.mo.
…

The “Parade through Macao, Latin City”, organised by the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC, from the Portuguese acronym) in celebration of the 17th anniversary of Macao’s handover to China, will be held on Sunday, 4 December 2016. This year, IC has once again joined hands with several local associations and organisations to recruit VIVA Ambassadors for providing assistance during the event. The VIVA Ambassadors declared their commitment to the event in an oath ceremony, which was held on Saturday, 26 November 2016, at 3pm, at Tong Nam School. The oath ceremony was officiated by the President of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, Ung Vai Meng; the Chairman of The Boys’ Brigade of Macau, Lei Cheok Kin; the Vice President of the General Volunteers Association of Macao, Fong Ka Fai; the Chairman of the Bank of China Macau Branch Volunteers Association, Ho Chi Hou; the Vice President of the Macao Community Youth Volunteers Development Association, Sou Weng Leong; and the Vice President of the Association of Volunteers Social Service Macao, Lam Ka Chon. After the oath ceremony, over 400 VIVA Ambassadors attended training sessions, site inspections and rehearsals. During the Parade, they will be assigned different tasks including crowd control, the maintenance of public order and souvenir distribution, as well as providing assistance during the interaction between performers and the public. VIVA Ambassadors’ participation is crucial to this event, ensuring the public to enjoy the event in an orderly, safe and pleasurable environment. The VIVA Ambassadors recruitment campaign has drawn support from the Bank of China Macau Branch Volunteers Association, the Macao Community Youth Volunteers Development Association, the General Volunteers Association of Macao, The Boys’ Brigade of Macau, The Scout Association of Macau and the Association of Volunteers Social Service Macao. The “Parade through Macao, Latin City” is one of the most important activities in celebration of Macao’s handover to China and it has become the city’s signature festivity since 2011. This year’s Parade carries forward the motto “An Annual Celebration for the Entire City – VIVA” and is themed “VIVA’s Adventures through Shan Hai”. VIVA will cross a time gate and depart to the mysterious land of the Classic of Mountains and Seas (Shan Hai Jing), kicking off a fantastic adventure and taking part in the “Peace, Love and Cultural Integration” party, celebrating the handover.
…

Deputy Director of Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO), Cecilia Tse, led a team of staff to Zhongshan, Guangdong to attend the opening ceremony of “Zhongshan Tourism Cultural Carnival” unveiled today (26 November). The Office rode on the occasion to exchange the latest tourism situation with its counterparts. Upon the invitation of Zhongshan Municipal Tourism Bureau, MGTO Deputy Director Cecilia Tse and Head of Destination Marketing Department Betty Fok, together with the team attended the opening ceremony of “Zhongshan Tourism Cultural Carnival” in Nanlang, Zhongshan today (26 November). The Carnival is a cultural tourism event held in commemoration of the 150th Anniversary of the Birth of Dr. Sun Yat-Sen. Cecilia Tse took part in the kick-off ceremony during the opening. Vice Mayor of Zhongshan Municipal People’s Government, Wu Yuexia, Director of Zhongshan Municipal Tourism Bureau, Wu Jiamin, and Director of Zhuhai Tourism Development Centre, Zhong Guohuai, attended the opening ceremony together with other guests including tourism officials of Guangzhou and Jiangmen, etc. Riding on the occasion, MGTO exchanged the latest tourism prospect with other tourism authorities. In February, Zhongshan Municipal Tourism Bureau, Zhuhai Culture Sports and Tourism Bureau and MGTO held the 2015 conclusion meeting of regional cooperation in tourism between Zhongshan, Zhuhai and Macao and the 2016 work meeting in Zhuhai. During the meeting, the three tourism authorities reached a consensus that they would continue to promote their shared image “Fragrant Hill in the past; Zhongshan, Zhuhai and Macao today” through organizing joint promotional activities in various Mainland cities along High-speed rail routes to encourage visitation to the three destinations in one trip. In commemoration of the 150th Anniversary of the Birth of Dr. Sun Yat-Sen this year, the three destinations planned to participate in the related tourism activities hosted by Zhongshan Municipal Tourism Bureau. The three tourism authorities also held joint tourism presentation seminars of “multi-destination travel to Zhongshan, Zhuhai and Macao” in Nanning and Guilin, Guangxi in May to promote their tourism products and destinations. Back in 2006, the tourism authorities of Zhongshan, Zhuhai and Macao signed the “Memorandum of Cooperation in Tourism between Zhongshan, Zhuhai and Macao” to enhance their collaboration in tourism and brand their cities as one regional destination around the theme of Fragrant Hill and Dr. Sun Yat-Sen’s life history.
…

Since the SAR Government granted four licenses to telecommunication companies to provide 4G services in June 2015, all telecommunication services providers offer various monthly plans and fee standards. In order to enhance transparency of the said service and for consumers’ easy reference, Consumer Council conducts a survey on the prices and terms of 4G plans. A consolidated list of thirty monthly plans is now available on the Council’s website (www.consumer.gov.mo). Three companies completed the survey Consumer Council sent out surveys to four local telecommunication service providers in September to survey their general terms and rules, basic monthly plans, data plans, and plans for shared data in two regions or above. CTM, Hutchison, and SmarTone made responses to the said survey. Service terms affect consumers’ rights and obligations The rights and obligations of consumers using 4G telecommunication services are bound by the terms and regulations set up by the service providers. According to the surveys received, all three service providers do not allow unused voice airtime and mobile data usage to be carried forward to the next month, also, if consumers choose to terminate their contract in advance, two service providers will charge consumers for a ‘penalty fee’. Thirty monthly 4G plans by three providers The three telecommunication service providers offer a total of 30 monthly plans to consumers, each plan consists of different calculation and charging method, consumers are advised to compare the plans and consider carefully before choosing any company. It is also suggested to choose a plan based on one’s budget to avoid spending too much on the monthly fees. Clear and transparent information help consumers plan ahead The survey result shows that all service providers are able to send reminders to consumers regarding their mobile data usage, and contract renewal date, etc., however, the massive information of 4G plans offered by service providers may not be clear enough to consumers, the Council therefore suggests telecommunication service providers to further enhance the transparency and clarity of such information. Consumers should also inquire more, and make sure they understand the terms and regulations, as well as charging method of the telecommunication company before signing any contract. The said 4G plans survey is now available on the Council’s website (www.cosnumer.gov.mo). For enquire, please call 8988 9315.
…

A joint test on tissue papers and cling film by Macao and Zhuhai Consumer Council is now published in the latest issue no. 278 Consumer Report, the magazine also includes a survey on the fees and surcharge of local Chinese restaurants. Consumers may refer to the latest Consumer Report for details. Macao & Zhuhai Consumer Council test tissue papers and cling films Macao Consumer Council and Zhuhai Consumer Council work together to test 20 batches of tissue papers and 16 batches of cling films. All samples tested pass the quoted standards and score good grades in the test. Details of the test can be found in the latest Consumer Report. Consumer Council conducts survey on Chinese restaurants surcharge The Council has received an average of 25 complaint cases each year regarding charges of tea and condiments, surcharge on public holidays, and minimum spending collected by Chinese restaurants in the past three years. A survey asking for all the details of charges has been conducted by the Council, hoping to enhance transparency of the industry. Service charge is the most common Among the almost ninety questionnaires received, all surveyed Chinese restaurants charge consumers different kinds of surcharge in which service charge (mostly ten to fifteen percent) is the most common. About eighty percent of the restaurants have charges of tea, and over fifty percent of the surveyed restaurants charge consumers for corkage. About twenty percent of the restaurants state that they have an extra ten to twenty percent service charge on public holidays, and notices will be prominently displayed at their shops. Different names and charging methods For charges of condiments, snacks, and tissue, etc., different restaurants use different names and charging methods for this kind of surcharge. One restaurant responded that consumers will be charged even if they choose not to have these kinds of products provided. Other restaurants stated that condiments or snacks are not mandatory charged, some restaurants even offer them for free. Consumers are reminded to inquire about the charging method of the restaurant as different calculation result in discrepancies of the final bill. Make inquiry before ordering All restaurants surveyed state that items and amount are clearly listed on the receipt for consumers’ checking, however, Consumer Council believes that it is better to have all prices of food and service charges, especially non-daily ones or any price adjustments of food or services, listed in the menu as well as displayed at the premises to avoid any consumer dispute. For details of the survey, consumer may refer to the coverage in the latest Consumer Report. Special charges or any price adjustments should also be reported to the enforcement department. he current issue of Consumer Report also features interviews of the two companies serving public transportation in Macao, Transmac and TCM. Consumer Report is now available free of charge at the Council (Av. Horta e Costa, N.º 24-A, Edf. Cheung Heng, R/C), and the service counter of the Council at Macao SAR Government Service Centre (Rua Nova da Areia Preta, Nº52), Public Information Centre at Vicky Plaza, libraries and bookstores. Consumers may also access the magazine online on the Council’s official website (http://www.consumer.gov.mo) and WeChat official account. For enquiry, please call 8988-9315.
…

A student team from the University of Macau (UM) Department of Communication won seven prizes at the China Daily Campus Newspaper Awards 2016, for two of their publications, namely Umac Bridges 2016: Art of Happiness, and Communicator 2016. The production team of the 2016 spring issue of Umac Bridges received five prizes in the English category, including a first prize in Overall Design, a first prize in News Page Design for the story titled ‘Treeplets’, a second prize in Headline for the article titled ‘Spilling the Beans: A Look at Coffee Culture’, and a second prize and a third prize in News Page Design (Online Voting) for the stories titled ‘ANIMA: We are Family’, and ‘Treeplets’, respectively. The editorial board of Communicator 2016 received two second prizes, in News Photography, and Overall Design in Chinese, respectively. Both publications were produced by fourth-year students from the Department of Communication, under the guidance of Prof Wu Mei and Dr Che Hio Ieong. Organised by the China Daily Asia Edition, this year’s competition received more than 600 entries from 28 universities. The award ceremony was held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. UM students Mindy Leung and Charlotte Fung, the editor-in-chief of the two publications Dennis Tam, and Dr Che Hio Ieong from the Department of Communication attended the event.
…

The University of Macau (UM) plans to establish a Chinese-Portuguese bilingual teaching and training centre next spring, in order to promote reform of its Portuguese language programmes, and produce more bilingual professionals to support the SAR government’s effort to ‘build a better Macao through talented people’. The centre plans to devise innovative teaching methods based on the characteristics of Macao students and develop pedagogical models and quality evaluation standards tailor-made for native Chinese-speaking learners. UM’s Department of Portuguese has a culturally diverse faculty team whose members include professors from renowned universities in Portuguese-speaking countries such as Portugal and Brazil, veteran educators fluent in both Chinese and Portuguese, and well-known scholars whose research interests include learning or teaching Portuguese as a second language. With the support of a strong faculty team, the centre will formulate medium- and long-term training plans based on the current situation in Macao. It will improve the university’s Portuguese language curriculum in order to attract more students. Additionally, the centre will launch training programmes for Portuguese language instructors from primary and secondary schools in Macao, as well as those from universities in mainland China. The centre will also collaborate with the Forum for Economic and Trade Co-Operation between China and Portuguese-Speaking Countries (Macao) in offering courses in Chinese language and culture for students from Portuguese-speaking countries, and in providing language support for professional courses taught in Portuguese, such as courses in tourism, business management, and medical sciences. On the teaching material front, the centre will design innovative audio-visual teaching materials that are more suited to Macao students, to supplement its existing teaching materials. The centre also plans to establish a reward and monitoring mechanism to improve the current programme that allows students to study in Portuguese-speaking countries, so that participants in the programme will achieve more fruitful outcomes. In addition, the centre will establish partnerships with organisations and companies in Macao and overseas where Portuguese is a working language, so as to create more internship opportunities for students to practice their Portuguese language skills. The Department of Portuguese is the largest Portuguese teaching body in Asia. Since its establishment, the department has produced many language professionals, who now work in the various departments of the Macao SAR government, as well as companies and higher education institutions in Macao and mainland China. Many of them have become a driving force in their industries.
…

The number of suspected crime cases reported in Macao during the first nine months of 2016 saw a year-on-year rise of 4.6 percent, to 10,826. The police will remain vigilant for signs of any upward trend in the number or types of crime, in order to maintain Macao’s safe environment. Disclosing on Thursday (24 November) the crime case figures for the first nine months of 2016, the Secretary for Security, Mr Wong Sio Chak, said the aggregate increase was believed to be related to strengthened enforcement action against those temporary stay permit holders that failed to report to the authorities on a regular basis as required. In all the suspected criminal cases reported during the nine months to September 30, a total of 5,542 people were transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office for further investigation, an increase of 1,343 people, or 32 percent, on the prior-year period. Suspected cases of violent crime went up by 8.4 percent to 608 cases: nonetheless, some forms of violent crime, such as robbery, recorded a double-digit decrease. The authorities would continue efforts to maintain public order; to use effective crime-fighting measures; and to work closely with the public to safeguard the stability of Macao and to update crime-fighting strategies when deemed necessary, stated the Secretary. The police dealt with a total of 940 suspected cases of pickpocketing, an increase of 12.2 percent from 838 cases from the prior-year period. The rise was mainly due to enhanced enforcement efforts in tourist areas and places with high foot traffic. In addition, there was a total of 1,276 suspected cases of common assault reported in the period. Of these, 275 suspected cases involved incidents among family members, a 36.8 percent rise in such incidents from the prior-year period. Mr Wong said that, following the implementation of the Domestic Violence Law, the police had the full capability to work with the public in order to prevent – and if necessary investigate – domestic violence. Police preparation included training for front-line officers, and the formulation of relevant guidelines and mechanisms. Regarding suspected cases of gaming-related crime, in the first nine months of 2016 the police initiated investigation of 349 cases allegedly involving illegal detention of persons by third parties. This represented a 13.3-percent increase from the 308 cases from the corresponding period last year. Suspected cases of usury, or unlawful lending of money, went up 45 percent, to 348 cases during the first three quarters of 2016. Mr Wong said the police had given close attention to three incidents that occurred during late July and in August concerning the illegal detention of persons by third parties, and that ended in each case with the death of those being illegally detained. The cases were solved quickly and without causing a significant negative impact for society. Mr Wong added that nonetheless the police would remain vigilant and strengthen their law enforcement efforts, in order to foster a healthy development of the city’s gaming industry.
…

The number of suspected crime cases reported in Macao during the first nine months of 2016 saw a year-on-year rise of 4.6 percent, to 10,826. The police will remain vigilant for signs of any upward trend in the number or types of crime, in order to maintain Macao’s safe environment.
…

A paper written by PhD student Guo Li and master’s student Wu Yingwen from the Faculty of Science and Technology (FST), University of Macau (UM), received the Best Student Paper Award - First Place and the only Best Paper Award in Theory, respectively, at the 2016 International Conference on Fuzzy Theory and Its Applications (iFuzzy2016). The students’ paper, titled ‘Image Guided Fuzzy C-Means for Image Segmentation’, focuses on image segmentation, a fundamental technique in computer vision that is widely used in vision-based artificial intelligence tasks, as in the case of self-driving cars and medical image understanding. However, images of poor quality like the medical ones obtained via X-Ray or Ultrasound are difficult for computers to analyse. This paper proposes an image segmentation method based on fuzzy theory to solve this problem and increase the computers’ capability to understand low-quality images. The paper is co-authored with FST Assistant Professor Chen Long and Dean Philip Chen. Approximately 100 papers have been presented at this year’s conference.
…