News

The Identification Services Bureau has received confirmation from other countries or regions that holders of the Macao SAR Passport can get access to the relevant countries or regions by means of e-visa. The Identification Services Bureau has finished collating and organizing the relevant information. At present, a total of 9 countries (i.e. Australia, Cambodia, Canada, Colombia, Gabon, India, Kenya, Myanmar and Zambia) have confirmed that holders of the Macao SAR Passport can enter their countries or regions with e-visa. For the information of countries or regions where holders of Macao SAR Passport can get access to by means of e-visa and the relevant formalities of e-visa applications, citizens can visit the website of the Identification Services Bureau (www.dsi.gov.mo/download/E_visa_e.pdf). Online application for e-visa is time-saving. It makes citizens no longer need to pay a visit to the nearby embassies or consulates in person for applying for visas. The Identification Services Bureau will continue to actively promote Macao SAR travel documents, so as to bring greater convenience to citizens travelling abroad.
…

Co-organised by the China International Contractors Association and Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM), under the joint guidance of the Ministry of Commerce of People’s Republic of China, the Secretariat for Economy and Finance of the Macao SAR Government and the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Macao SAR, the 7th International Infrastructure Investment and Construction Forum was opened today (2 June) in Macao. Officiating guests were Deputy China International Trade Representative, Ministry of Commerce of China Zhang Xiangchen, Deputy Director General of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Macao SAR Chen Sixi and the Secretary for Economy and Finance of the Macao SAR Government Leong Vai Tac, together with nearly 50 guests of deputy minister or higher. Actively Participation of Pan-Pearl River Delta “9+2” to Further Deepen Regional Co-operation Strategy The Secretary for Economy and Finance Leong Vai Tac said that this is the fifth time that the Forum was held in Macao, and the event has become one of the most influential convention and exhibition activities in the city. Through the objectives, themes and platform role of the Forum, the event this year, with the participation of nine provinces from the Pan-Pearl River Delta region, is in line with the national strategic planning of deepening PPRD regional co-operation. It is working towards the same direction of Macao’s recent development of “one centre, one platform” and moderate economic diversification, aiming to promote the growth of emerging industries such as the convention and exhibition industry but with conventions as a priority, as well as the featured finance industry, while exploring innovative development orientation in regional collaboration, and fostering economic development. IPIM’s President Jackson Chang said that countries around the world can utilise the Macao platform to provide construction-finance service and featured financial service to the countries along the “Belt and Road”. At the same time, it could assist Mainland enterprises to go global especially in tapping markets of the Portuguese-speaking countries. More than 60 Countries and Regions, Gathering of 1,400 Elites The President of China International Contractors Association Fang Qiuchen, said that this year’s forum is a large event, attracting the participation of nearly 50 guests of deputy minister or higher, from more than 30 countries and regions. Moreover, more than 20 International financial institutions including the Asian Development Bank, the African Export-Import Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, China Development Bank, Export-Import Bank, Bank of China as well as more than 600 units including the International Contractors Association, contractors, equipment manufacturers, consulting services institutions and industry chain service providers attended the event. Ministers, Economists, Presidents of Finance Institutions and Enterprises Share their Insights Guests attending the opening ceremony were Deputy China International Trade Representative, Ministry of Commerce of China Zhang Xiangchen, Minister of Department for Transport of United Kingdom Robert Goodwill, Former Senior Vice President and Chief Economist of the World Bank, Professor and Honorary Dean of National School of Development, Director of Center for New Structural Economics at Peking University Justin Yifu Lin, Minister of Ministry of Public Works and Housing of Indonesia Basuki Hadimuljono, Vice President of China Development Bank Wang Yongsheng, Executive Vice-President, African Export-Import Bank Denys Denya, President of Caterpillar Group Thomas Pellette. The guests gave thematic speeches to share their valuable insights. Discussion on the First Day Focuses on Construction-finance Co-operation Along the “Belt and Road” and Infrastructural Co-operation between China and Latin America The theme of the Forum is "innovating construction-finance co-operation and energizing infrastructure development". Topics of discussion included construction related to the "Belt and Road" and international capacity co-operation, as well as opportunities for international infrastructure co-operation brought about by the new construction-finance co-operation under the regional economic globalization. On the first day of the Forum, the themes were "Status-quo and Future: New Models and Opportunities for Construction-finance Cooperation" and "The 2nd China-LAC Infrastructure Forum—Shaping a Better Future for China—LAC Infrastructure and Capacity Cooperation”. Officials from Kenya and ministers from the countries along the "Belt and Road" like Iran, Laos, Pakistan, Latin American and the Caribbean countries will discuss with executives from China Building Technique Group, China Energy Conservation and Environmental Protection Group, Chinese Road and Bridge Corporation, China Merchants Group, China Bank, Macquarie Capital and other institutions about exploring new methods of co-operation. They will address the challenges and opportunities regarding China’s collaboration with Latin America on infrastructure co-operation. Professional Forum Creates Business Opportunities This year’s event focuses on "pragmatic and efficient means of communication" and establishing a business service platform. Nine parallel forums and special events will be held tomorrow (3 June), involving the innovative practice in construction-finance co-operation, PPP Project’s investment and financing structure planning, as well as parallel forums between China and Britain, China and Australia (Australia), China and the Portuguese-speaking countries on infrastructure and finance co-operation, and encourage China and foreign enterprises to develop mutually beneficial co-operation in the markets of developed countries. Furthermore, 2 promotional and project-matching seminars relating to the "Belt and Road", as well as Latin America and the Caribbean countries and regions will be held during the Forum in order to promote pragmatic co-operation. Meanwhile, project signing activities will be held and business conference rooms will be available to the guests.
…

The 27th Macao Arts Festival (MAF), organized by the Cultural Affairs Bureau, has been concluded successfully. This edition of the MAF was themed “Time” and had “Reshape your Imagination. Experience the Spirit of the Times” as slogan, presenting 27 excellent shows as well as an outreach programme, in a total of over 100 activities, earning an enthusiastic response from local and overseas audiences. The overall percentage of ticket sales reached 87%. This year marked the 400th anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare and Tang Xianzu. The 27th MAF highlighted” programmes in tribute to the two dramatists, appealing to both theatre and literature lovers and each of these shows was highly appreciated by the audience. The children’s show The Assembly of Animals, using objects in our daily lives to create animals full of vitality, was well-received by families ; the show Disabled Theater, performed by actors with cognitive disabilities, about the representation of social inclusion, raised the public’s discussion and deliberation; the closing performance Macbeth, an adaptation of Verdi’s work with the same name in the form of musical play, revealed the human desires of Shakespeare’s story, exploring Africa’s tribal conflicts. The musical earned a positive response from the public for its contents and form of expression. Several shows were highly sought after, namely the opening show A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which tickets were sold out on the first day of sales. Additional performances of the following shows were offered in order to meet public demand: the children’s show The Assembly of Animals, the musical performance The Fairy Tales from the World of Chaos, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged), the children’s puppet play Circles by Step Out and the concert Journey to the Last Frontier - Concert. Other free outdoor performances also brought the arts into the community, including Glide, the Outdoor Performing Arts Showcase and the interactive theatre Micro-Shakespeare, which attracted over 2500 people, allowing various types of audience to experience these innovative performances. In addition to the performances, several outreach activities including talks, masterclasses, workshops, backstage tours, exhibitions, school performances, art critique, accessibility services, movie screenings and post-show talks, also attracted nearly 1500 people. In “1 Night! Shakespeare”, the audience could experience Shakespeare’s poetic charm and romance through the eyes, ears and taste buds; the “Into the Wild” – Workshop by members of Theater HORA offered an artistic workshop to residents with cognitive disabilities; the online platform “Simple Critique” allowed residents to comment each performance in a convenient way. Furthermore, in order to support and promote the development of local cultural and creative industries, this edition of the MAF invited local young illustrators to design souvenirs themed as Shakespeare and Tang Xianzu, which achieved satisfactory sales. This edition of the MAF was strongly supported by the Macao Government Tourism Office, TDM – Teledifusão de Macau, Air Macau and MGM Macau; in cooperation with five banks and credit card issuers as well as six media outlets, a variety of promotions were offered to promote the Festival. Media groups and cultural commentators from Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand and Malaysia were also invited to attend the performances in Macao and report the shows. The organiser also invited consuls-general of various countries accredited to Hong Kong and Macao to participate in the MAF, allowing them to deepen their knowledge and experiences about the city’s culture. In order to maximise the audience participation in the Festival, promotion and ticket sales services were available at designated venues at the University of Macao, the Institute for Tourism Studies, the Macao University of Science and Technology as well as gaming institutions. The Macao Arts Festival has already become a significant cultural brand of the city; in the coming years, the organiser will continue to programme even more outstanding performances in order to establish a culturally sustainable city.
…

The Government plans to offer courses next academic year to train a greater number of speech and occupational therapists – in order to meet an increasing need for such specialist medical services. The courses will be jointly offered by the Social Welfare Bureau, the Education and Youth Affairs Bureau, the Tertiary Education Services Office and the Macao Polytechnic Institute. The Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Mr Tam Chon Weng, made the comments on Wednesday (1 June) at the launch ceremony of new facilities for the assessment of children with special needs. It is known as the integrated centre for child assessment, and is located in the Conde S. Januário Hospital. The centre is part of the Government’s efforts to provide better-integrated services for children with special needs, said Mr Tam. It provides services such as assessment, consultation, diagnosis, treatment, and patient profile management; all within the same facility. Other things provided at the centre include child evaluation and education services, language and speech therapy, occupational therapy, and hearing tests. The Government noted that there was an increasing need for such services for children. It is the Government’s priority to provide a better environment – in general terms – under which children can grow up in a healthy manner. Mr Tam noted the new facilities provided services to all children in need in Macao, regardless of their ethnicity. Later on Wednesday, International Children’s Day, the Secretary made visits – and also presented gifts – to children staying as in-patients at, respectively, the Conde S. Januário Hospital and Kiang Wu Hospital.
…

Organised by the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC), the 2016 “Nam Van Lake Craft Market” will be held from 11 June 2016 to 1 January 2017 (on Saturdays and Sundays), at the Nam Van Lake Square. Craft Market stalls registration is now open and all cultural and creative entities and individuals are invited to register, in order to showcase and sell their original brands and products. The registration deadline is 6pm, 8 June 2016. Furthermore, to promote synergies with the Craft Market, the Cultural Affairs Bureau, the Sports Bureau, the Macao Government Tourism Office and the Institute for Tourism Studies, under the governance of the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macao S.A.R. Government, will jointly organize catering, water activities, cultural and creative activities and art performances at the Nam Van Lake Square, providing more comfortable leisure and tourism facilities to residents and tourists. In particular, the above mentioned newly established “Nam Van Lake Craft Market” will be held at the Nam Van Lake Square from 11 June 2016 to 1 January 2017 (Saturdays and Sundays), featuring 20 stalls operated by cultural and creative entities from Macao, Mainland China and Hong Kong who will sell their creative products. The Fair will also feature workshops and concerts to be held occasionally to enrich the atmosphere of the event. Applicants must be Macao residents; registration is free and can be made on behalf of a group or individually. IC will select stall operators according to the originality and peculiarity of their products. Application forms are now available at the Department for the Promotion of Cultural and Creative Industries of the Cultural Affairs Bureau (No. 567, Avenida da Praia Grande, BNU Building, 12th floor A-D, Macao) or can be downloaded at IC’s website (www.icm.gov.mo) and at the Macao Cultural and Creative Industries Website (www.macaucci.com). Applicants must submit all required documents together with the completed application form to the Department for the Promotion of Cultural and Creative Industries during the specific period of time stated in the Application Form. For enquiries, please contact Ms. Wong, staff member of IC, through tel. no. (853) 2892 4040 during office hours.
…

Organised by the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC), the “Roaming Vision + Digital: Exhibition of Ink Paintings by Leung Kui Ting” was inaugurated on Wednesday, 1 June, at 6pm, at the IACM Temporary Exhibitions Gallery. The opening ceremony was officiated by the President of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, Ung Vai Meng; the Assistant of the Chief of the Department of Education and Culture of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Macao S.A.R., Shao Bin; the President of Macau Artist Society, Lai Ieng; the Programme Coordinator of the School of Arts of the Macao Polytechnic Institute, Chen Chiu Jhin and the artist of this exhibition, Leung Kui Ting. The exhibition features a total of 28 ink works by Hong Kong artist Leung Kui Ting. A talk entitled “Roaming Vision + Digital: Talk about the Ink Paintings by Leung Kui Ting” will also be held on 12 June, open to the public in general. Leung Kui Ting studied painting under renowned artist Lui Shou-kwan and learnt design with Wucius Wong in his early years. He founded the Hong Kong Chingying Institute of Visual Arts in 1980 and worked as a part-time lecturer at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University over ten years. Currently he is an art expert adviser of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department of Hong Kong S.A.R. Government. Leung reveals that he feels the external world with the heart in order to achieve the unity of the mind and objects, so as to observe all things in the universe in the form of the objects themselves. Based on the transformation and exploration of Chinese traditional painting, his landscape ink paintings come from his heart and are abstracted from concrete appearance, instead of being mere reflections of reality. Leung invented a digital landscape painting technique which superimposes digital lines and dots on the outlines of mountains and rocks drawn in a traditional way, which makes his contemporary art ink works truly unique. This exhibition presents Leung’s most recent paintings, allowing visitors to appreciate his unusual painting style and techniques and allowing them to get to know a new approach to ink painting. In conjunction with the exhibition, the organiser will host a talk entitled “Roaming Vision + Digital: Talk about the Ink Paintings by Leung Kui Ting”, on Sunday, 12 June, from 3pm to 4:30pm, at the Auditorium of the Macao Museum of Art. Admission is free. The talk will be conducted by Leung Kui Ting in Cantonese, who will share with the audience his artistic process of composing traditional landscape paintings with digital elements, in particular the use of dotted lines, the combination of curved and straight lines as well as the dissection of image, allowing participants to deepen their understanding of his works. “Roaming Vision + Digital: Exhibition of Ink Paintings by Leung Kui Ting” will be open from 2 June and 10 July, at the IACM Temporary Exhibitions Gallery located at No. 63, Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro, and will be open daily from 9am to 9pm, including on public holidays. Admission is free. For registration to the talk and enquiries about the exhibition, please call through tel. no. 8988 4000 or 8988 4128, during office hours.
…

Course lecturer Dr. Fernando Lourenço led IFT Tourism Retail and Marketing Management students to help The Black Sheep Bar and Restaurant to develop campaigns to develop ways to enhance their marketing and promotional effort to attract more customers to visit their shop and to retain existing customers. There are two parts of this year’s project: (1) market research and analysis and (2) development of marketing and promotional campaign. One of the key aims of this project is to increase the number of customers between the time from 2200 to 0300. The priority of the campaign is position in this scope. The Black Sheep were very pleased with the outcome and would like to congratulate the class for their fantastic effort. The outcome shows professional and innovative quality. As a result, the ideas gained from this project will be executed in the coming months by IFT students. This was an excellent way to build a stronger link with the industry by offering IFT’s support to local enterprises. Established in 1995, the Institute for Tourism Studies, Macao (IFT) offers the most extensive selection of tourism and hospitality related bachelor degree programmes in Macao, and about twenty thousand participants attend its vocational and professional training courses annually. IFT collaborates with 97 universities and tourism organisations around the world, and builds strong links with 500 leading tourism and hospitality corporations to offer internship opportunities to its students. Being the first institution accredited by the UNWTO.TedQual Certification System for tourism education, IFT has now 7 bachelor degree programmes with the Certification. Currently, the Institute has the most number of bachelor degree programmes certified under the System of any tertiary education establishment worldwide. IFT has received the Medal of Merit in Tourism from the Macao SAR Government, and won twice the Gold Award in ‘Education and Training’ from the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA).
…

The Archives of Macao under the auspices of Cultural Affairs Bureau will present an exhibition “Memories of Moments - Macao and Lusophone African and Asian Regions in Photograph Postcards” to celebrate China Cultural Heritage Day and International Archives Day. To be inaugurated at 6:30pm on 8 June at the Archives of Macao on Tap Siac Square, the exhibition will run from 10 June to 4 December 2016. Lectures related to the exhibition are also scheduled during the exhibition period, the first one will take place at 6:30pm on 15 June. Members of the public are welcome to attend. A photograph postcard is a dual source of information, where an image on the front, which demonstrates the photographer's vision of the society, is complemented with a personal message on the back. Messages on postcards are written accounts of experiences and happenings in different parts of the world and thus enhance the value of postcards as documents. The 20th century marked the beginning of international circulation of postcards and popularization of photography in world history. The exhibition features a selection of over 260 photograph postcards from the image collection of the Archives of Macao to present a big picture of the history and art, urban-architecture, ethnography, economic development, natural environment and other aspects of life in Macao and Angola, Cape Verde, the former Portuguese India, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, São Tomé and Principe and East Timor since the first decades of the 20th century. The first lecture related to the exhibition, entitled "Photograph Postcard - Corroboration of the History: Macao and Lusofone African and Asian Regions after the Popularization of Photography", will be delivered by senior researcher Luís Sá Cunha to provide a look at the people, culture and history of Macao and Lusofone African and Asian regions through photograph postcards of different periods. The lecture will be conducted in Portuguese with Cantonese simultaneous interpretation at the Auditorium of the Cultural Affairs Bureau on Tap Siac Square at 6:30pm on 15 June. Admission is free. The exhibition at the Archives of Macao is open with free entry from 10am to 6pm daily, except from Mondays and public holidays. For enquiries, please visit official website: www.archives.gov.mo or call 28592919 during office hours.
…

For the aim of developing electronic services in line with the governance principle of the Macao Special Administrative Region Government, the Identification Services Bureau (hereinafter referred to as DSI) introduces a brand new mobile application, “DSI Service Station”, on 1 June 2016 for citizens to modify contact information (i.e. address and telephone number). This service allows Macao citizens to go through the application formalities without leaving home. Persons who are aged 18 or above and holding a contactless electronic identity card can download “DSI Service Station” mobile application with their NFC-enabled Android devices (NFC is an abbreviation of Near Field Communication), and lodge the application for modifying their contact information after finishing the procedures as instructed by the application and successfully verifying their personal identity. The above-mentioned electronic application service is secure and convenient. Firstly, applicants need to enter the confirmation information for authentication and establishing an encrypted communication channel between DSI’s server and the identity card. (The confirmation information can be either entered manually or with the camera of the mobile device. If using camera, applicants can use their mobile phone to take a picture of the optical character recognition (OCR) code at the back of the identity card.) After that, the applicants have to enter the Confirmation PIN of their identity card and verify their personal identity through identity card with their NFC-enabled mobile device. After successful verification, the applicants can apply for modifying their contact information. The information will be updated three working days after the date of application. Besides, DSI will notify the applicants of the success of information update by SMS (Short Message Service). DSI expects that the above-mentioned electronic application service will make Macao residents learn and get used to verifying personal identity with the Confirmation PIN of identity card. It will create favorable criteria for introducing other electronic services in the future. The Confirmation PIN is a 8-digit number for the use of verifying the authenticity of the Macao Special Administrative Region resident identity card and the identity of the card holder electronically. The Confirmation PIN is printed in the PIN letter provided by DSI at the time of identity card collection. If cardholders forget their PIN, they can reset it at DSI in “Avenida de Praia Grande” or at the designated counters for DSI’s services at the Government Services Centre in Areia Preta. After resetting the PIN, the cardholders can change the number on their own with DSI’s multi-function kiosks. “DSI Service Station” is applicable to Android system (version 4.0 or above). Users can download this free application by entering “身份證明局服務站” in Chinese, “Portal de Serviços da DSI” in Portuguese or “DSI Service Station” in English at Google Play, scanning the QR Code (see the attached photo) or browsing the website of DSI (www.dsi.gov.mo). For details about “DSI Service Station” application, please go to DSI’s website (www.dsi.gov.mo/mobileapp_e.jsp).
…

The Government will work to ensure strict enforcement of the ban on mobile telephone use by customers at Macao’s casino tables. The Government’s firm stance on the matter – as part of its policy on the gaming industry – was reiterated today by the Secretary for Economy and Finance, Mr Leong Vai Tac. The Government was additionally analysing what action it might take in relation to any ‘proxy’ service that might be offered by a Macao gaming promoter seeking to enable its gambling clients to make bets via casinos overseas, Mr Leong told reporters this evening after a plenary session at the Legislative Assembly. If such services were found to contravene the laws of Macao, the Government would take firm enforcement measures against such activities, he stressed. In general, using mobile telephones while betting in casinos in Macao is prohibited, Mr Leong added. The Government had kept in close touch with casino operators and gaming promoters regarding this issue. The Government had previously clarified that with effect from 9 May the use of mobile telephones at gaming tables in VIP rooms at local casinos would not be permitted. The measure was aimed at further regulating, in an orderly way, the city’s gaming industry. It would assist a better and healthier development of the industry and prevent the possibility of irregularities occurring. It was definitely not designed as some kind of administrative measure to hurt gaming revenue, said Mr Leong. By implementing the telephone ban in relation to table betting, the Government hoped to attract a greater number of general visitors to Macao. This would benefit the city’s small- and medium-sized enterprises and the development of non-gaming offerings at local resorts. Regarding the development of the gaming promotion sector, Mr Leong said strengthening supervision of gaming promoters and increasing the financial threshold for companies interested in entering the sector were the likely major directions for any revision in regulation. The Government pays great attention to the healthy development of gaming promoters and to the opinion from the community on how further to manage the gaming promotion sector. Opinion was sought in particular on how to prevent irregularities that – while perhaps not violating existing laws – were of great concern to society, Mr Leong added. The Secretary said the Government was also keeping an eye on technology trends, and how they might affect the operations of the local gaming industry.
…