News

The Commissioner Against Corruption, Cheong Weng Chon, submitted the 2015 Annual Report of the Commission Against Corruption of Macao to the Chief Executive, Chui Sai On, in March 2016 under Article 15 of Law no. 10/2000, Organic Law of the Commission Against Corruption of the Macao Special Administrative Region. The report is published in the Official Gazette of Macao SAR today (13th April). The report summarises the activities and efforts of the Commission Against Corruption (CCAC) in corruption fighting, ombudsman and integrity promotion. and it also includes summaries of part of the cases investigated and handled by the CCAC in 2015. The summary of the report is as follows: Number of cases received and case processing summary: In 2015, the CCAC received a total of 793 complaints and reports, including 262 criminal cases and 482 administrative complaints which were pursuable. 568 cases were concluded, including 256 criminal cases referred to the Public Prosecutions Office or archived upon completion of investigation and 312 ombudsman cases completed and archived. Moreover, the CCAC received a total of 1,104 counts of enquiries of different natures. Anti-Corruption: Of the criminal cases investigated in 2015, most involved crimes committed by public servants and a wide range of crimes were involved, namely active and passive bribery, forgery of documents, power abuse, breach of secrecy and unexplained wealth, etc. Among these cases, the situation is more serious in the collusion between public servants and businessmen to commit bribery in conspiracy during the construction work, procurement, and outsourcing of services of the public sector. The SAR Government and all public departments should pay great attention to such situation and strengthen the discipline and conduct requirements of public servants, as well as improve the relevant laws and regulations to plug the loopholes that might trigger corruption. The corruption and bribery cases in the private sector showed a decreasing trend. No private bribery cases could be successfully referred to the judicial institutions throughout the year. To sum up the experience of investigation, the main reason is that the related crimes are semi-public offences. The private sector would choose to smooth things over and not to exercise the right to file the complaint, resulting in the CCAC not being able to follow-up such cases under the law. The CCAC deems necessary to improve the law Prevention and Suppression of Bribery in the Private Sector and to further enhance the integrity awareness of the citizens. Ombudsman: On the ombudsman front, the cases mainly concerned the system related to public service, disciplined services management and their law enforcement, land and public works, municipal affairs and traffic affairs. The CCAC also finished targeted investigations into two cases and released the “Investigation report on municipal ordinances and municipal regulations” and the “Investigation report on not declaring forfeiture of 16 land concessions”. When handling ombudsman cases and conducting targeted investigation, the CCAC found that “obsolete laws” were used as excuses for some public departments who deviated from the “principle of legality” in administrative procedures and administrative acts. The persons-in-charge of the departments should promptly find out outdated legislation and actively put forward suggestions and proposals to amend the law in order to ensure “legal administration”. Moreover, leaders and chiefs of public departments should also seriously study how to, under the circumstance of not breaching the law, exercise “discretion” vested by law to improve the administrative procedures and service models which have long been used. Promotion and education: The CCAC strived to carry out various integrity education work and do promotion at schools and the community. It proactively organised talks and promotion activities on the law of Prevention and Suppression of Bribery in the Private Sector for the local enterprises. In 2015, a total of 463 seminars and symposia were organised, with 25,540 participants. The CCAC also disseminated the message of corruption prevention through TV commercials, radio advertisement, outdoor advertisement, bus advertisement, TV programmes, special columns in newspapers and publications. In addition, activities concerning the integrity education for teenagers and the Integrity Volunteer Team were held continually.
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The Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On, said Hainan Province and Macao could expand cooperation in fields such as tourism, cultural affairs and services related to trade. The two places were both in the process of establishing their respective development goals: Hainan as an island known as an international tourism destination; and Macao as a world centre of tourism and leisure, said Mr Chui. Hainan and Macao could each serve as a reference point for the other in terms of development, he added. Mr Chui’s comments were made on Monday (11 April) during a meeting at Santa Sancha Palace with the Governor of Hainan Province, Mr Liu Cigui. Successful cooperation in the past between Hainan and Macao had paved a way for closer ties; in particular the launch last year of a regular direct air service between the two places. Such links would further tourism development, boost social exchanges and help trade, said Mr Chui. The visit of Mr Liu would bring Hainan-Macao cooperation to a higher level, added Mr Chui. Mr Liu said Hainan and Macao could work together to develop a greater number of two-centre holiday tours, with Hainan complementing Macao’s status as a world centre of tourism and leisure. The Governor also briefed Mr Chui on the latest developments in Hainan. Mr Liu said the province’s positioning as an international tourism destination could be realised by several means. They included: making good use of the province’s role as a place for international diplomacy via events such as the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference; using Hainan’s unique tourism resources; and by taking advantage of the development opportunities arising from the country’s Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st Century Maritime Silk Road initiatives (referred to jointly as the “Belt and Road”). The Government’s representatives at Monday’s meeting included: the Director of the Protocol, Public Relations and External Affairs Office, Mr Fung Sio Weng; and the Consultant of the Chief Executive’s Office, Mr Kou Chin Hung. Hainan officials at the meeting included: the Secretary General of the Hainan Provincial Government, Mr Lu Zhiyuan; the Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of Hainan Province, Mr Wang Sheng; and the Director of Hainan Provincial Commission of Tourism Development, Ms Sun Ying.
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Consumer Council conducted its first ‘Supermarket price survey’ in April on 11 April for the implementation of Section 2b), Article 10, Law 4/95/M of 12 June. Surveyed locations included supermarkets near Areia Preta, Mong Há and Avenida de Venceslau de Morais in N. Sra. de Fátima Parish. The latest ‘Supermarket Price Survey’ is now available on Consumer Council’s website (www.consumer.gov.mo), ‘Supermarket Price Information Platform’ iPhone and Android apps, and on the Council’s WeChat account page. The survey is also available free of charge at the offices of Consumer Council, IACM’s Iao Hon and S. Domingos Markets, bookstores and libraries. With reference to the local seven parishes and the number of supermarkets in each parish, the Council has divided around 100 supermarkets into 8 areas for price collection. The Council collects prices from these supermarkets for the provision of a more comprehensive database for consumers to check price discrepancies and make price comparisons according to their desired locations. For inquiry, please call 8988 9315.
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Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) joins hands with the Supporting Office to the Permanent Secretariat to the Forum for Economic and Trade Cooperation between China and Portuguese-Speaking Countries (Macao) to unfold their tourism training program in 2016 for civil servants from tourism offices of Portuguese-speaking countries. The program aims to familiarize the foreign trainees with Macao’s tourism development and MGTO’s regular operation in order to further exchange and mutual learning while assisting the involved countries to cultivate talent in the field of tourism. Around 20 government tourism personnel from Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, East Timor and Angola are coming to Macao during different periods between April and July in 2016 for training and internship opportunities at MGTO. The first group of trainees will undergo training starting from today (11 April). The departments in MGTO in charge of related training are as follow: Training and Quality Management Department, Organizational Planning and Development Department, Communication and External Relations Department, Destination Marketing Department, Licensing and Inspection Department, Tourism Product and Events Department as well as Administration and Finance Department. The training program also includes field trips to local attractions around the World Heritage site, the Institute for Tourism Studies (IFT), various tourism facilities and so forth. By carrying out the training program, the Office hopes to enhance mutual learning and exchange between Macao and Portuguese-speaking countries in the field of tourism, while assisting the involved countries to train tourism professionals. The Macao Special Administrative Region Government is forging ahead with the goal to transform the city into a “World Centre of Tourism and Leisure” and a “commercial and trade cooperation service platform between China and Portuguese-speaking countries”. The SAR Government is also dedicated to unleashing Macao’s unique competitive advantages and fostering moderate diversification and sustainable development of the local economy. In line with Macao’s development goal, MGTO makes a persistent effort not only to enhance cooperation in tourism with its regional and international partners but also to promote support to Portuguese-speaking countries. Back in 2010, MGTO signed the memoranda of understanding on cooperation in tourism with Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau and Mozambique, and following that, with East Timor and Angola in 2013 and 2015 respectively. Between 2012 and 2015, MGTO has trained a total of 73 government tourism personnel from the above Portuguese-speaking countries. This press release is available at: http://industry.macaotourism.gov.mo/en/pressroom/
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According to statistics released today by the Monetary Authority of Macao, new approvals of residential mortgage loans (RMLs) and commercial real estate loans (CRELs) both witnessed decreases in February 2016. With regard to the outstanding balance, RMLs remained virtually unchanged from the previous month while CRELs increased. New lending approved In February 2016, new RMLs approved by Macao banks decreased 29.5% month-to-month to MOP2.3 billion; of which, 91.8% was extended to residents. In terms of value, new RMLs to residents decreased by 31.9% whereas those to non-residents increased by 17.1%. When compared with the same period of 2015, new approvals of RMLs fell by 57.1%. New RMLs collateralised by uncompleted units (i.e. equitable mortgage) decreased by 14.9% month-to-month to MOP0.7 billion. The equitable mortgage extended to residents, which accounted for 86.4% of the total, dropped by 22.1%. When compared with the same period of 2015, new RMLs collateralised by uncompleted units decreased by 23.2%. New CRELs fell by 49.6% month-to-month to MOP2.7 billion; of which, 87.9% was granted to residents. In terms of value, new CRELs to residents decreased by 55.6% whereas those to non-residents increased from a low comparison base in the previous month by 2,326.5%. The notable increase of the non-resident component was mainly caused by new loans granted to enterprises collateralised by business premises. On an annual basis, new approvals of CRELs dropped by 43.4%. Outstanding balances As at end-February 2016, the outstanding value of RMLs, at MOP174.0 billion, remained virtually unchanged from the previous month but increased by 11.6% from a year ago. The resident component made up 93.7% of the total. Compared to end-January 2016, outstanding RMLs to residents was stable whereas those to non-residents grew by 0.2%. Concurrently, the outstanding value of CRELs increased by 1.0% from end-January 2016 and by 30.0% from end-February 2015 to MOP166.1 billion. Residents accounted for 88.4% of the loans. Compared with one month earlier, outstanding CRELs to residents and non-residents grew 0.6% and 4.1% respectively. Delinquency ratios At the end of February 2016, the delinquency ratio for RMLs was 0.09%, up 0.01 percentage point from a month ago and from end-February 2015. The ratio for CRELs, at 0.02%, remained virtually unchanged from a month ago or was down 0.04 percentage points from a year earlier.
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The Government would – as scheduled – launch before the end of this month a public consultation on planned revisions to the Legislative Assembly Election Law, said the Secretary for Administration and Justice, Ms Chan Hoi Fan. The Government would organise public consultation sessions to hear public opinion regarding the proposed revisions, in an effort further to optimise the process for Legislative Assembly elections, she told reporters on Sunday (10 April). The revisions as proposed so far had already taken account of public opinion. The proposed revisions were drafted following an official report published last December, concerning the fifth Legislative Assembly Election. Ms Chan said the Government needed to deal with the revision process carefully as the election mechanism was pivotal to Macao’s political development. She noted an election for the Legislative Assembly would be held next year. The Government would press ahead with optimisation of a coordinated legislative mechanism, she added. Commenting on other issues covered by her portfolio, the Secretary mentioned the Government would submit to the Assembly this year proposals relating to eight statutes. She said this was in line with the Government’s legislative plan for the current year. The Government would continue enhancing the quality of its legislation by hiring greater numbers of bilingual legal professionals and by providing further training to Chinese-Portuguese translators. In addition, Ms Chan stated that the revision of regulations relating to passenger services operated by designated light vehicles or taxis was likely to be completed this year. Noting that there was opposition from some quarters regarding some of the proposed changes to the regulations, Ms Chan said the Government had to balance residents’ views with those of the sector, given that taxis were a form of public transportation. Regarding a suggestion that meetings of Government consultative bodies should be opened to the public, the Secretary said such bodies had discretionary powers to do so, subject to consultation with the members of those bodies.
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The Government has launched a website for the Urban Renewal Committee, to share more information with the public regarding the Committee’s work. The Secretary for Transport and Public Works, Mr Raimundo do Rosário, mentioned the website on Friday (8 April) following the second meeting of the Urban Renewal Committee. Mr Rosário is the Chairman of the Committee. The Secretary said he encouraged all public bodies under his portfolio to increase the amount of information they share online with the public. Friday’s meeting of the Urban Renewal Committee discussed internal rules, near-term work arrangements, and was given a presentation on the work done by a preceding consultative committee regarding urban renewal of Macao's older districts, said Mr Rosário. The website of the Urban Renewal Committee (http://www.cru.gov.mo/zh/news.php) is available in Macao’s two official languages – Chinese and Portuguese.
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The International Conference on Teaching and Learning Portuguese as a Second Language opened today (8 April) at the University of Macau (UM). The event was co-organised by UM, the University of Lisbon, and Beijing Foreign Studies University. During the two-day event, a professional association for Portuguese language teachers in Asia will be established. UM will provide support for this association by offering assistance to the teachers and creating collaboration opportunities for them. ‘Macao has been playing a leading role in the globalisation of languages, particularly among Portuguese-speaking countries,’ said Sou Chio Fai, director of the Tertiary Education Services Office of Macao SAR. ‘Therefore, Macao not only plays an important role in the relations between China and Portuguese-speaking countries, but also has the responsibility to promote Portuguese language education in the Asia-Pacific region, in order to help others in the region rapidly adapt to the changes brought by globalisation, cultivate bilingual talent in all professional areas, and create new collaboration opportunities.’ ‘Portuguese is not just a subject for academic study for UM, but also one of Macao’s two official languages, including the language of our legal system,’ said Prof Lionel Ni, acting rector of UM, in his opening speech. ‘That explains why we have such a strong Faculty of Law, attracting many international students. That also explains why the University of Macau has always attached great importance to Portuguese language education.’ Prof Hong Gang Jin, dean of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, also gave a speech at the conference. ‘Because of Macao’s unique history, culture, linguistic environment, and geographic location, we not only have a deep sense of responsibility for promoting the Portuguese language and culture,’ she said. ‘But also a noble mission of cultivating a large number of linguistically capable and culturally competent Portuguese bilinguals or trilinguals.’ She added: ‘UM’s Department of Portuguese has 35 years of Portuguese teaching history and is the largest Portuguese department outside of Portugal and Brazil. In each semester, the department offers three full-fledged degree programmes in various fields of studies for more than 550 students.’ The conference attracted nearly 100 scholars, professors, and postgraduate students in the area of Portuguese language education from 36 universities in different parts of the world, including mainland China, Taiwan, Macao, Portugal, Brazil, South Korea, Japan, and India. During the event, the participants had an in-depth discussion on research and teaching activities related to Portuguese language education in Asia. The two-day conference aims to enhance communication among Asian universities in the teaching and learning of the Portuguese language. The event includes two keynote speeches, three keynote roundtable discussions, and 12 presentation sessions for 48 papers.
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As from January this year, Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) took over responsibility for the overall co-ordination and promotion of Macao´s convention and exhibition. Under the new theme “Macao - Mega Events City”, IPIM endeavours to promote Macao´s advantages as a convention and exhibition destination to all sectors of the society, in a bid to push forward the development of the local MICE industry. After the participation in the Asia-Pacific Incentives and Meetings Expo (AIME 2016) held in Melbourne, Australia, in February this year, , IPIM organised a Macao convention and exhibition and tourism delegation to participate in the 2016 Incentive Travel & Conventions, Meetings, China (Shanghai) (IT&CM China - 2016) from 6 to 8 April. The delegation promoted the advantage of Macao´s conventions and exhibitions as well as the “One-stop Service” for MICE Bidding and Support in Macao, to Mainland and overseas event organisers, as well as executives and representatives of the MICE industry. Strong appeal of the IT&CM China Since its inception in 2007, Incentive Travel & Conventions, Meetings, China (Shanghai) (IT&CM China) has become Mainland China´s premier commercial and networking platform for MICE-related activities (professional meetings, incentive travel, international conferences and exhibitions). This year’s IT&CM China was participated by over 3,000 participants including heads of governments departments in charge of convention and exhibition affairs, as well as representatives of chambers of commerce and business associations, destination management companies and professional conference organisers. The participants come from various countries such as Abu Dhabi Germany, Hawaii, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, the United Kingdom and the United States. Over 12,000 business negotiations and 70 commercial, education and social activities were held, thus highlighting IT&CM China´s function as an important exchange platform for the world´s exhibition and business tourism industry. IPIM fully commits to promote the appeal of Macao´s MICE market A press conference was organised by IPIM during the event and attracted the presence of a large number of media from Mainland China and the Asia-Pacific. At the press conference, Mr. Sam Lei, Senior Manager of IPIM´s Promotional Activities Department, talked about the latest development in Macao’s convention and exhibition industry such as IPIM’s “One-stop” Service” for MICE Bidding and Support in Macao, as well as the recently completed hotel projects and the newly opened convention and exhibition facilities. A “Macao Pavilion” covering 192 square metres was set up at the venue of the IT&CM China, to highlight the theme of “Macao - Mega Events City”, and introduced to exhibition industry from around the world the advantages of Macao´s conventions and exhibitions. Furthermore, a promotion counter was set up to introduce IPIM´s services and answer enquiries. Apart from IPIM and the Macao Government Tourism Office, other exhibitors included 28 local enterprises such as hotels, travel agencies, professional conference organisers, destination management companies and conference service providers, and enabled the “Macao Pavilion” to more comprehensively promote Macao as an ideal MICE destination. On the other hand, IPIM´s representatives also participated in over 20 business matching sessions arranged by the Organiser and conducted business negotiation with potential buyers. Fully utilises Macao’s strengths as a “Mega events city” In a bid to attract more international and domestic conference and exhibition organisers to organise events in Macao, through the “One-Stop Service” for MICE Bidding and Support in Macao, IPIM has been assisting local associations and organisers to bid for the holding of international MICE activities in Macao since 2014. Since the launching of the service, it has already successfully bid for a number of international conventions and exhibitions to be held in Macao, such as the following events: Worldwide Chinese Life Insurance Congress and International Dragon (estimated participants: 6,000); SIGGRAPH - Conference and Exhibition on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques in Asia (estimated participants: 7,000); Jeunesse Greater China Meeting (estimated participants: 10,000) and the Nu Skin Star Academy Macau 2016,. In the future, IPIM expects to co-operate with a larger number of local associations or organisations, to bid for more international conferences to be held in Macao and further develop the advantages of “Macao - Mega Events City”.
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Consumer Council revised its “Code of Practice” for intermediary services in real estate operations and added several terms to further safeguard the right of consumers to information. The Council will revise its current “codes” according to changes of law and society, as well as consumers’ behavior, more “codes” will also be established for various industries in the future to enhance fair and harmonious relations between traders and consumers. The Council has made two revisions on its “Code of Practice” for intermediary services in real estate operations since the promulgations and amendments of the law applied to the intermediary services in real estate operations (“Actividade de mediação imobiliária”) and the enforcement rules of such law (“Regulamentação da Lei da actividade de mediação imobiliária”), the latest revision the “code” is updated with several newly-added terms that require real estate agencies that are entitled to the “Certified Shop” emblem to abide by the two laws, the related shops are also required to provide factual and accurate information when placing real estate advertisements and promotional materials. Meanwhile, all selling and rental prices must be displayed in patacas, and the property prices should be displayed clearly whether they are calculated based on saleable or gross floor area. The newly-added terms helps to strengthen the right of consumers to information, and provide comprehensive and secured protection to consumers when purchasing properties. The Council states that the revised edition of its “code” define the rights and duties of both parties in a property transaction, this helps to promote a fair and harmonious relations between both parties as well as regulate a well-established business model for the industry. The revised edition of “Code of Practice” for intermediary services in real estate operations is now available in leaflets, free of charge at Consumer Council, and the Housing Bureau, and can be downloaded from the Council’s website (www.consumer.gov.mo). “Certified Shop” are reminded to comply with the “codes” applied to their industries, failure to do so will affect the annual assessment result. For enquiry, please call 8988-9315.
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