News

The Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On, today visited social vulnerable groups and services centres to express the Government’s care for them. He visited four centres for senior citizens, the mentally-challenged and single-parent families, and visited the homes of a senior citizen who lived alone, an elderly couple living in a public housing unit, and a single-parent family. Mr Chui chatted with the staff to learn more about their work and demands, and listened to the voices of the social vulnerable groups. Speaking to the press afterwards, Mr Chui said it was the Government’s responsibility to take good care of the socially vulnerable and would introduce a series of policies and measures to help make their lives more bearable. He said the Government would set up a care centre for the mentally-challenged and that he would promote the employment of these people among enterprises. Asked by journalists on recent reports on Dr Stanley Ho, Mr Chui said he had no comment, only that the Government had not received any report on transfer of stocks in Sociedade de Jogos de Macau (SJM). He praised Dr Ho for his contribution to Macao.
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From January 11 until 5p.m. of January 24, the Cross-departmental Working Team sealed four more premise suspected to provide accommodation illegally. Two operators and one management staff were seized on site. One overstayer was found during the operation, while one occupant failed to fulfill his duty of cooperation.
Since the law on "Prohibition of Providing Illegal Accommodation" took effect on August 13, Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) has waged a total of 101 sanctions, among which two sanction proceedings have been completed and two operators who provided accommodation illegally were fined 200 000 patacas. Other cases are in different stages of sanction proceedings. Since the Cross-departmental Working Team started operations, to date, 1,204 premise-checks were conducted, involving 791 premises, of which 101 premises suspected to provide accommodation illegally were sealed, while 121 were normal residences. Ensuing investigations on the rest of the premises have been launched. Among the checked premises, some were vacant or unoccupied. Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) and the Public Security Police Force (PSP) will continue investigation on unanswered doors, which are suspected to be used to provide accommodation illegally. Meanwhile, during investigations to other cases, PSP has found 23 premises suspected to provide accommodation illegally and informed the Cross-departmental Working Team to handle the cases. To date, the operations involved 1,032 occupants, among whom 466 were occupants of premises suspected to provide accommodation illegally and were investigated, including 22 overstayers and 15 illegal immigrants. 18 operators, 14 touts, 16 persons who managed the premises that provide accommodation illegally (management staff) and seven occupants who failed to fulfill their duty of cooperation were seized on site. MGTO has begun sanction proceedings on offenders according to the law on "Prohibition of Providing Illegal Accommodation". If the two operators who provided accommodation illegally, who were fined 200 000 patacas, do not pay within the statutory period, the Financial Services Bureau will enforce the collection of fine. Meanwhile, the six occupants who failed to fulfill their duty of cooperation were fined 3 000 patacas each, among which three have paid the fine. For those who fail to pay the fine within the statutory period, MGTO has notified the Financial Services Bureau to enforce the collection of fine and informed PSP that the involved persons should pay the fine or their reentry into Macau will be denied. According to the law, operators and persons who manage the premises that provide accommodation illegally (management staff) incur a penalty of up to 800 000 patacas, touts can be fined up to 100 000 patacas, persons who fail to cooperate can be fined up to 20 000 patacas and occupants who fail to cooperate are fined 3 000 patacas. Following the raid to premises suspected to provide accommodation illegally, MGTO began sanction proceedings on involved operators, touts and managing staff, and adopted provisional measures to cut the supply of water and electricity to the concerned premises and sealed the doors. Public can also call 2833 3000 to report suspected premises.
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For the purpose of sharing resources, acquiring mutual support and achieving cooperative development, the Civil Aviation Authority of Macao SAR (AACM) is proactive in establishing exchanges and collaboration in aviation with other aeronautical authorities. On the area of aviation safety, AACM and the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) have reached consensus on cooperation in aeronautical information services, cartographic services, flight procedures design, meteorological services and airport fire fighting services. The two authorities met in Macao and signed the relevant cooperation agreement on 24 January 2011, in which both parties agreed that the CAAC experts will come to Macao every year to provide technical support to Macao in the above areas. In addition, CAAC will invite Macao to participate in training courses and exchange activities organized by the mainland. Presently, the aeronautical information services, cartographic services and flight procedures design are provided by AACM, the meteorological services are provided by Meteorological and Geophysical Services Bureau (SMG), and the airport fire fighting services are provided by the Fire Services Bureau (CB) An entity taking both roles as a service provider and a monitoring body will have conflict of interest in the roles. When the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) carried out the Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme on Macao in 2009, they have given a recommendation that Macao should appoint an independent entity to audit the above services. Following this recommendation, AACM initiated contact with CAAC in June 2009 to establish cooperation with them in the relevant areas. Both parties held discussions and reached consensus on the agreement text which was then approved by the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council in 2010. The agreement states that CAAC will form an expert team for this cooperation. After whose expertise have been endorsed by AACM, the expert team will review the regulations, the management and the operations of the aeronautical information services, cartographic services, flight procedures design, meteorological services and airport fire fighting services in Macao. The team will also come to Macao every year to conduct on-site inspection and assessment on the operation of the above services and submit reports for recommendation to AACM. Upon the invitation from CAAC, AACM has participated in the aircraft accident investigation exercises and the “Performance Based Navigation” training courses dedicated for flight procedures design, organized in the mainland. In addition, AACM has participated as an observer in the airworthiness certification process of ARJ21, the first regional airliner developed and produced by mainland China. In order to extend the exchange between the two sides in aviation training, on the basis on this cooperation agreement, CAAC agrees to invite personnel from AACM, SMG and CB to take part in the future training courses and exchange activities organized by the former in the respective areas. The signing ceremony was held in the Multi-function Room of the AACM office. The President of AACM, Mr. Chan Weng Hong and the Safety Oversight Commissioner, Aviation Safety Office of CAAC, Mr. Liu EnXiang signed the agreement on behalf of the two parties. In addition to the officials from the two aeronautical authorities, guests who also presented in the ceremony included the representatives from Fire Services Bureau and Meteorological and Geophysical Services Bureau of the Macao SAR, CAM-Macau International Airport Company Ltd. and Administration of Airports, Ltd. The Macao side also took the opportunity of CAAC’s presence in Macao to further explain to them how the services within the scope mentioned in the agreement are currently operated in Macao. Apart from this cooperation agreement, the mainland and Macao also work together with each other in aircraft accident and incident investigation. With Hong Kong as a counterpart, the three sides are cooperating among themselves on mutual acceptance of maintenance organizations and mutual acceptance of airworthiness certification. Future projects between the three parties will finalize cooperation on mutual acceptance of maintenance training organizations and facilitation in approval procedures for aircraft transfer this year.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service indicated that the number of visitor and non-resident arrivals totalled 2,991,102 in December 2010. Total visitor arrivals rose by 11.6% year-on-year to 2,271,301. Same-day visitors (1,164,316) accounted for 51.3% of total visitor arrivals, with 612,147 coming from Mainland China. Analyzed by place of residence, visitors from Mainland China increased by 18.8% year-on-year to 1,200,324 (52.8% of total), with 494,567 travelling to Macao under the Individual Visit Scheme. Visitors from Hong Kong (667,595) and Republic of Korea (33,775) increased by 10.9% and 49.0% respectively; however, those from Taiwan, China (105,747); Malaysia (41,256); Japan (36,052) and Singapore (34,839) decreased by 7.4%, 10.2%, 5.8% and 11.9% respectively. Total visitor arrivals reached 24,965,411 for the whole year of 2010, up by 14.8% year-on-year. The majority of visitors were from Mainland China (13,229,058); Hong Kong (7,466,139); Taiwan, China (1,292,734); Japan (413,507); Malaysia (338,058) and Republic of Korea (331,768); meanwhile, visitors from Republic of Korea and India soared by 62.0% and 57.3% in comparison with 2009. Same-day visitors accounted for 52.2% of total visitor arrivals, at 13,039,540. Analyzed by mode of transport, visitor arrivals by sea totalled 10,244,087 in 2010, an increase of 18.0% year-on-year. Visitors arriving at the Outer Harbour increased by 7.7% to 6,462,250, with the majority coming from Hong Kong (52.6%) and Mainland China (23.1%); meanwhile, those arriving at the Provisional Ferry Terminal in Taipa increased by 42.8% to 3,431,423. Visitor arrivals by land totalled 13,087,262 in 2010, up by 14.3% year-on-year; those arriving through the Border Gate totalled 12,024,061 and the majority were visitors from Mainland China (78.9%) and Hong Kong (14.0%). Visitor arrivals by air increased slightly by 0.9% year-on-year to 1,634,062. Visitors arriving at the Macao International Airport went up by 1.7% to 1,611,651, with the majority coming from Taiwan, China (37.1%); Mainland China (31.7%); and Malaysia (7.4%).
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For the fourth consecutive year, the Government of the Macao Special Administrative Region (Macao SAR) will organize, from 31st March to 2nd April this year, another edition of the Macao International Environmental Protection Exhibition and Forum (MIECF). MIECF´s objective is to continue to promote Macao´s role as an environmental protection platform between the Pan-Pearl River Delta and other countries of the world, and the dissemination of the environmental protection concept. This year´s activities aim to meet the current national and global sustainable development and the direction of climate changes while coinciding coincide with Macao´s urban planning and future development. The 2011MIECF features the theme “Green Opportunities – Low Carbon Urban Development”, advocating “Green Cities, Smart Technology, Sustainable Growth”. Through a series of activities, including professional exhibitions, high-level forums and other related events, such as “Green Business Co-Operation”, business matching activities and “Green Public Day”, MIECF aims to promote the cooperation between Macao and other countries and to share with the participants the latest environmental technologies and solutions, thereby creating business opportunities to the enterprises, and spreading the “green” spirit. Since 2008, three previous editions of the MIECF were held, with significant success. Improvements were made over the years, with regards to the number of participating enterprises, area of the venue as well as the number of members of the participating business delegations. Last year, MIECF attracted over 5900 representatives of organizations from Mainland China and 47 other regions and countries. The area of the venue was increased to 13,400 square metres to accommodate 362 participating entities. This clearly shows that MIECF has become an important platform for the development of the green industries in South China and the Pan-Pearl River Delta. When designing the future urban planning of Macao, the SAR Government has the vision to transform Macao into a “Low Carbon, Green Living City”. In its Policy Address for this year, the local government mentioned the creation of an environment protection and energy conservation fund, with a start-up capital of MOP 100 million and also tax benefits for light electric vehicles up to a maximum of MOP 60 thousand. These measures will further encourage the local industries to introduce advanced environmental technology, product and services from Mainland China, thus providing more business opportunities, and assist MIECF to push forward the development of the environmental industry in Macau. This year´s MIECF will comprise several areas, including the Zone of the Provinces and Municipalities in the Pan-Pearl Delta River, European Pavilion, USA Pavilion and the International Pavilion, as well as four thematic pavilions, showcasing, namely, green building, electric vehicles, low-carbon city (energy saving and green building technology) and clean energy. Exhibitors will have the opportunity to participate in the exhibition through five major categories: renewable energy, green transportation, energy efficiency, environmental protection and integrated services. The event covers several major projects in the green industry, including solar (photovoltaic and thermal), bio-energy, hybrid energy systems, electric cars and hybrid vehicles, charging stations, battery and storage solutions, building technology, facilities management, smart grid, waste disposal, water conservation, air pollution control, noise control, project finance and consulting. Internationally renowned companies, including BYD and Halo, will mark their presence at the MIECF. The Organizers have prepared a series of green business matching activities, in order to assist the participating exhibitors and enterprises to find suitable partners. At present, several local public utilities companies have agreed to participate in the business matching sessions as professional buyers. Furthermore, several companies in the environmental protection field from Mainland China and abroad have already confirmed their participation. In accordance with the information submitted by the participants, the Organizers will assist them in finding suitable partners for their projects, products and services, through a dedicated on-line business matching platform and other related field activities. Up to the moment, the Organizers have gathered over 100 investment and cooperation projects, including wind power generation, sewage treatment, electric vehicles and LED lighting, out of which, 64 are from Mainland China, 23 from Macao, 11 from Hong Kong, 4 from Europe and 1 from Australia. Last year, the business matching activities achieved extraordinary results, with 416 sessions held, culminating with the signing of 24 projects, totalling 3.1 billion Patacas. Internationally renowned guest speakers are being invited to the event, including Mr. Joschka Fischer, former Vice-Chanceller and former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Germany and Mr. Klaus Toepfer, former Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and former Executive Director of United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP). Both speakers are very prestigious figures and exert influence in the environmental protection field, in the United Nations and Europe, especially Germany. The number of conferences to be held in conjunction with the 2011 MIECF will be increased form five to six this year, with the following topics: “Exploring Green Business Market Opportunities”, “Opportunities in Green Sectors” Urban Planning and Eco City Development”, “Low Carbon Urban Industries: Sustainable Tourism”, Buildings: Foundations of a Low Carbon, “Energy Generation and Consumption”. In addition to covering low-carbon city development, the conferences will also explore the urban planning and development of Macao into a low-carbon city. Furthermore, the Organizers also intend to invite national and overseas researches and industry leaders to share their research results and practical experience with the participants. According to the Organizers, the “Outline of the Plan for the Reform and Development of the Pearl River Delta (2008-2020)”, promulgated by the State Council has clearly put forward the idea of building a “Pan-Pearl River Good Living Quality Circle”. In the proposal for the 12th 5-year plan, the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party´s mentioned the building of Macao into a world-class tourism and leisure centre. The Macao SAR Government, in its Policy Address for Financial Year 2011 has clearly indicated that the development of Macao into a world tourism and leisure centre will be a key to sustainable development. Therefore, the Organizers hope that through the topics explored in the conferences, the concept of low-carbon developed in Mainland China and abroad could be introduced to Macao, so as to achieve sustainable tourism development and becoming a low-carbon city. For further enquiries, please contact 2011MIECF Secretariat, Tel: (853) 8798-9675, fax: (853) 2872-7123, e-mail: miecf@ipim.gov.mo, or visit MIECF´s website: www.macaomiecf.com.
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Pousada de Mong-Há is honoured as Top 25 Hotels in Hong Kong/Macao/Chinese Taiwan in the 2011 Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice Awards. Ranked as the 16th on the list, it is also the number one among the three awarded Macao hotels. Pousada de Mong-Há is a training hotel operated by Institute for Tourism Studies (IFT). It Features 20 guestrooms including 4 suites, with 2 restaurants, a conference room, gym room and a cozy library. Situated on a historic hilltop and away from the casino glitz, the hotel is an oasis in the bustling little city where guests can enjoy time in peaceful ambience. What makes the hotel different is that guests can see the enthusiasm and care of the students cultivated by this internationally recognised tourism institute. “Being a training hotel, we are very delighted to be awarded. I would like to thank our team members and students for their great effort.” Ms. Gloria Wong, Director of Pousada de Mong-Há said. “We will keep up our good work and be proud of being part of the milestone. And I hope that the award will bring us more guests from worldwide which provide our students a diversified training environment.” The annual TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice awards honour the world’s best hotels, earning their distinction from those who know them best – real travelers. Unlike any other hotel awards programmes in the world, TripAdvisor® Travelers' Choice® winners are based on the millions of real and unbiased reviews and opinions about hotels on tripadvisor.com™ and content from across the web.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service indicated that the average Composite CPI for the whole year of 2010 was 104.25 and the inflation rate for 2010 stood at 2.81%. The annual inflation rate was driven up by dearer prices of meals bought away from home, men’s and women’s clothing, fresh fish and seafood, gasoline, gold jewellery, vegetables and LP-gas, altogether contributed 1.9 percentage points to the increase in the annual inflation rate. In 2010, notable increase was observed in the price index of various sections of goods and services, namely Clothing & Footwear (+6.51%); Transport (+6.30%); Miscellaneous Goods & Services (+6.13%); Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages (+4.73%); Alcoholic Beverages & Tobacco (+4.72%); and Health (+4.39%); however, price indices of Education and Communication decreased by 7.27% and 3.49% compared with 2009. The average CPI-A and CPI-B for 2010 was 103.77 and 104.38 respectively, up by 2.28% and 2.97% in comparison with 2009. The Composite CPI (106.17) for December 2010 rose by 3.92% year-on-year. Price indices of Transport (+6.94%); Miscellaneous Goods & Services (+6.65%); Health (+6.13%); Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages (+4.78%); and Clothing & Footwear (+4.11%) recorded significant increase, which was caused by dearer prices of gasoline, airfare, gold jewellery, LP-gas, women’s clothing and footwear, as well as rising charges for meals bought away from home, out-patience medical services and hairdressing and grooming services. On the contrary, reduced charges for mobile phone services lowered the price index of Communication to decrease by 3.60% year-on-year. The CPI-A (105.32) and CPI-B (106.42) for December 2010 increased by 3.62% and 4.07% year-on-year respectively. The Composite CPI for December 2010 increased by 0.59% month-to-month, with marked increase in the price indices of Clothing & Footwear (+2.99%); Household Goods & Furnishings (+1.50%); Recreation & Culture (+1.28%); and Transport (+1.08%); moreover, the CPI-A and CPI-B increased by 0.38% and 0.66% month-to-month. The Composite CPI for the fourth quarter of 2010 rose by 3.93% over the same quarter of 2009, with noticeable increase in the price indices of Miscellaneous Goods & Services (+6.71%); Clothing & Footwear (+6.06%); Transport (+5.81%); Health (+5.79%); and Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages (+5.04%). In the fourth quarter of 2010, the CPI-A and CPI-B rose by 3.65% and 4.07% from a year earlier. The 2008/2009-based Composite CPI reflects the impact of price changes on the general population. The CPI-A relates to about 50% of the households, which have an average monthly expenditure of MOP6,000 to MOP18,999. The CPI-B relates to about 30% of the households, which have an average monthly expenditure of MOP19,000 to MOP34,999.
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Owing to flooding in New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria and Southern Areas, Macao Post announced that all mail delivery services (including Correspondence, Printed Matters, Small Packet, Parcel and EMS) from Macao to the areas bearing the following postal codes are subject to delay until further notice. Affected Regions Postal Codes New South Wales 2360, 2371–2372, 2388, 2406, 2440–2441, 2446–2447, 2449–2450, 2454–2455, 2460, 2462–2465, 2469–2471, 2474–2476, 2480–2482, 2824, 2831–2833, 2839–2840, 2879 Queensland 4000 – 4999 Victoria and Southern Areas 3221, 3317–3319, 3334, 3351–3352, 3361, 3371, 3373, 3377, 3379, 3381, 3384–3385, 3387–3388, 3390–3393, 3395–3396, 3400–3401, 3407, 3409, 341–3414, 3418–3420, 3423–3424, 3431–3438, 3464–3465, 3468–3469, 3472, 3475, 3478, 3485, 3487, 3525, 3537, 3563, 3571, 3850, 5271 Thank you for your kind attention.
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Consumer Council’s first ‘Supermarket Price Survey Report’ of this year has been released. Out of 223 samples surveyed, around 30%, including rice, cooking oil, sanitary and hygienic product, recorded increase in their average prices. According to both ‘Supermarket Price Survey Report’ and the specific price survey report on rice, average price of many Thai rice brands has risen by almost 7%. In comparison with data of last December, the current survey report dated 19th January shows that average prices of canned food, beverage, cereal product and daily household product tend to decrease, ranging from 1% to 2%; meanwhile, over 60 samples of other categories surveyed this time have risen in price. For milk product and beverage, prices of most items tend to rise, and a 40% significant price increase is observed in ‘Vita Silken Tofu (350g)’. For cooking oil, most brands record a price rise of around 1% to 5%, with only the exception of ‘King Chef 100% Pure Corn Oil (3.5L)’, which has risen by 20%. For rice, though prices of most Thai rice brands record an increase of less than 1% in the current survey, prices of some brands have actually increased by almost 7% when comparing with data from early December. In recent weeks, significant increases in average price are observed in brands like ‘Golden Rabbit’, ‘Golden King Rabbit’ and ‘Wing On Thai Jasmine Rice’. The latest ‘Supermarket Price Survey Report’ and the specific price survey report on rice are now accessible on the Council’s website (www.consumer.gov.mo). Reports are also available free of charge at the two offices of the Consumer Council, local markets, bookstores and libraries. Consumers may also access the resources online at the Council’s official website (http://www.consumer.gov.mo) or through WAP channels on their mobile phones. For enquiry, please call 8988 9315
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The Identification Services Bureau met with persons who made the request for family reunion this afternoon. In the meeting, this bureau has reaffirmed that the SAR Government believes the issue of “Adult Children” has reached a reasonable and complete settlement. In pursuant to the stipulation of Article 22 of the Basic Law of the Macao SAR, Mainland residents entering Macao for residence is governed by the Central Government. The Central Government has clearly defined the principle and the scope of “Adult Children” to settle the issue of “Adult Children” of Macao residents. There is only one arrangement, which was activated on 1 December 2009, for “Adult Children” entering Macao for residence and there will not be any alterations on the arrangement. Any Mainland relatives of Macao residents who are not within the scope of “Adult Children” specified in the “Guidance Notes on Application for Adult Children of Macao Residents in Mainland to Enter Macao for Residence” must make the application to reside in Macao according to the existing requirements of the Public Security Authority in Mainland.
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