News

Japan’s Tamaya Art Pyro Technics, took the top prize in the 16th International Fireworks Display Contest at a ceremony held at the Macau Tower Convention and Entertainment Center on 1 October. The winners received US$6,000, a trophy, and certificate with runner-up prizes of US$3,200 awarded to China’s Liuyang Jiding Fireworks Liuyang Jiding Fireworks Manufacture Export Co., Ltd., and US$1,800 to U.K.’s Millennium Pyrotechnics Ltd.. Mr. Antunes noted in his speech that this spectacular event not only brought joy to the citizens and tourists, but also played an important role to promote Macau to the world. In order to add further festive atmosphere to the fireworks display contest, Macau Government Tourist Office organized The "Fireworks Carnival" with the General Union of Neighbors Association of Macau. Held between 5:00 - 11:00 p.m. on each of the fireworks display nights, at Rua da Torre de Macau. The Carnival presents a series of fantastic events, including food stalls that provide delicious cuisine, souvenirs stalls and performances for tourists and local residents. Ten teams from the enjoyment of - Australia, Taiwan, Germany, Korea, Portugal, Japan, Thailand, Philippines, UK and Mainland China displayed their unique style of pyrotechnic skills at this year’s contest.
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At the invitation of the Central Government, the Chief Executive will lead a delegation to Beijing on 30 September to attend the 55th anniversary celebrations of the People's Republic of China. The delegation, comprises 120 representatives from different sectors, such as business, education, labour and academy, will be received by the state leaders during the visit. Chief Executive Edmund Ho will be the chairman of the delegation; Director Bai Zhijian of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the MASR will be the advisor; Secretary for Economy and Finance, Mr. Francis Tam, will be the vice-chairman; Mr. Ho Veng On, the Chief-of-Office of the Office of the Chief Executive, will be the secretary-general of the delegation.
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To celebrate the “World Tourism Day” today (September 27), Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) organized an exciting tray race and World Tourism Day banquet to mark this special day. The traditional tray race was held in the afternoon, where waiters and waitresses run down the stoned-path from the Ruins of St Paul to the Senado Square carrying a tray with a bottle beer on it. Over 50 participants came from 20 hotels and restaurants in Macau took part and the race has attracted crowds of visitors and local people who cheered for the participants. The winner of the men’s division is Chen Shang Xuan from Ritz Hotel and the winner of the women’s division is Zhang Bing Mei from Beverly Plaza Hotel. The Best Costume Awards go to Michael Rotillies of Mandarin Oriental and Yang Zhi Hong of StarEast Café & Entertainment Ltd. Director of MGTO, João Costa Antunes presented souvenirs to three first time visitors from Australia, Ms Ginetta Teresa Vacca, Ms Jacky Dawn Bliss and Mr Michael John Neary at Macau’s landmark, the Ruins of St Paul. Souvenirs were also distributed to the visitors at the information counters of MGTO. MGTO held a dinner banquet, attended by the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Dr Chui Sai On, to celebrate the “World Tourism Day”. Speaking at the dinner, Mr Antunes encouraged the participants to be a good host and provide quality service to the visitors so as to build a hospitality image for Macau. World Tourism Organization (WTO) called up their third session in Spain (September 1979), and the General Assembly has decided to commemorate September 27 as “World Tourism Day” each year. It was then commenced on 1980 and this is the 25th year. The main purpose of “World Tourism Day” is to foster awareness among the international community of the importance of tourism and its social, cultural, political and economic values. Each year, World Tourism Organization selects a different theme for the “World Tourism Day”.
The theme of the 2004 “World Tourism Day” is “Sport and Tourism – two living forces for mutual understanding, culture and development of societies.” The host country for this year is Malaysia, and official celebrations were held on 2004 September 27, the “World Tourism Day”. Many other countries and regions also carried out activities to celebrate the day.
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The ninth tripartite meeting by heads of crime investigation units of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao had successfully concluded today (Sept 21) in Macao where the counterparts exchanged views on cross-border crimes and cooperation. The Assistant of the Commissioner General of Unitary Police Service, who headed the Macao delegation, Cheang Seng Chio the three areas would reinforce the cooperation in combating cross-border crimes, adding that the security situation was stable in the first half year. Mr. Cheang summarized the consensus reached in the meeting such as reinforcing cooperation in striking Internet crimes, exchanging information about drug-trafficking and monetary frauds, launching promotional campaign to educate citizen not to be deceived in mainland, etc. Illegal gambling and gaming were also discussed in the meeting. The delegations from Grangdong and Hong Kong were led by the Director of Guandong Provincial Public Security Department Liu Ancheng and the Assistant Commissioner of the Hong Kong Police (Crime) Lo Yik Kee respectively. The next meeting will be held in March next year in Guangdong province.
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The WHO Regional Committee for the Western Pacific Fifty-fifth Session held from 13-17 September in Shanghai where more than 200 health representatives from 33 countries and regions participated in the meeting.
This high-rank meeting was officiated by the Vice-premier and the Minister of Health Wu Yi, the Director-General of WHO Lee Jong-wook and the Regional Director for the WHO Western Pacific Region Dr. Shiqeru Omi.
The Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Dr. Chui Sai On who led an eight-member delegation participated in the meeting. The Macao representative thanked the WHO for supporting Macao in the prevention of SARS, providing advisory on quarantines and related facilities, granting Macao important guidelines for the Health City Project. The speaker also expressed the will to cooperate with other countries and regions on professional training, information exchanges, etc.
The agendas for the meeting included proposed program budget for 2006-2007 and eleventh general program of work for 2006-2015; outbreak response, including severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), food safety, HIV/AIDS, blood safety, tobacco control, measles and hepatitis B, tuberculosis, etc.
The Regional Director Dr. Omi reported the works done for fighting infectious diseases, establishing health community. He has also reviewed the effective solution to the outbreak of SARS in 2003. Dr. Omi also mentioned the Macao Health City Project in his report.
The fifty-sixth session will be held in New Caledonia in September 2005.
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The Civil Aviation Authority of Macao SAR (AACM) and the Ministry of Transport and the Department of Civil Aviation of Thailand met on 16 September to discuss the development of the air transport market between the two places. The discussions were held in a friendly and cordial atmosphere, leading to satisfactory conclusions. The two parties amended certain provisions of the Air Services Agreement (ASA) between Macao and Thailand and signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the following signatories: Acting President of AACM, Mr. Chan Weng Hong and the Director General of the Department of Civil Aviation of Thailand, Mr. Chalor Kotcharat. The amended provisions of the ASA and the new MOU bring more advantangeous conditions to the development of both passenger and cargo businesses between the two places: no limitation on capacity and frequency, exercise of full fifth freedom traffic rights, multiple airline designation and operation of code-sharing services (including same contracting party code share). The Thai side has also designated four airlines to operate the route during the discussions. In accordance with the ASA between Macao and Thailand signed in 1995 and the old MOU, fifth freedom traffic rights could only be exercised on a conditional basis, the frequency was constrained to 7 flights per week per each side and only one single airline could be designated by each side. Since Thailand has always been a famous tourist destination of both Hong Kong and Macao people, with the recent success of the Macau International Airport in attracting the low-cost carrier, Air Asia, to operate the Macao-Bangkok v.v. route as well as the cooperation between Air Macau and Thai Airways in establishing code-sharing services in the near future, the air transport market between the two places has been enlarged. This together with the open policy of individual traveling not only generates more and more Macao people traveling to Thailand but also boost the number of people from Hong Kong and the mainland who travel via Macao to Thailand. The old frequency therefore no longer met the current market need. To cope with the market expansion, the aeronautical authorities of the two places held discussions. The Macao delegates also comprised of the Director of Air Transport and International Relations of AACM, Mr. António Menano and the Consultant of Air Transport and International Relations of AACM, Mr. Ren Jinfang. In addition, the Senior Assistant to Chairman and Director of Marketing Department of CAM-Macau International Airport Company Ltd., Ms. Liu Suning and the Network Planning Executive of Air Macau, Ms. Mavis Chan attended the meeting as observers.
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Chief Executive Edmund Ho today (17 September) met with Minister of State of the Hessen Federal State Government, Stefan Gruttner in Wiesbaden. During the meeting, both agreed to strengthen cooperation in tourism and that Macao could be a platform for Hessen to promote its tourism in China. After the meeting, Mr. Ho and the delegation went to Frankfurt to attend a business promotion entitled “Business in Macao, take a look”. The promotion was jointly organised by the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) and the Frankfurt Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Ho said in his speech that the smooth implementation of the “One Country Two System” policy in Macao after its reversion to Chinese rule in 1999, the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement between Macao and the Mainland and the vast business opportunity in Pan-Pearl River Delta Region had made Macao an ideal place for German small and medium-size enterprise to invest in, added that Macao welcomed all German enterprises to invest in Macao and to use Macao as a platform for the Mainland market. After the promotion, Mr. Ho and the delegation visited the city of Frankfurt, which is the last stop of his six-day visit to Germany, the delegation left Frankfurt in Friday afternoon Frankfurt time to return to Macao.
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Chief Executive Edmund Ho said that Macao and Leipzig were similar and compatible with each other in many aspects and could form a long-term strategic partnership in the future. Mr. Ho met with the press after a breakfast meeting with the Mayor of Leipzig, Mr. Wolfgang Tiefensee, describing the meeting as friendly and extremely constructive. He said they agreed that the two cities could establish a strategic partnership since the two cities were extremely compatible and both cities had far-reaching potential in its own region. Mr. Ho said that Leipzig had profound basis in technology, especially in the field biochemical and biotechnology which would be very useful for Macao and the Pan-Pearl River Delta Region as several provinces in the region had rich sources in traditional Chinese medicines and the technology from Leipzig could help developing traditional Chinese medicines into the form of medicines accepted internationally. He said that Macao could also be the showcase in the Pan-Pearl River Delta for environment protection technology and advance green industry from Leipzig. Mr. Ho said that he had proposed to the mayor an invitation for the Orchestra of Leipzig and a boy’s choir from Leipzig to perform in the Macao International Music Festival in next year because he believed that cultural exchanges between the two cities would be very important in the future. He said that to be sister cities was one of the options for the two cities to form a close partnership, adding that Macao would leave the liberty for Leipzig to consider the proposal, and it must also went through proper diplomatic channels.
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Chief Executive Edmund Ho described his official visit to Germany as fruitful, saying that it strengthened Macao’s role as the platform in South China and by that Macao could contribute a little in the Sino-Germany relation. He said that one of the most encouraging result of this visit was that the Federal Government and many state governments were encouraging their Small and medium-size enterprises to use Macao as a platform for the Pan-Pearl River Delta region, adding that he believed Macao has much to offer in this respect and by doing that would strengthen Macao’s position as a platform which the SAR had worked hard to develop. He emphasised that the relation between China and Germany was really well and Macao could also play a small role to contribute to this relation. He said that the visit helped to establish close ties between Macao and some German cities which not only was helpful to industrial and commercial exchanges but would also benefit to the diversification of industry in Macao and the city’s development in many aspects such as environmental protection, public transportation system and urban planning.
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Chief Executive Edmund Ho said at Leipzig that Macao and Leipzig had the conditions to be sister cities. Mr. Ho arrived at Leipzig on the third day of his German visit. He attended a banquet host by the Leipzig Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday (15 September) evening (Leipzig time) and took a sight seeing tour in the old part of the city afterward. He said that Leipzig was impressive with its unique architectures and friendly people. He said that Leipzig and Macao are similar in size and economic structure and the two cities may hopefully form closer cooperation ties in the future. Mr. Ho said that he had proposed to the Mayor of Leipzig, Mr. Wolfgang Tiefensee during the dinner that the two cities be sister cities. On Thursday morning, Mr. Ho met with Mr. Tiefensee over breakfast and then visited a manufacturing plant of Porsche. In the Afternoon, he will visit the Leipzig Fair and then leave for Wiesbaden where he will meet with the Minister of State of the Hessen Federal State Government, Mr. Stefan Gruttner on Friday Morning.
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