News

The Chief Executive,Mr Edmund Ho Hau Wah said in his Policy Address 2005 today that the MSAR Government was devoted to lift the quality of life of the residents Macao. He announced an old age allowance scheme in addition to continue deductions on income tax, property tax and exemption on some other taxes and fees implemented two years ago. Stamp duty on some bank and insurance transactions would also be abolished. Mr Ho said the MSAR Government would step up administrative reforms and intensify the accountability of officials at all grades, as well as gathering and listening to public opinion. The government would also continue the legal reforms, he said, indicating that these would focus on areas that concerned the society concerns the most. The government would also increase the use of Chinese in the judicial area, he said. Mr Ho said the government would formulate a comprehensive and visionary policy for city planning and infrastructure. On economy, he said the government would continue to strengthen the major industries, such as the gaming and the tourism industry. He acknowledged the urgency to deal with the traffic issues and the said the government would step up its study on the viability of a mass transportation programme. The government would continue to take part in regional cooperation, in accordance with the advantages of Macao, he said. “Forging external relations and cooperation is a long term strategy and a pragmatic way of governing,” said Mr Ho. On education, he said that the Government would propel education reforms in order to lay a primary foundation for an advance education system in its second term. He said more regulations will be induced in education in accordance with the freedom of education, thus the two ideas can be balanced and complement each other. Stronger identity of the country and its cultural heritage, independent mind, generally knowledgeable and better managing of foreign languages were some of the qualities Mr Ho expected the reform would bring to students in Macao. Mr. said that the of “One country two systems” and “Macao people ruling Macao” principles, as well as a high degree of autonomy were the major premises for the development of Macao. He said democratic development in the Government would be gradually pushed forward in accordance with the Basic Law and as required by the development of the society. In addition, the Government would promote democracy in different levels of the society, create a larger arena for residents to participate in the consultation for public affairs, thus building a solid foundation for the development of sophisticated democracy. Mr Ho will attend a Questions and Answers session relating to his Policy Address between 3 pm and 6 pm on Thursday (17 November), at the Legislative Assembly to answer members' questions. This is the sixth policy address of Mr Ho and the first one after he was re-elected for a second term in August this year.
…

The Chief Executive, Mr Edmund Ho, will present his Policy Address 2005 at the plenary meeting of the Legislative Assembly on Tuesday (16 November) at 3 pm. After delivering the speech, the Chief Executive will meet the press at Government Headquarters at 5.00 pm to explain his policy initiatives. Mr Ho will attend a Questions and Answers session relating to his Policy Address between 3 pm and 6 pm on Thursday (17 November), at the Legislative Assembly to answer members' questions. The Chief Executive's Policy Address, his meeting with the press and the Questions and Answers sessions will be webcast live on the MSAR Government web site (http://www.macau.gov.mo), website of the Legislative Assembly (http://www.al.gov.mo) and the Infomac webpage (http://www.infomac.gov.mo) webpage of and broadcast live on local television station, TDM.
…

On November 13 and 14, Macau will host the penultimate round of the 2004 Asian Karting Open Championships (AKOC) as part of the Motorsport Festival – Grand Prix Carnival. Through the efforts of the Sports Development Board (SDB), the Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) and the China-Macau Autosports Club (ACMC), Macau has been confirmed as the fourth round of the region’s leading karting series. In addition to Macau, the Championships includes stops in Malaysia, the Philippines, India and Indonesia, and is recongnised as the most challenging karting series in the region. With its line up of some the region’s most talented youngsters, the addition of the Macau round has encouraged more than 120 karters from China, Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan and, of course, Macau etc, to sign up for the series. Launched in 2002, the objectives of the AKOC are to develop karting as a sport in the region and to the increase levels of driver skill. These aims are in line with the on-going programmes of the Macau Grand Prix Committee and the ACMC in promoting motorsport and encouraging competitive excellence. The series comprises five different classes, with a special class introduced this year as a direct consequence of the inclusion of Macau on the calendar, the Macau Piston Port Cup, for National C License holders aged 15 or above in 100cc karts. The other racing categories in the AKOC are: Formula 100 open (Formula A) / Macau ICA Cup, the premier class and the highest category in the series for International B License holders aged 15 or above; the Rotax Max Senior/Masters, the best supported class, for International C License holders aged 17 years or above in Rotax Max 125cc karts; the Rotax Max Junior, for International C License youngsters aged between 12 and 17 in Junior Rotax Max 125cc karts; the Junior Intercontinental A for 13 to 15-year-old Intercontinental C License holders in 100cc karts who, after competing in this category, can step up to the Formula 100 Open class; and the Formula Cadet 85 for 9 to 13-year-olds and considered the entry-level class. In 2005, the champions of both the Senior and Junior Rotax Max classes will join the Rotax Max Challenge, giving Asian karters the opportunity to join the World Cup Rotax Challenge and race with the best karters in the world. Karting is recognized worldwide as the entry point for young racers and leading international motorsport teams watch the category closely in their constant search for future champions. Many of the most famous names in motorsport started their careers in go-karts, including the late Ayrton Senna, and current F1 stars Jenson Button and David Coulthard. Closer to home, up-and-coming local talent Rodolfo Avila began racing karts in Macau at the tender age of six, and recently tested in the UK with one of the world’s top Formula 3 outfits, Carlin Motorsport. And to host this prestigious event, Macau already has an impressive facility in the Kartodromo, Coloane. The international B grade karting facility is fully equipped with a 1.25km circuit, a grandstand which can seat up to 2,500 spectators, control tower, briefing room, restaurant, VIP rooms – and even has a children’s go-kart circuit. The organizer will also arrange shuttle bus service between Macau (bus stop in front of Bank of China Building) and Kartodromo for the citizens and visitors on November 13 and 14, operating every 15 minutes from 9am to 5:30pm. First bus will depart from Macau and last bus will depart from Kartodromo.
…

Macao and Canada have jointly expressed the will to establish air links in the near future and to open up services for air transportation of passenger and cargo. The Secretary for Transport and Public Work, Mr Ao Man-long discussed the issue with the Vice-minister of Transport of Canada, Mr. Louis Ranger when they met in Canada. Both parties agreed to assign specialists to follow up on details. Meanwhile, at the invitation of the Minister of Transport of Canada, Mr Ao attended the Second Joint Ministerial Conference of the Paris and Tokyo Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control in Vancouver. Speaking at the conference, Mr Ao said that the Macao SAR Government has high regard for the International treaty and stressed the importance of fulfilling its responsibilities. He said Macao would ensure marine security, prevent and combat sea pollution, and facilitate harbour activities by stipulating measures and strengthening the co-operation and personnel training with neighbouring regions to actively support the Paris and Tokyo Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control and to execute the responsibility of protecting marine security and resources.
…

Macao’s public security had improved in the first nine months of the year, with a drop in overall crime and violent crime compared with the same period last year, the Secretary for Security, Mr Cheong Kuok Va, announced. “With the co-operation of the public,’ street crimes’ ” has significantly decreased and the police will continue to monitor closely and act in response to the new characteristics of these crimes,” he said. Mr. Cheong said efforts in fighting street crimes had shown significant results: street robberies dropped from 217 cases to 163 cases and “motorcycle robberies” dropped from 63 cases to 3 cases. He said the police were concerned with a number of Chinese herbal shop burglaries recently and was monitoring the situation. According to the latest statistics, a total of 7,186 crimes were recorded in the first nine months of 2004, a four per cent drop (-296 cases) compared with the same period last year. He said the drops were in offences against the person and property related offences, which had dropped by 4.7% (-86 cases) and 13.8% (-569 cases) respectively. There were 651 cases of violent crime, a drop of 18.7% (-150 cases). The total number of offences against the person was 1,749, among which 1,241 cases were physical offences, a drop of 3.4% (-44 cases). Criminal intimidation had dropped by 6% (-18 cases) while serious physical offences had increased by 8% (up two cases). Among the 3,568 property related cases, 2,073 cases were theft, a drop of 8.3% (-187 cases). Decreases were also recorded in the number of extortion, loan sharking and criminal damage. Robberies also dropped by 37.4% (-157 cases). However, violation of social lives had increases by 59.6%, (up 233 cases), mainly caused by increases in forged documents and using counterfeit currency. According to Mr. Cheong, 221 cases of counterfeit currency were recorded -- 122 of these were related to a single counterfeiting group smashed in a joint operation with Hong Kong and Guangdong Police. Juvenile crimes also increased by 10.4% to l70 cases, involving 107 people.
…

Chief Executive of the Macao Special Administrative Region, Mr. Edmund Ho said today after his re-election that improving the quality of life of the people in Macao would be his priority in the next five years in office. Meeting the press after the poll, Mr. Ho said that he would stick to the existing economic policies, as the positioning of Macao’s economic development in the past five years was on track and rational. However, the government would make necessary adjustment as required to meet new challenges, he said. He said that he would try to maintain the development of the economy and the stability of the society, and to make the majority to benefit from the improvement of the economy. Asked how he would lift the quality of life of people in Macao, Mr. Ho said that he had listened to many opinions from the public during the campaign, and he would announce some necessary policies in the Policy Address for the fiscal year 2005. Regarding the cultivation of successor for the betterment of "Macao people governing Macao", Mr. Ho said that we should encourage the young generation to participate in the development of Macao, so that they could accumulate the necessary experience and contribute to the mission of "Macao people governing Macao" in the future. Asked about the number of ballots he gained, Edmund Ho said that he was more than pleased to have 296 votes. As to the three blank votes, he said it showed that every voter had a choice.
…

The 41st Conference of the Directors General of Civil Aviation, Asia and Pacific Regions, was held in Hong Kong from 01 to 05 November. To grasp the opportunity to promote Macao’s tourism to the delegates, the Civil Aviation Authority of Macao SAR (AACM) invited them to Macao for a one-day tour. The Conference is an annual meeting in the aviation industry for the high-level government officials. The participants usually comprise the directors general of civil aviation and high-ranking officers of the international organizations. This year, more than 170 people from 3 international organizations and 34 countries or territories participated in the meeting. Upon the invitation of AACM, about 120 delegates including their families joined the one-day Macao tour. Those who visited Macao were from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the International Air Transport Association, the International Business Aviation Council, Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei Darussalam, Hong Kong SAR, France, Indonesia, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tonga, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Vanuatu and Vietnam. The one-day tour was sponsored by the Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO). The route was specially designed to meet the theme of Macao as a city of culture. In addition, AACM hosted a welcome dinner at the open area outside the Taipa-Houses Museum, one of the eight views of Macao. During the dinner, performances such as the Portuguese folk dance, Chinese and western music were arranged so that the delegates were able to experience the Macanese cultural relics and heritages relaxingly in an environment characterized by Portuguese culture. The delegates all expressed their deep impression on Macao after the trip. The Vice Director of MGTO, Ms. Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes and the local aviation industry insiders also attended the dinner. The Conference is organized annually by ICAO and hosted by a country or a territory each year. This year, the administration was the Hong Kong Civil Aviation Department. AACM also delegated representatives to take part in the meeting.
…

Starting from 29 November 2004 (Monday), DSI will replace 《Macao Resident Identity Card》 with Electronic 《Macao Special Administrative Region Resident Identity Card》 (hereinafter referred to as 《Electronic ID card》) for the cardholders according to ID number. Details are as follows: 1 Order of the ID replacement
DSI has planned to replace and issue the Electronic ID Card according to the first digit of Macao Resident Identity Card number in the order of “7”,“5”,“1”, and in ascending order within the same first-digit group. For instance, the replacement will start from 7/000001 to 7/446249. Upon completion of replacing the Macao Resident Identity Cards with “7” as the first digit, the replacement will start again from 5/000001. 2 Announcing the number for ID replacement
DSI will announce the number through the mass media and DSI website (http://www.dsi.gov.mo) two weeks in advance, and publish every Monday in Chinese and Portuguese daily newspapers (First publication will be on 15 November). 3 Appointment
Macao residents can make appointments through telephone (Tel: 370888), over the internet (DSI website: http://www.dsi.gov.mo) or by coming to DSI in person according to the replacement dates published by DSI in the press, so as to confirm the exact time for the ID application. Please note that appointments are made on a first come first serve basis. To avoid lining up at our Department for application tickets, making appointment through our website and telephone is highly recommended (Service will be available on 15 November).
If the applicant cannot come to DSI to process the application on the appointed date, he/she should submit a written request with relevant documents of proof and DSI would rearrange the ID application time for the individual as soon as possible. If no documents of proof can be submitted, the individual would need to wait for the whole replacement process to finish before arrangements would be made. 4 Number of Daily Applications
During the early stage of the replacement plan, DSI will arrange 350 individuals to replace their ID daily. Moreover, as some applications for external service are still waiting to be processed, DSI will continue to send personnel to process these applications and the estimated daily quota for this category is 150. Furthermore, 200 daily quotas will be reserved for first-time, loss of ID, change of personal data and renewal applications. Hence, it is estimated that 700 applications will be processed each day (Currently, an average of 450 applications are processed each day). Within the next first half year, DSI will increase the overall ID application quota to 800 per day (almost reaching the maximum processing limit of the card production system). 5 External Service
From today onwards, DSI will stop accepting applications for external service except for special cases.
Owing to the huge demand for external service, some of the external service applications are still queuing to be processed. Therefore, DSI will continue to send personnel to process these applications. Hence, if overlap occurs between the external service and the replacement plan (that is, the organization of the Macao Resident Identity Card holder has joined the external service, and at the same time his/her ID number falls into the ID range announced by DSI), the matter can be handled as follows:
l If one has already received the “Application Form for Macao SAR Resident Identity Card”, he/she would need to replace the ID through the external service and DSI will perform the external service at his/her organization in approximately 3 months;
l If one has not yet received the “Application Form for Macao SAR Resident Identity Card”, he/she can choose to replace the ID according to the replacement plan or through the external service;
Moreover, if one has missed the external service at his/her organization, he/she will have to replace the ID according to ID number at DSI. 6 Application formalities
l Cardholder should come in person;
l Should present the original Resident Identity Card;
l Should submit 1 recent one and a half inches colour photograph with a white background, taken full face, without a hat and should be clear and easily identifiable. The standard should be the same as the Macao SAR travel documents. Moreover, DSI will take live photos for the applicant to be stored in the chip and for filing purpose. The applicant can choose to use the live-capture photo to replace the picture taken at the studio to be placed on the card surface. (Please be aware that the live-capture photo may be less satisfactory);
l If applicant is under the age of 18, photocopies of both parents’ identification documents must be submitted, and either parent must sign on the application form;
l If the applicant needs to change the marital status to:
Ø Married - should submit marriage certificate and a copy of spouse’s identity document;
Ø Divorced – should submit proof of divorce;
Ø Widowed – should submit death certificate of spouse, and marriage certificate if it is not recorded at our Department; 7 Fee
(1) Processing fee：60 Macao Dollars (Collection date will be on the 15th working day counting on the day of lodging application or complete document submission).
The following ID cardholders are exempted from the processing fee:
l Under 16 years old;
l 16 or over and under 60 years old, who are unemployed and are attending primary, secondary, or tertiary education;
l Not financially capable to pay the fee due to unemployment or poverty;
l 60 years old or over.
(2) Express Service:（Collection date will be on the 4th to 11th working day counting on the day of lodging application or complete document submission or requesting for express service）An additional 150 Macao Dollars.
(3) Special Express Service:（Collection date will be within 3 working days of lodging application or complete document submission or requesting for special express service）An additional 250 Macao Dollars. 8 Time and location of Application and Collection
Application Time: Monday to Friday, 09:00 to 20:00 (no breaks), except Saturday, Sunday, and Government holidays;
Collection Time: Same as above, but until 18:00;
Location: Avenida da Praia Grande, No. 804, Edificio China plaza, 1st floor. 9 Special ID application
Under the following conditions, Macao resident can request DSI to specially arrange the time of receiving and processing his/her Macao SAR Resident Identity Card replacement application:
- will study, work or reside abroad, and intended not to come back to Macao for the next 2 years;
- studying, working or residing abroad, and has returned to Macao for short-term stay during the processing period;
- other conditions with reasonable explanation. The above persons should provide proof of not being able to come to process the application according to the ordinary arrangement by submitting relevant documents, such as proof of studying, residing, or working abroad, etc., and come to DSI to book the application time before leaving or after returning to Macao. 10 Queries
Can be made in person at DSI or by calling our telephone hotline at 370777 or by visiting our website at www.dsi.gov.mo. 11 Others
When processing the application for Electronic ID card, DSI will return the original ID card to the applicant for use before the collection of the new ID card. If the original Macao Resident Identity Card is lost, the applicant should submit the loss report slip and pay an additional fee. Finally, we would like to take this opportunity to remind the Macao residents that 《Electronic ID card》 replacement is compulsory. Therefore, holders of Macao Resident Identity Card should come to DSI to complete the application formalities according to the date announced.
…

The Secretary for Transport and Public Works, Mr Ao Man-long, left today for Vancover at the invitation of the Minister of Transport of Canada, Mr Jean-C. Lapierre, to attend the Second Joint Ministerial Conference of the Paris and Tokyo Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control. The theme of the meeting is entitled “Strengthening the circle of responsibility”. The purpose of the conference is to study how to eliminate sub-standard shipping practices around the world and to protect the marine resources. During the visit to Canada, Mr Ao will meet with Mr Jean-C Lapierre to negotiating the possiblility of establishing air links between these two places. Mr Ao is scheduled to return Macao on 5 November.
…

Organized jointly by the Macau Sports Development Board (MSDB), the Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) and the China-Macau Autosports Club (ACMC), the FIM-UAM Asian Motocross Championships, Macau to be held this weekend to mark the opening of the Motorsport Festival – Grand Prix Carnival. Macau hosted a round of the FIM-UAM Asian Motocross Championships for the first time in 2003, and it was acclaimed as a successful event by both spectators and competitors alike. This year, Macau will again organize a round of this important series, which also visits Indonesia, the Philippines, Guam and the United Arab Emirates. The event will take place at the track adjacent to Pousada Infante Hotel on COTAI (area between Taipa and Coloane). The races of FIM-UAM Asian Motocross Championships, Macau this year include Macau Cup Open, Asian Motocross Championships, Asian Junior Motocross Championships for international riders age 14 or under and Peewee International Class. The participating riders are from over ten countries and regions, including the Mainland, Hong Kong, Japan, Australia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesian, New Zealand, Thailand, India, Guam, Mongolia and the United States. To be held on October 30 and 31, the FIM-UAM Asian Motocross Championships, Macau will be televised globally on Star TV and ESPN to a projected audience of 400 million households, putting Macau in the international spotlight. The FIM-UAM Asian Motocross Championships is organized by the world motorcycle sport governing body, the Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) and the Asian Motorcycling Union (UAM), with the Macau round organized by the MSDB, MGTO and the ACMC. Established in 1998, the UAM is the governing body for all motorcycle events held in Asia and is comprised of 18 member countries including Macau. The FIM-UAM Asian Motocross Championships, Macau will be live broadcast on Teledifusão De Macau (TDM). Tickets are available now from Kong Seng ticketing outlets: 24-hour Booking Hotlines
Macau +(853) 555 555
Hong Kong +(852) 7171 7171/2380 5083
China +(86) 1392 691 1111
Website www.macauticket.com FIM-UAM Asian Motocross Championships, Macau
Friday, October 29 (Practice Day) Free
Saturday, October 30/Sunday October 31 (Race Days)
Two day Grandstand ticket MOP100
Entrance at gate (per entry) MOP10
…