Secretary for Security Wong Sio Chak said this week that the government now expects the city’s new prison in Ka Ho in Coloane to come into use in 2024.
The policy secretary said that the government now aimed for the whole project – the completion of which has been hit by repeated delays – to be completed in 2023.
Wong made the remarks during Monday’s Q&A session in the legislature’s hemicycle about his portfolio’s policy guidelines for next year.
Macau’s current prison is located near Coloane Village. The new jail will be located on a hill in the hamlet of Ka Ho.
The new prison project comprising four phases started in 2010 and was initially scheduled to be completed at the end of 2014, but the project has lagged far behind schedule.
During Monday’s Q&A session, Wong noted that the first phase of the new prison project was completed in 2016, while the second phase was completed in 2019.
Wong said that the government now expects the third phase of the new prison project to be completed in the second quarter of next year.
According to Wong, the fourth phase of the new jail project is the setting-up of the prison’s IT security system, the design and installation of which will start next year, Wong said.
Wong said that the fourth phase was now expected to be completed in 2023. The policy secretary also said that the government also aimed for the prison’s auxiliary outdoor facilities to be completed at the same time when the fourth phase is completed.
During Monday’s plenary session, a number of lawmakers asked for an update on the schedule of the new prison project, which they noted has been hit by repeatedly delays.
Wong admitted that the topic on the new prison has been discussed for many years, reaffirming that the government now expects the whole project to be completed in 2023. The government aims for the new prison to come into operation in 2024, Wong said.
Wong said that compared to previous years, now he was “emboldened to affirm” that the new prison will be completed in line with the government’s latest schedule.
‘Frustrated’
Meanwhile, Wong said that he was “frustrated” at the fact that there are constantly new online fraud victims despite the police forces’ extensive awareness campaigns on the matter.
According to Wong, the police recorded 51 cases of online dating scams in the first three quarters of this year. In many of these cases, Wong said, the police could not understand why the victims were so easily defrauded.
The police recorded 76 fraud cases involving online investment scams in the first nine months of this year, according to Wong.
Wong said that some residents possibly became online dating scam victims because of their loneliness, while others were possibly defrauded by online investment scams due to their own greed.
Wong also said that all of the three homicide victims so far this year were female illegal money changers, which he said was a warning sign. The police caught 447 illegal money changers in the first three quarters of this year, Wong noted.
Macau asks Zhuhai to close cross-border industrial zone checkpoint
Meanwhile, Wong said that the Macau government has asked its Zhuhai counterpart to close the Zhuhai Macau Cross-border Industrial Zone checkpoint after the nearby Qingmao checkpoint in Ilha Verde came into use in September. However, Wong said, the Zhuhai government has still not replied to the request.
Wong said that border-crossing statistics show that the Qingmao checkpoint has been able to divert traveller flows from the ultra-busy Barrier Gate checkpoint – which is located 800 metres away – since its opening.
Several lawmakers claimed during Monday’s Q&A in the legislature’s hemicycle that the Qingmao checkpoint had been unable to divert traveller flows from the Barrier Gate checkpoint. Wong said he disagreed with this view, saying that the government does not aim for the Qingmao checkpoint to completely substitute the Barrier Gate checkpoint.
According to Wong, since it started operation on September 8, the Qingmao checkpoint recorded the highest number of travellers at 43,000 on Friday last week, which was around 13 percent of the travellers who used the Barrier Gate checkpoint the same day. Wong also said that since the Qingmao checkpoint came into use, its number of border crossings reached a ratio of up to 15 percent compared with the border-crossing movement at the Barrier Gate checkpoint per day.
Consequently, Wong said, the Macau government has concluded that the Qingmao checkpoint has been successful in diverting traveller flows from the Barrier Gate checkpoint.
The Qingmao checkpoint is a land-border crossing for pedestrians only, the first of its kind in Macau. A joint Macau-mainland immigration and customs clearance system officially known as “joint inspection and one-time release” is adopted at the checkpoint – a 24/7 operation – where travellers are required to pass border controls only once when completing their departure and arrival formalities.
The Qingmao checkpoint has a total capacity of handling 200,000 travellers per day.
Wong said that after the Qingmao checkpoint started operating the Macau government “immediately” asked its Zhuhai counterpart to close the Zhuhai Macau Cross-border Industrial Zone checkpoint. According to Wong, the Zhuhai government has asked its Macau counterpart to “submit its views on the matter”. The Macau government has told its Zhuhai counterpart that “Macau can close the checkpoint at any time”, Wong said, adding that the Zhuhai government has still not replied on the matter.
Wong said that there was no need for the Zhuhai Macau Cross-border Industrial Zone checkpoint to continue operating as the Qingmao checkpoint is run 24/7, because of which, he said, the Macau government wants to close the industrial zone checkpoint as soon as possible.
In general, only those working in the cross-border industrial zone and those holding a permit to enter the industrial zone can use the checkpoint there 24/7. In addition, Macau residents, non-residents workers and students enrolled in Macau from the mainland can also use the Zhuhai Macau Cross-Border Industrial Zone checkpoint between 00:00 and 7 a.m. every day. The Barrier Gate checkpoint opens from 6 a.m. to 1 a.m. daily.
Secretary for Security Wong Sio Chak gestures during Monday’s Q&A session about his portfolio’s 2022 policy guidelines in the Legislative Assembly’s (AL) hemicycle. Photo: GCS
