Govt clarifies timing for election campaigning

The government has clarified that once the lists of candidates for the legislature’s direct and indirect elections are confirmed, the candidates are prohibited from carrying out any election campaign activities until the official start of the 14-day campaign period, the Legislative Assembly’s 2nd Standing Committee President Andrew Chan Chak Mo said yesterday. Chan briefed reporters after a closed-door meeting of the committee with government officials on the draft of the

November 30, 2016 | BY admin

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Council calls for govt firm to lead urban renewal

Members of the Urban Renewal Council urged the government yesterday to set up a company to lead the city’s urban renewal projects, Secretary for Transport and Public Works Raimundo do Rosario said.Talking to reporters after the council’s sixth closed-door meeting, Rosario said details such as the firm’s capital and board members would be discussed if the government agrees with the councillors’ proposal to set up such a company.The meeting was held at the Transport Bureau (DSAT).During

November 30, 2016 | BY admin

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‘Tourist Police’ to serve Cotai next year: PSP chief

Public Security Police (PSP) Commissioner Leong Man Cheong said in the legislature yesterday that the city’s ‘Tourist Police’ unit was expected to provide assistance to tourists in Taipa and Cotai next year.Leong made the remarks when answering questions from several lawmakers, on the last day of a two-day Q&A session about the public security portfolio’s policy guidelines for next year.According to Leong, the 20-member Tourist Police unit has been in operation in the area around

November 30, 2016 | BY admin

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Allegiance declaration to prepare for rainy day: Chan

Secretary for Administration and Justice Sonia Chan Hoi Fan said yesterday that a declaration of allegiance, which candidates will have to sign to be able to run in the Legislative Assembly (AL) elections, to confirm their agreement with the Macau Basic Law and their fidelity to the Macau Special Administrative Region (MSAR), was “a precautionary measure for a rainy day”.Chan made the remarks after a closed-door meeting of the Legislative Assembly 2nd Standing Committee, noting that the

November 29, 2016 | BY admin

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Wong stresses need for CCTV for security

Addressing a Q&A session in the legislature’s hemicycle yesterday, Secretary for Security Wong Sio Chak said that the installation of closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras was necessary to keep the city secure.Wong made the remarks when answering a question by directly-elected lawmaker-cum-civic leader Ho Ion Sang, on the first of a two-day Q&A session about his portfolio’s policy guidelines for next year.The government said last year that the installation of 1,620 CCTV cameras

November 29, 2016 | BY admin

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Security forces face severe staff shortage: Wong

Addressing a Q&A session in the legislature’s hemicycle yesterday, Secretary for Security Wong Sio Chak said that the security forces were facing a severe staff shortage, adding that a large number of additional officers were needed to cope with the rising workload.Wong made the remarks when answering questions from several lawmakers on the first of the two-day Q&A session about his portfolio’s policy guidelines for next year.Wong and several other senior officials of his portfolio

November 29, 2016 | BY admin

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Indonesian busted for drug trafficking

A 37-year-old Indonesian man was arrested on Sunday for selling and taking drugs, a Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesperson said during a special press briefing yesterday.According to the spokesperson, PJ officers were tipped off last month about someone taking drugs in a hotel room, and identified the Indonesian suspect, surnamed Sandjaja, after investigating.  Sandjaja had already left the city by the time he was identified as the suspect. However, he re-entered Macau on Sunday night via the

November 29, 2016 | BY admin

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7,500 jobless among 397,000 labour force: official

Some 7,500 people among Macau’s 397,000-strong labour force were jobless in the August-October employment survey period, corresponding to an unemployment rate of 1.9 percent, the Statistics and Census Bureau (DSEC) announced yesterday. According to a DSEC statement, the jobless rate remained unchanged period-on-period and year-on-year. The previous employment survey covered the July-September period. The labour force participation rate stood at 72.3 percent, down 0.9 percentage

November 29, 2016 | BY admin

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At least 4 locals cheated in concerts ticket scam: police

At least four locals were cheated out of a total of about 93,000 patacas after failing to receive concert tickets they purchased online, a Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesperson said during a regular briefing yesterday. According to the spokesperson, the four victims in the three cases are aged between 21 and 28, adding that they attempted to buy tickets for a Twins gig and a Jay Chou Chieh-lun concert taking place in Hong Kong and Macau respectively.According to the spokesperson, a similar

November 29, 2016 | BY admin

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Ex-casino supervisor urges probe into ‘unreasonable’ sacking

A former gaming-table supervisor who says that she has been fired “unreasonably” urged the Labour Affairs Bureau (DSAL) yesterday to investigate her case.She made the remarks outside the bureau, accompanied by members of the New Macau Gaming Workers’ Rights Union.The local woman, surnamed Chao, told reporters that she was “falsely” accused of giving a customer an unfair advantage and was fired in September last year by Galaxy Entertainment Group, where she had been working for four

November 29, 2016 | BY admin

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Official pledges open bidding for car park deals

The Transport Bureau (DSAT) will do its best to change short-term car park management contracts into long-term contracts through open tendering, Transport Bureau (DSAT) Director Kelvin Lam Hin San said yesterday.Talking to reporters on the sidelines of a road-safety awareness event held by the bureau at the Macau Federation of Trade Unions' Workers Stadium near the Barrier Gate, Lam said that about 30 public car parks were currently under short-term management contracts, but would be changed to

November 28, 2016 | BY admin

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Chui praises Macanese community

Chief Executive Fernando Chui Sai On yesterday praised the “indispensable” role of the Macanese community as a “bridge of communication and exchanges between different cultures”. Chui made the remarks when addressing the opening ceremony of the 2016 Gathering of the Macanese Communities at Sheraton Grand Macao yesterday evening. Chui pointed out that “generations and generations of Macanese have lived and worked in this beautiful place that is Macau”, underlining that the

November 28, 2016 | BY admin

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Taiwan facilitates local Portuguese passport holders: group

An ad-hoc group consisting of local alumni who studied in Taiwan yesterday welcomed the new measures, announced by the Taiwanese authorities recently, to make it easier for local pupils whose Portuguese passports were issued after Macau’s 1999 reversion to the mainland to study in Taiwan.The convener of the ad-hoc group, Sulu Sou Ka Hou, made the remarks to reporters in Areia Preta Park after attending yesterday’s Macau Forum programme hosted by government-owned broadcaster TDM.According to

November 28, 2016 | BY admin

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ExCo finishes discussion of sex crime bill

The Executive Council (ExCo) has finished discussing the government’s draft of an amendment bill on sex crimes listed in the Macau Penal Code, according to a statement by the government’s top advisory body on Friday.The government carried out a public consultation on the proposed amendments from December last year to February this year.The government published a report on the public consultation on Friday.PLEASE READ THE FULL ARTICLE IN OUR PRINT EDITION.

November 28, 2016 | BY admin

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