Tam says he isn’t a ‘cultural heritage killer’

In response to a banner draped from the roof over the iconic mosaic of Hotel Estoril for about 10 minutes yesterday, which claimed that he was a “cultural heritage killer”, Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Alexis Tam Chon Weng said the allegation was false.  Tam also said the government had struck the right balance between social development and the protection of the city’s cultural heritage.The policy secretary made the remarks after attending last night’s opening ceremony

August 12, 2016 | BY admin

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Lawmakers start reviewing legislative election bill

The legislature’s 2nd Standing Committee yesterday started reviewing a government-drafted bill on amendments to the Legislative Assembly Election Law, and lawmakers promptly began raising questions about several of the bill’s articles, including the issue of whether candidates have to place a deposit in order to be able to run, according to lawmaker-cum-restaurateur Chan Chak Mo who chairs the committee.Chan briefed reporters after a closed-door meeting, which no government officials

August 12, 2016 | BY admin

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Govt to use re-possessed plots to ‘repay’ developers

Secretary for Transport and Public Works Raimundo do Rosario said yesterday the government was planning to use the plots of undeveloped land that it re-possessed to compensate developers whom it owes land-lease rights, as the government has used a rather large area of land which originally had been leased to developers but been used by the government for other purposes. Chief Executive Fernando Chui Sai On admitted last month in the legislature that the government has used a total of

August 12, 2016 | BY admin

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2 coach accident victims still in ICU: govt

Two seriously injured tourists in Monday’s coach accident were still being treated in the intensive care unit of Kiang Wu Hospital while the third has now been transferred to the general ward, according to a statement released by the Tourism Crisis Management Office (GGCT) yesterday.The office said that one of the two tourists, who are still in the intensive care unit, had undergone craniofacial surgery and remained in serious condition and in coma, with stable vital signs, while the other

August 11, 2016 | BY admin

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Union wants anti-smoking inspectors in casinos 24/7

Members of the Macau Gaming Enterprises Staff Association (MGESA) yesterday submitted a petition to the Health Bureau (SSM) to voice various complaints by casino workers about gamblers smoking in casinos, addressed to SSM Director Lei Chin Ion, urging the bureau to consider stationing anti-smoking inspectors all the time in the city’s major casinos.The association is an affiliate of the influential Macau Federation of Trade Unions (known as “Gung Luen” in Cantonese). Speaking to

August 11, 2016 | BY admin

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Wushu Masters Challenge to kick off today

After torrential rain early yesterday morning, a blessing ceremony was held in Praça do Tap Seac in the afternoon for this week’s Wushu Masters Challenge. Aimed at promoting traditional Chinese martial arts, the Wushu Master Challenge, to be held from today to Sunday comprises a string of activities that will be held at several locations around the city, according to the Sports Bureau’s webpage.The event gathers about 400 wushu masters from Europe, the Middle East and Asia, Sports

August 11, 2016 | BY admin

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Groups slam exam for dogs’ muzzle exemption

Animal rights group representatives and residents who attended an explanatory meeting yesterday about the government’s controversial assessment examination to exempt dogs from wearing a muzzle, slammed the Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau (IACM) for coming up with “extremely strict” criteria for the test. Senior IACM officials including its administrative committee member Ung Sau Hong and Choi U Fai, who heads the IACM Division of Animal Control and Inspection, attended the meeting

August 11, 2016 | BY admin

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Trial run of Pac On pier to start no later than May: official

Marine and Water Bureau (DSAMA) Acting Director Steve Chou Chi Tak said yesterday that the trial run of Pac On Ferry Terminal in Taipa was expected to start between February and May next year, adding that during the testing period the terminal would be partially open to the public. Chou made the remarks on the sidelines of a media tour of the terminal. The bureau co-organised the tour in conjunction with the Infrastructure Development Office (GDI).  Chou said the trial run was

August 11, 2016 | BY admin

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Scooter hits concrete mixer lorry, rider injured

A driver of a scooter was injured yesterday after he hit a concrete mixer lorry in Taipa.At about 1 p.m. yesterday, the scooter collided with the left side of the lorry, which was travelling in the same direction as the scooter, on Rotunda Ouvidor Arriaga after travelling from Estrada Coronel Nicolau de Mesquita, according to the Fire Services Bureau (CB).The scooter was trapped between the left side of the lorry and the fence to the pavement. The male rider, who suffered a fracture to his left

August 11, 2016 | BY admin

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So says Grand Lisboa Palace to open in 2018

SJM Chairman Ambrose So Shu Fai said yesterday that the construction of Grand Lisboa Palace in Cotai was expected to be completed by the end of next year, ready for its official opening in 2018.So made the remarks while speaking to reporters on the sidelines of attending the gaming company’s annual scholarship awards event, which this year granted scholarships to 42 children of SJM staff members. Asked about construction progress at the company’s first Cotai resort project, So said SJM

August 11, 2016 | BY admin

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Group urges govt to explain Coloane Hill project

Local think tank Choi In Tong Sam yesterday urged the government to explain why the Lands, Public Works and Transport Bureau (DSSOPT) has designated a plot of land at the bottom of Coloane Hill as an area where there is no height limit on building projects, while the bureau released a planning document in 2007 stating that only low-rise village houses were allowed to be built on the plot.The think tank, an affiliate of the Macau Federation of Trade Unions (commonly known as Gung Luen), held a

August 11, 2016 | BY admin

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Problem gambling may rise with mass-market boost: experts

Cases of problem gambling are likely to get worse as the city’s gaming sector shifts its focus from the high-rolling market to the mass market where gamblers place smaller bets but in a continuous manner that can deteriorate into an addiction, experts in responsible gambling said yesterday.Davis Fung Ka Chio, an associate professor in Hospitality and Gaming Management at University of Macau (UM), and Bo Bernhard, executive director of the UNLV International Gaming Institute from Las Vegas,

August 10, 2016 | BY admin

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Man caught for illegal dumping of firecrackers: police

A spokesperson for the Public Security Police (PSP) said at a press conference yesterday that a local man has been transferred to the Public Prosecution Office (MP) for dumping 94 packets of firecrackers in the peninsula and Coloane on July 31.The spokesperson said the case was related to a similar case on July 21 in which another local man dumped firecrackers in Coloane.According to the spokesperson, the suspect surnamed Fong, who is in his 60s, is in charge of a temple in the peninsula, while

August 10, 2016 | BY admin

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Man lies about being robbed: police

The Judiciary Police (PJ) arrested a 25-year-old local man on Sunday on suspicion of telling lies to the police that he had been robbed of HK$100,000.A PJ spokesperson said at a special press conference yesterday that the suspect, surnamed Leong, was asked by his friend to withdraw the HK$100,000 cash from his friend’s account in a VIP room on Sunday. After Leong obtained the money, he used HK$80,000 of it to repay a gambling loan.As Leong had embezzled the money and was unable to hand the

August 10, 2016 | BY admin

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