Macau Daily News (English)

[SeeMacau]

MACAU, China, Sept. 26 (UPI) -- Democratic candidates won the most votes in legislative elections in China's enclave of Macau, followed by casino-related candidates, results showed Monday.

About 128,800 people, more than 58 percent of registered voters, turned out for Sunday's election, despite heavy rain.

The New Macau Democratic Association won 18.8 percent of the vote, giving it two seats in the 29-member legislature, the South China Morning Post reported.

A group headed by Golden Dragon casino-hotel operator Chan Meng-kam also won two seats, with 16.8 percent of the vote, while David Chow, who is developing a tourist attraction to be called Fisherman's Wharf, won one.

The most colorful candidate to secure a seat was Angela Leong, the fourth wife of casino mogul Stanley Ho. Ho held a monopoly on gambling in the former Portuguese colony until 2002.

Election irregularities included voters being driven to polling stations on tour buses and vans arranged by candidates, and free drinks and lunch boxes being passed out by people wearing party colors.

Only 12 seats were secured by direct election. Ten were selected by voters representing business and interest groups, and seven are yet to be appointed by Chief Executive Edmund Ho.

[SeeMacau]

By Min Lee
ASSOCIATED PRESS

HONG KONG -- Democrats were the biggest vote-getters in legislative elections held in the Chinese gambling enclave of Macau this weekend, but government allies -- including a new crop of politicians representing casino interests -- remain in control of the legislature.

The New Democratic Macau Association gained the most votes in Sunday's election with 23,472, but under a proportional representation system, only won two of 12 elected seats in the legislature, according to election results on the Macau government's Web site Monday.

The rest were filled by pro-government candidates.

Of the 29 legislative seats, 12 are directly elected, 10 are picked by interest groups and Macau's leader appoints candidates for the remaining seven.

The Macau administration has a strong pro-Beijing contingent that favors Chinese rule, unlike in neighboring Hong Kong, where the government must negotiate with an outspoken pro-democracy opposition.

Both Hong Kong and Macau are former European colonies that returned to Chinese rule in the late 1990s. Neither enjoys full democracy.

In a final breakdown of the 12 newly elected lawmakers, two are pro-democracy, four come from the casino industry, four are from civic associations, while the business sector and civil servants account for one each, according to an analysis by Hong Kong broadcaster Cable TV.

Sunday's voter turnout was strong, with 128,830 registered voters participating, yielding a turnout rate of 58.4 percent.

The increased political power of casino interests comes after Macau ended its gambling monopoly and let in foreign investors in 2002. The move has revived the casino scene as operators launch glamorous new projects, such as U.S. casino mogul Sheldon Adelson's gleaming Sands Macau on the waterfront.

Among the new legislators is Angela Leong, the wife of Macau casino mogul Stanley Ho, who used to hold Macau's gambling monopoly.

Ho's casinos, hotels and restaurants reportedly gave away free meals and promoted his wife's campaign logo without directly referring to the election.

Observers will watch if the casino interests, who are already influential, come to shape public policy further, political scientist James Sung at the City University of Hong Kong said.

[SeeMacau]

MACAO, Sept. 26 (Xinhuanet) -- Chief Executive of the Macao Special Administrative Region (MSAR) Edmund Ho Hau Wah here on Monday extended the gratitude to the entire Macao community for ensuring the success of Sunday's legislative elections.

Ho, in his message to the public, said the completion of the third-term Legislative Assembly (LA) elections has once more demonstrated the ongoing implementation of the principles of "one country, two systems", "Macao people governing Macao" and a high degree of autonomy.

Macao's citizens enthusiastically exercised their civic rights in accordance with the Basic Law of the MSAR and relevant electoral laws, he added.

The chief executive extended his regards to all the candidates and praised those failed in the elections for "demonstrating greatcommitment to the public."

He said the electoral process effectively facilitated the development of civic education in the society, as the record numbers of candidate groups and voters demonstrated a stronger civic awareness.

He pledged that the MSAR government will continue, as always, to maintain close communication and good cooperation with the legislature.

[SeeMacau]

MACAO, Sept. 26 (Xinhuanet) -- Macao Special Administrative Region(MSAR) of the People's Republic of China and the Commonwealth of Dominica, a Caribbean nation, here on Monday signed an agreement to grant each other visa-free access for a stay not exceeding 90 days.

A press release issued by Macao's Information Bureau said Edmund Ho Hau Wah, chief executive of MSAR, and Dominica's Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit, representing the two sides, inked the pact.

There are so far 66 countries and territories having granted the visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to the holders of MSAR travel documents, said the press release.

[SeeMacau]

MACAU . In the past, Macau was considered by many as the shabby cousin of neighboring Hong Kong, offering a little more than an array of smoke-filled casinos and a taste of European architecture.

However, since the former Portuguese colony was handed back to Chinese rule in 1999, the territory has experienced significant economic growth and is establishing itself among the most popular entertainment centers in Asia. And with the post-handover government strengthening efforts to refurbish its old buildings, churches, gardens and public squares, Macau's unique mixture of European, Indian and Asian culture is returning the city to the spotlight.

Macau's efforts to promote its distinguished characteristics were rewarded when it was added to the United Nation's World Heritage List last year. "Macau used to be thought of as a place for a brief stopover from a trip from Hong Kong. However, more people are discovering that Macau has a lot more to offer than just casinos," said Kim Sang-yun, an official at the Korean branch of the Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO).

According to the MGTO, a record 16.7 million people visited Macau last year; this year, tourism officials are expecting the number to approach 20 million. To cope with the increasing influx of visitors, the city has built a six-lane bridge and is planning to expand the airport and construct a second ferry port.

Although more than 90 percent of the inbound tourists come from China, Taiwan and Hong Kong at present, Macau is also becoming a popular tourist attraction in countries such as Korea, Japan and Western countries.

More than 60,000 Koreans visited Macau last year. Although this is lower than the annual 100,000 or more visitors during the early to mid-1990s, before the Asian financial crisis, the number of Koreans to Macau is expected to rise again with the adoption of the five-day workweek.

"Compared to last year, the number of Korean tourists to Macau has increased about 25 percent. With more people visiting Hong Kong with the expansion of the five-day workweek, Macau is getting more exposure," MGTO's Kim said.

Air Macau operates eight direct flights from Inchon to Macau per week. The airline plans to expand the direct flights to Pusan and Kwangju by the end of the year, expecting an increase in demand. Although Macau has a special culture not found anywhere else in the world, it could be said that the former Portuguese colony is still struggling to lure tourists without relying on gambling. More than 210,000 of Macau's 460,000 people are employed by the local tourism industry, mostly supporting the hotels and casinos that are concentrated in the downtown area.

However, in a quiet backdrop to the flashy downtown area heavily congested with casinos and massage parlors, the old Macau has a lot to offer to those in search of cultural authenticity with its beautiful neighborhoods, narrow cobbled streets and its exotic mixture of Chinese and Mediterranean architecture.

Among the most distinguished cultural assets of Macau is the ruins of the Church of St. Paul. The stone facade is all that is left of the Jesuit church that was built in the 17th century. However, it is considered by many as one of the greatest monuments of Christianity in Asia.

The church, which was built in 1637, was designed by Italian Jesuits and completed by early Japanese Christian exiles and Chinese craftsmen. However, a fire erupted in 1835 and destroyed all but the facade and the stone steps that lead to it. Reflecting the multicultural mixture of its creators, the facade is designed with unique engravings and statues that are not found in Christian architecture.

The facade combines the carved images of Jesus and the Virgin Mary with a seven-headed dragon, an imaginary Chinese creature, and a skeleton symbolizing an unfortunate afterlife. Beside the skeleton is an engraved phrase written in Chinese characters that read "consider your afterlife and act no evil." The ruins of the Church of St. Paul is a popular gathering place for locals as the stone steps that front the facade are bustling with people all day. Just east of the ruins of the Church of St. Paul are the barracks, storehouses and cannons of Monte Fort, which was completed by the Jesuits in 1622.

If the ruins of the Church of St. Paul is the best-known Christian monument, the A-Ma Temple in the southern part of the Macau peninsula reflects the territory's Chinese heritage and history before Portuguese occupation in 16th century.

The temple is the oldest remaining building in Macau and said to be built by Chinese fishermen during the Ming Dynasty, who were the first inhabitants of Macau. The temple is dedicated to the goddess of A-Ma, who was worshiped by fishermen across southern China for the safe return of boats.

It is believed that the name "Macau" originated from the temple. When the Portuguese first arrived and asked the name of the place, "A-Ma Gu" or the "Bay of A-Ma" was what they were told, according to local beliefs. At the main entrance is a large boulder containing an engraved image of a traditional Chinese sailing vessel, of which the faithful make pilgrimage during the A-Ma festival that is held between late April and early May.

Many of Macau's most important colonial buildings, churches and gardens surround the streets of Largo Do Senado, meaning "senate square." To the east side of the square is the 18th century building Leal Senado, or loyal senate, the former mayor's office that now houses an art museum and a library with an extensive collection on books on Asia.

The building was called the loyal senate because the body sitting here refused to recognize Spain's sovereignty during the 60 years that Spain occupied Portugal.

To the northeast of the square is the Church of St. Dominic, a 17th century replacement of a chapel built by Dominicans in the 1590s. The baroque architecture now houses the Treasury of Sacred Art that features one of the finest collections of artifacts in Macau.

Another interesting stop is the Pawn Shop Museum, which is housed in a pawnshop built in 1917, where guests can visit the gift shop in front and look around the well-preserved wooden storage house in the back. The streets of Largo Do Senado are also one of Macau's largest shopping districts, not including the large-scale duty free shops in downtown hotels, where people can buy the latest in clothing and electronics or look for treasures in the small antique shops around the corner.

For those looking for a more contemporary experience, the 338-meter Macau Tower, the 10th tallest standing structure in the world, in the southern part of the peninsula is worth a visit.

The tower is merely a tall structure that doesn't have any significant functions, not even relaying broadcasting signals. Rather, it is one of the unlikeliest places to enjoy extreme sports.

Organized by the New Zealandbased extreme-sports company AJ Hackett, the Macau Tower provides a wide range of adventurous activities such a wired jump from the top of the tower or a non-rail walk around the outer rim of the tower that is 233 meters above the ground.

Despite Macau's rich cultural heritage, it is still a place that can't be explained without mentioning casinos. Macau as a European enclave was a product of commerce, a busy port sheltering Portuguese vessels and opium traders in the old days.

Now the territory houses a spectacular gambling cash cow. Gambling generates more than 90 percent of Macau's income at present. According to Macau's Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau, the large-scale 17 casinos in the territory combined to generate revenue of $2.8 billion in the first half of this year alone.

With the recent opening of the gaming industry to foreign investors and a relaxation of travel restrictions on the Chinese mainland, some watchers believe that Macau will overtake Las Vegas in terms of casino revenue in the years to come. New hotels and casinos are opening every few months.

Macau's gambling industry which has been the base of the territory's surging economy, which has been growing by 25 percent in the past two years. The Chinese government's loosening of travel restrictions of mainland residents have greatly benefited Macao, the only place in China where gambling is legal.

Competition within the gambling industry also intensified, with the 1999 handover ending Macau's 40-year-old gambling monopoly by local tycoon Stanley Ho and allowing foreign companies to enter the market.

The Las Vegas Sands Corporation opened Sands Macau last year, the first foreign-owned casino in Macau, to tap the growing Asian gambling market. The U.S. company is also planning to invest about $4 billion won to build a group of hotels and condominiums on the reclaimed land of Cotai Strip, offering casinos, shopping malls and other entertainment facilities.

The Macau Sands is the largest and clearly has the most advanced facilities of the casinos in Macau.

The neighboring Lisboa Hotel, which is arguably Macau's most famous landmark, houses the oldest casino in town.

[SeeMacau]

MACAU'S public prosecutor has charged 22 residents with election-related crimes in its legislative polls on September 25.

A statement released by the Public Prosecution said the 22 suspects were involved in "an electoral fraud scheme" that included the illegal retention of voter registration cards.

The statement described the suspects' activities as "having seriously infringed the fairness and order of the elections." The prosecutor charged 14 suspects with election rigging earlier.

[SeeMacau]

MACAO, Oct. 9 (Xinhuanet) -- Edmund Ho Hau Wah, chief executive of Macao Special Administrative Region (MSAR), here on Sunday appointed seven members of the region's third Legislative Assembly (LA).

The appointment wrapped up the formation of the new LA, grouping 29 members.

In accordance with the Basic Law, 12 and 10 LA members were elected through direct and indirect polls on September 25 and the list of the 22 has been approved by the Court.

[SeeMacau]

The Macao police has apprehended a suspect allegedly "putting fake banknotes into circulation," local media reported on Friday.

The Macao Post Daily quoted police sources as saying that the police seized from the male suspect 80 Hong Kong-dollar notes worth 40,000 HK dollars (about 5,000 US dollars).

The bogus banknotes, which were seemingly produced by color jetprinter, were "very rough," according to the newspaper.

The case has been transferred to the Public Prosecution for further investigations, it reported

[SeeMacau]

Macao is commemorating the 94th anniversary of the 1911 Revolution led by Chinese revolutionary leader Sun Yat-sen.

During a gathering at a local hospital where Sun Yat-sen worked, representatives claimed China's reunification was the common aspiration of all Chinese people, including Taiwan compatriots.

They also praised Sun Yat-sen's persistent efforts for the nation's rejuvenation and reaffirmed their support for the Anti-Secession Law to ensure national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The revolution, which broke out on October 10, 1911, led to the overthrow of China's last feudal dynasty, the Qing Dynasty.

[SeeMacau]

A senior-level meeting for Economic and Trade Cooperation between China and seven Portuguese-speaking countries is underway in Macau.

Seven Portuguese-speaking countries, specifically Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Guinea Bissau, Mozambique, Portugal and East Timor are participants.

The participants to the two-day meeting include Vice Minister of Commerce Wei Jianguo, Macau's Secretary for Economy and Finance Francis Tam Pak Yuen and senior officials from Portuguese-speaking countries.

When addressing the opening ceremony, Wei Jianguo said as a trade platform, Macao has played an active role of boosting the economic cooperation and trade between China and Portuguese-speaking countries.

During the meeting, the delegates gave a comprehensive review and appraisal of the cooperative achievements agreed upon in the first ministerial conference between China and Portuguese-speaking countries in 2003.

The participants also put forward the agendas of the next conference to be held in 2006.

[SeeMacau]

A major newspaper of China's Macao Special Administrative Region (MSAR) Wednesday criticized Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi for his contentious visits to the war criminal-related Yasukuni Shrine.

Macao Daily News, the leading local Chinese Newspaper, said in its editorial that Koizumi's shrine visits hurt the feelings of many Asian nations including China, which has suffered a lot during the Japanese invasion.

Koizumi's visits, a defiance to all Chinese people, have triggered strong backlash from China, South Korea and other Asian nations, according to the newspaper.

The Yasukuni Shrine, where 14 Class-A war criminals are honored, is a symbol of the Japanese militarism and Koizumi's visits display a recognition of the militarism, said the editorial.

It added that Koizumi's recent shrine visit once again demonstrated that the right-wing politic power in Japan will never quit its efforts to distort the history.

The editorial said Koizumi's shrine visit on October 17 will cast shadow on the China-Japanese relations and the prime minister will be culpable for the damage of the mutual relations.

[SeeMacau]

MACAO, Oct. 19 (Xinhuanet) -- The Macao police have nabbed 19 suspected illegal laborers at a downtown construction venue, localmedia reported Wednesday.

Macao Post Daily quoted police sources as saying that based on a tip-off, the authorities Tuesday carried out the swoop, conducting identification check on 373 laborers at Fisherman's Wharf, an entertainment project under-construction.

The 19 detained comprise 15 from the Chinese mainland, and fourfrom Hong Kong, according to the sources.

A total of 238 illegal workers were nabbed here in the first half of 2005, a year-on-year rise of 541 percent, the newspaper reported.

The employment of illegal workers is a crime that incurs hefty fines and imprisonment in case of repeated offenders. Illegal employed workers are customarily ordered to leave Macao

[SeeMacau]

Macao's newly grouped Legislative Assembly (LA) was sworn in here at the Government Headquarters on Monday.

The 29 LA members re-elected Susana Chou as the president of the third-term legislature.

Among the members, 22 were elected through the September polls and seven were appointed by Edmund Ho Hau Wah, chief executive of the Macao Special Administrative Region (MSAR), earlier this month.

Under the Basic Law of the MSAR, the main functions of the LA are to enact laws, examine and approve budgets, taxation and public expenditure, and monitor the work of the government.

[SeeMacau]

Edmund Ho Hau Wah, chief executive of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR), Monday sent a message to the State Council expressing his congratulations on the successful launching and landing of the Shenzhou-6 manned spacecraft.

Ho, on behalf of the Macao SAR government and the people of Macao, extended "the warmest congratulations and highest regards" to the motherland and all the participants in the Shenzhou-6 mission including astronauts Fei Junlong and Nie Haisheng, and everyone who had contributed directly or indirectly to the mission.

The mission not only demonstrated the great strength of the motherland, its advanced technology and the excellence of the nation's elites, but also demonstrated the selfless, fearless and the challenging spirit of the Chinese nation, Ho said.

The success of the country's space missions offered great enlightenment for the people of Macao, he said.

Ho also suggested in his letter to the State Council that he would like to invite to Macao the astronauts and the team who mastered the project, so they could share their experience with the people here.

Source: Xinhua

[SeeMacau]

IT is 3 a.m. on a humid Sunday in Macao in late July, and hundreds of people, most of them Chinese, are still filing into the gigantic new Sands Macao hotel and casino, making their way up the escalator to the building's main gallery.

Under a 100,000-pound chandelier, on a carpeted floor nearly three times the size of a football field, people stand shoulder to shoulder around the baccarat tables, gambling the hours away.

Across the Avenida de Amizade, a sprawling theme park called Fisherman's Wharf is going up; the neon lights from the Sands illuminate such park features as an artificial 130-foot volcano that rises above a replica of the Roman Colosseum.

Just a few blocks away, construction has begun on the Las Vegas tycoon Steve Wynn's $700 million hotel and casino project, the Wynn Macao, which is scheduled to open in 2006. In addition, Macao is awaiting the opening of a MGM Grand Paradise hotel and casino, and Stanley Ho, whose name has long been synonymous with gambling in Macao, is trying to update his own casino empire by building the Grand Lisboa on the Avenida Infante D. Henrique.

Perhaps the most stunning building projects are going on about four miles away, on what is called the Cotai Strip, Macao's expensive and hyperambitious answer to the Las Vegas Strip. By 2007, one of the world's largest and most extravagant building complexes, the Venetian Macau hotel and casino, is expected to open.

It's easy to see why Macao, a small island territory 37 miles southwest of Hong Kong, is already being called Asia's Las Vegas.

Over the last few years, Las Vegas and Hong Kong entrepreneurs have been promising to transform this tiny former Portuguese colony into the entertainment capital of Asia, full of Vegas style. They have already earmarked billions of dollars to invest in dozens of new hotels, shopping malls, theme parks, convention centers and super-sized casinos.

In fact, this year, Macao's casinos could bring in about $6.3 billion by December, and some analysts expect they will surpass the Las Vegas Strip in casino revenues. Such an increase in casino revenues, which were $5.33 billion last year, would represent an increase of nearly 20 percent . "It's the real deal," says Nick Cashmore, an analyst at CLSA Asia-Pacific Markets, which compiled the comparative data.

For decades, Macao was a sleepy Portuguese colony that offered little more than a taste of European architecture in Asia and an array of smoke-filled casinos catering to gamblers from Hong Kong and Taiwan.

But soon after Portugal returned Macao to China in 1999 after nearly 450 years of colonial rule, the territory's 40-year-old gambling monopoly, controlled by Mr. Ho, ended. Bids for new gambling licenses were accepted, and some of Las Vegas's biggest names started planning for a big invasion.

Now Macao is racing to build bridges, tunnels, railways and airports. There are even plans to spend $3.8 billion to build a 17-mile bridge across the Pearl River, connecting Macao and the city of Zhuhai to Hong Kong by the end of the decade, making it possible for visitors to Hong Kong's new Disneyland to also make a quick drive south to the Venetian in Macao.

Last year, a record 16.7 million people visited Macao. This year, tourism officials are forecasting close to 20 million visitors.

But there are some problems. Macao has about 10 square miles of land for 470,000 people. And about four square miles of that land was reclaimed from the sea over the past few decades.

Though Macao has some beautiful old neighborhoods - in fact, in early July, Macao was added to the World Heritage List - it has found it hard to attract visitors with more than gambling on their agenda. Most people just come for the day, traveling by car or bus from the neighboring Guangdong Province through a tunnel that connects the Chinese mainland to the Macao peninsula. Those who stay overnight tend to skip the few five-star hotels on the island in favor of more modest accommodations.

Las Vegas businessmen, however, are betting that all that is about to change. And no one is betting more than Sheldon G. Adelson, chairman and chief executive of the Las Vegas Sands Corporation. Mr. Adelson has already rounded up some of the world's biggest hoteliers; together with the Sands, they have agreed to spend about $15 billion over the next decade to create a Las Vegas-style strip on a huge parcel of land, most of it reclaimed from the sea.

The creation of the Cotai Strip - named after the islands Coloane and Taipa - opens up a second front for gambling and entertainment in Macao, several miles away from the casinos downtown. The Las Vegas Sands Corporation alone plans to invest about $4 billion to build a group of hotels and condominiums on the Cotai Strip centered on the Venetian Macau, which Mr. Adelson says will be one of the world's largest buildings, a 10.5 million-square-foot hotel, casino, shopping mall and entertainment complex.

The creation of the Cotai Strip - named after the islands Coloane and Taipa - opens up a second front for gambling and entertainment in Macao, several miles away from the casinos downtown. The Las Vegas Sands Corporation alone plans to invest about $4 billion to build a group of hotels and condominiums on the Cotai Strip centered on the Venetian Macau, which Mr. Adelson says will be one of the world's largest buildings, a 10.5 million-square-foot hotel, casino, shopping mall and entertainment complex.

Mr. Adelson says this is all part of his effort to help transform Macao into a convention and resort destination packed with dazzling hotels, celebrity chef restaurants, casinos, big-time theaters and golf courses.

His confidence comes, in part, from the success of the Sands Macao, which opened in May 2004 at a cost of $265 million. Nearly 30,000 people showed up on the first day, he says, and profits have been so enormous that a year after opening, the Sands has already paid off its loan, he says. Indeed, profits are so fat that the Sands is now adding 200 more gaming tables to its flashy complex, which will make it the world's biggest casino with 600 tables.

"This is a no-brainer," Mr. Adelson said. "If you build it will they come? In my mind, not only will they come, but they'll come in droves."

Mr. Wynn and Kirk Kerkorian - two other Las Vegas entrepreneurs - also have ambitious plans for Macao. And Mr. Ho, one of the richest men in Asia, is under pressure to upgrade his casino holdings aggressively in hopes of keeping pace with his new, flashy competitors from Las Vegas. He has hired the French architect Paul Andreu to design the boat-shaped Oceanus, a $780 million office tower, "six-star hotel," casino and entertainment complex that is planned for what is now a Macao ferry terminal.

He is also teaming up with Kerry Packer, Australia's richest man, to build a $1 billion City of Dreams along the Cotai Strip. The pair are promising a resort that "will appear to float above a crystal lake" and even feature an "underwater casino."

Mr. Ho and his family of companies have also made a deal to bring the MGM Mirage Company to Macao to open the MGM Grand Paradise casino and hotel. And the Ho companies have plans to build several other huge projects, including a Park Hyatt Hotel and Fisherman's Wharf, the theme park that features replicas of a Tang Dynasty fortress, the Italian Riviera and an "erupting volcano."

Much of the boom, of course, is driven by China's soaring economy, and by the expectation that Macao could draw over 35 million visitors by 2010. Today, largely because the Chinese government has loosened travel restrictions on mainland residents, millions of Chinese are entering Macao, the only place in China where gambling is legal. And they are, for the most part, hard-core gamblers, spending far more in Macao than the average gambler in Las Vegas,. Macao's revenue per table is about $18,000 versus about $2,500 in Las Vegas, according to Aaron Fischer, an analyst at CLSA.

"You rarely see anyone drinking at the table," said one local tourism official. "They only order tea. They don't want to lose focus."

But questions remain about Macao's future. Will old Macao and its Portuguese charm disappear or be swallowed by the tourist onslaught in Asia's new sin city?

Almost certainly, observers say, old Macao will become a quiet backdrop to the main games in town, gambling and entertainment, as the city is transformed into the ultimate playground for the rich and risky at heart.

[SeeMacau]

Hong Kong, the Mainland and Macau have signed a cooperation agreement to enhance the notification and co-ordination of emergency mechanism concerning any infectious disease epidemic which may cause serious disruptions to society.

Secretary for Health, Welfare & Food Dr York Chow, Ministry of Health Vice-Minister Prof Huang Jiefu and Macau's Secretary for Social Affairs & Culture Dr Chui Sai-on signed the "Co-operation Agreement on Response Mechanism for Public Health Emergencies" in Kunming, Yunnan Province today.

The two-day Fourth Joint Meeting of Senior Health Officials of the three places has also agreed to enhance collaboration in training and scientific research.

Dr Chow said with rapid globalisation, public health incidents such as an infectious disease outbreak could spread widely and affect many places.

Big leap forward

"Whether the three places can effectively handle such a public health crisis will very much hinge on our close collaboration," he said.

Dr Chow said co-operation between the Mainland and Hong Kong had been good. For example, the Ministry of Health allowed Hong Kong experts to take part in the investigation of the outbreak of streptococcus suis infection in Sichuan Province this summer.

Working on this model, he hoped the co-operation with the Mainland and Macau could be enhanced, adding signing of the pact is a big leap forward in this direction.

According to the agreement, in case of serious public health emergencies in the Mainland, Macau or Hong Kong, a mutual co-ordination and support mechanism in terms of manpower, techniques and resources will be in place.

Joint emergency response team

The three places can also send experts to take part in dealing with such a crisis upon mutual agreement. If cross-boundary public health emergencies occur among the three places or between any two, the concerned places will immediately notify the other parties, activate the emergency mechanism, and form a joint public health emergency response team to handle the crisis.

In case of international major public health incidents, the three sides can also form and field an emergency rescue team to assist upon mutual agreement.

After the visit to Kunming, Dr Chow will attend an international meeting of Ministers of Health in Ottawa on October 24 and 25. It will focus on enhancing global collaboration and co-ordination in advance of a possible influenza pandemic.

[SeeMacau]

The Macau authorities have taken preventive measures since a number of bird flu cases were reported in the Chinese mainland, local media reported Wednesday.
Macau Daily News, the leading local Chinese newspaper, reported that the Macau Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau (MCMAB) has imposed a regulation that all poultry stalls in Macau are not permitted to keep live fowl overnight from Wednesday.
The regulation is aimed to "prevent possible contamination and spread of bird flu," according to the Chinese newspaper.

[SeeMacau]

At the Korean Federation of Dancesport (KFD) Training Institute in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, a slender-figured couple is dancing to a strong Latin beat. Dancing the rumba, cha cha cha, and samba, their bodies are soon drenched in sweat.

Brother-sister team Park Ji-woo (25) and Park Ji-eun (27) are strong candidates for the dancesport gold at the Fourth East Asian Games in Macao, which will take place from October 29 to November 6. Every evening, they practice dancing in pursuit of the gold.

Dancesport, which was a demonstration sport at the 1998 Bangkok Asian Games, is a popular sport that was held as an exhibition category at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. This will be the first time for dancesport to become an official category in an international competition.

Dancesport consists of five Latin categories (rumba, cha cha cha, samba, jive, and paso doble) and five standard (modern) categories (waltz, tango, foxtrot, Vienna waltz, and quickstep), and it is rapidly gaining popularity in Korea due to the “well-being” boom.

These siblings are entering the Latin dance category. Latin dance is a strategic category for Korea. Park Ji-woo, who has danced with world-famous foreign partners, is a top 10 world star and second to none in Asia. Since this is an international competition, he formed a team with his sister, Ji-eun.

Park Ji-woo started dancing since the sixth grade while following his father, Park Hyo (58, KFD head vice president) around. He majored in ballet at Seoul Art High School, and he fostered his skills at a prestigious British dancesport school. He currently visits Great Britain from time to time, helping young hopefuls.

At the age of 16 in 1997, Park Ji-woo competed against 200 couples at the Mikasanomiya Cup, Japan’s most prestigious dancesport competition, and ranked sixth in the modern category. The next year he ranked fifth in the Latin category at the NHK Cup, and in the Latin category at the 2000 Blackpool Dance Festival held in England he ranked 12th, the highest for an Asian at the time.

Park Ji-eun started dancing at the age of six and became a competitive dancer in her second year in high school.

“Winning gold? Just watch us. Many dancers are going to enter the competition…We can’t guarantee anything.”

The siblings are humble. But experts, including Kwon Yoon-bang, professor at Seoul National University and chairman of KFD, guaranteed that “we may expect gold.”

[SeeMacau]

Macao's Legislative Assembly (LA) has passed two separate bills to fight money-laundering and terrorist activities, local media reported on Monday.

The Macao Post Daily reported that the bill on "The Prevention and Repression of Money Laundering" demands concerned local businesses to comply with the proposed legal requirements under the supervision of the government-run Monetary Authority of Macao.

The bill on "the Prevention and Repression of Terrorist Activities" will bring Macao's laws in line with international conventions and agreements on terrorism, said the newspaper.

Source: Xinhua

[SeeMacau]

Night transforms Macao into a bride. The slow, easy-going life gives way to a frantic pace, complete with bewitching neon signs and the sound of music. The city comes alive with its bars, shops and restaurants and of course casinos. So if you are the owl-type, Macao is where you ought to be.

From sumptuous meals to dance floors, the city offers them all throughout the night. Nocturnal adventures and Macao are made for each other.

Bars and discos

Bars and pubs are aplenty in the city. You just need to walk down Avenida Sun Yat-Sen close to the Kum Iam Statue and the Cultural Centre. In the picture postcard location, facing the Outer Harbour and Pearl River, you can enjoy the music and the wine while watching the boats glide by.

The music is completely cosmopolitan, with bars throbbing to the rhythms of Brazil, Portugal, England, Africa and every part of Asia. Likewise the songs come in languages from around the world.

Some bars and pubs, such as those in five-star hotels like the Emperor, Holiday Inn and Mandarin Oriental, have live bands performing at the request of the guests. Then there are the popular pubs opposite the Macao Jockey Club on Taipa Island that will make you feel more at home, thanks to their casual ambience.

On Coloane, you can drink under the stars on the Pousada de Coloane's terrace or sip a glass of Port in the Westin Resort.

For the most popular trendy discos in town head for NAPE and Avenida do Infante D. Henrique. Here the music is modern with some local touches: international pop sung in Cantonese, Mandarin, Thai or Japanese.

Cabaret-style entertainment too is on offer, with the daily Crazy Paris Show at Restaurant Portas do Sol of Hotel Lisboa from 10 pm to 10:30 pm. If you are looking for a longer version, the Jai Alai Show Palace on the 2nd floor of the Jai Alai Complex is where you go. There are continuous performances every night from 7 pm to 2 am.

Karaoke and cinemas

Macao has plenty of karaoke bars (mainly in the city centre, Rua dos Pescadores, Estrada do Repouso and on Taipa Island). They are equally popular among locals and visitors. These clubs have reasonable prices and packages (room and drinks/snacks) for customers, and the atmosphere is friendly and clean. Most of all, they give you a chance to test your singing skills or to spend the time differently with your friends.

The Macao Tower has some ultra modern cinemas screening the latest international movies. At Cineteatro, you can find Chinese films on show, too, in a complex of theatres.

The Small Auditorium of the Cultural Centre is used to show special art and classic movies during Film Festivals between September and December. These include the Portuguese Movies Fortnight and the European Movies Festival, both of which have become popular events on Macao's cultural calendar.

Horse and dog racing

Macao Jockey Club is equipped with modern facilities, with a cosmopolitan group of trainers, riders and administrators. Horses are being imported from several countries to take racing to international standards. With private boxes and an air-conditioned grandstand, club members and the public can enjoy the races live or on the closed circuit television monitors.

Greyhound racing (dog racing) is held at Canidrome in Avenida General Castelo Branco.

About 15 games are held on a racing night, starting from 7:30 pm. Admission fee is MOP$10 (US$1.25) for the public stand. Box seats come for MOP$80 (US$10) on weekdays and MOP$120 (US$15) on weekends and public holidays, with a minimum charge of MOP$30 (US$3.75) per person plus 10 per cent service charge.

Casino and gambling

The vast number of casinos in Macao offer probably the widest range of games in the world, including baccarat, blackjack, roulette, boule, "big and small", fan-tan and of course, the hundreds of glittering array of slot machines (called "hungry tigers" by the locals). What's more, they operate 24 hours a day.

Visitors to the casinos should read the sign at the entrance that urge players to bet only on what they can afford.

[SeeMacau]

Being small doesn't stop Macao from offering something special to tourists. Excitements are galore, from the means of transport unique to the city to the wide range of entertainments.

Tour machine

If you want to celebrate a special occasion in comfort and style, you can take a trip in a 9-seater, chauffeur-driven replica of 1920s English bus. They operate city tours (2 hours) at MOP$120 (US$15) per person and MOP$60 (US$7.5) per child. The fixed itinerary tours begin at 11 am and 3 pm. Special tours cost MOP$280 per person.

Pedicabs

The pedicab, or tricycle rickshaw, is a leisurely and romantic form of transport around Macao's waterfronts (it is not designed to be driven on hills). It offers visitors a chance to see and photograph the sights while chatting with the drivers.

The main spots where you can hire a pedicab are near the Macao Ferry Terminal and opposite Lisboa Hotel's main gate.

They usually charge MOP$150 (US$18.75) for an hour's ride. Fix the price before taking a trip.

Cable car

The Guia Hill dominates the Macao peninsula and its top offers the best view of city's landscape: the Pearl River and the surrounding islands.

If you enter through the Flora Garden Gate (Avenida Sidonio Pais), you will find a cable car. You can enjoy the panoramic view while climbing up the hill in the car.

Tickets costs MOP$3 (37 US cents) for a one-way trip or MOP$5 (62 US cents) for a two-way ride. The cable car operates from 7:30 am to 6:30 pm

Cycling

Macao has too many hills to enjoy cycling. But Taipa and Coloane Islands are just fine for bicycles. They can be rented at the garage next to the Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau building (close to Tin Hau Temple and bus terminal) in Taipa.

Trekking

On Guia Hill and the hills of Taipa and Coloane there are lovely trails for trekking and jogging. Feel safe to take a walk and enjoy the panoramic views of the city, the islands and the Pearl River and revel in the arms of nature with your camera. There's no problem, if you feel tired, there are belvederes for you to take a break.

Nautical sports

There are two warm water beaches in the southern part of Coloane Island. Cheoc Van beach has several restaurants with esplanades, a swimming pool, a Portuguese style hostel (that has its own swimming pool) and a Nautical Club, with canoeing and windsurfing equipment.

Hac-Sa beach is longer and more popular among windsurfers and jet-skiers. There's a park near the beach that has tennis courts, a swimming pool, a picnic area, children's playground and several highly-rated Portuguese and Chinese restaurants.

Just up the Hac-Sa beach is the Nautical Entertainment Centre (in Hac-Sa reservoir park) where boats and water scooters can rented. It also offers a barbecue area, children's playground, nature trails, a jogging track, coffee shop and a snack bar.

Golf

The Macao Golf & Country Club, on the southern side of Coloane island and near the Western Resort Complex, is one of the most beautiful golf courses in Asia, and is open to locals and foreigners alike.

With a grand view of the Pearl River and Hac Sa beach, the course has all the usual international amenities, such as a Pro Shop, spa, restaurant and bar.

Karting

At the end of the causeway linking Taipa with Coloane is a karting circuit and grandstand. It's a favourite place on the weekends for those looking for some practice or for watching others compete.

Horse Riding

The Macao Jockey Club has a Riding School with wonderful facilities for trotting, cantering, galloping and jumping. It has first class horses trained for riders of all levels of competence and fully-qualified instructors. And the best part is you can hire a horse and take riding lessons for a very reasonable charge.

Source: China Daily

[SeeMacau]

A group of Chinese lawmakers from the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) arrived in Guiyang, capital of southwest China's Guizhou Province, on Thursday, starting a 9-day inspection tour.

The 13-member delegation of deputies to China's 10th National People's Congress (NPC), the country's top legislature, will observe the economy, social development, education and tourism of the province.

The delegation, headed by Lau Cheok Va, vice president of the Legislative Council of Macao SAR and also vice chairman of the United Labor Union of Macao, will also inspect the water supply project to Macao by way of Guizhou that was begun in January this year.

Source: Xinhua

[SeeMacau]

Macao Image is a Portuguese-style restaurant opened last week in Beijing.

Located 300 metres east of Xiaoyun Qiao on the East Fourth Ring Road, Macao Image or Hao Jing Xuan () in Chinese claims to be so far the first authentic Macao-Portuguese style restaurant in the capital.

Zhou Jing, assistant general manager of the eatery, said:"It is another top-rank restaurant in Beijing. It is not just an eatery, it is a place to enjoy a different culture and a special view of nature."

The dining area is 3,000 square metres over two floors. It can seat 500 people.

Portuguese food in Macao has two styles: one is the Portuguese and the other is the Macao-Portuguese style. Food in the eatery adheres the latter.

It was said when the Portuguese first came to Macao, they did not like the local food. But they could not find the European food material and condiments. So their sauces have been adapted to local tastes, using coconut milk, skimmed milk, and curry powder. They also combine Indian, Malaysian, Cantonese cook styles with Portuguese techniques. Food cooked in this way is called Macao-Portuguese food and it even tastes better than Portuguese food.

The thick and yellow sauce is widely used in cooking baked Portuguese chicken, vegetables, oysters, fried rice and spaghetti. Dishes cooked with the sauce are enticing but Chinese diners may long for something a bit simpler after several mouthfuls of this heavy and creamy sauce.

Wine bar, cigar bar and saloon are available in the spacious restaurant.

[SeeMacau]

Macao's Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau (CMAB) has forged a professional squad to round up wild pigeons over the avian-flu concern, local media reported Thursday.

The Macao Post Daily quoted Tam Vai Man, the CMAB acting president, as saying that the netted wild pigeons will be transferred to an aviary for precaution against possible flu pandemic threat.

The CMAB also urged pet pigeon raisers to coordinate measures aimed at preventing an outbreak of the disease, according to the official.

Meanwhile, the CMAB called on local residents and visitors to refrain from feeding wild pigeons, said the newspaper report.

Four dead birds were reportedly found in Macao over the past two days but the authorities said they died of injuries.

Source: Xinhua

[SeeMacau]

MACAO, Nov. 4 (Xinhuanet) -- The Macao government has stocked 1.3 million Tamiflu pills that could treat 110,000 patients in the case of an outbreak of bird flu, local media reported Friday.

The Macao Post Daily quoted sources from the government-run Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP) as saying that the region's stock of flu vaccines is nearing the exhaustion amid the pandemic fear.

The CDCP noted that the common flu vaccines are not to cure bird flu.

The government is to restock the flu vaccines soon, according to the newspaper. Enditem

[SeeMacau]

China Unicom Limited (China Unicom) recently announced the official launch of CDMA network in Macau Special Administrative Region (MSAR).

On 11 March 2005, China Unicom won the licence to operate CDMA 1X network and offer cross-regional mobile telecommunication services in MSAR. This is reported to be the first time that a mainland telecommunication carrier has obtained such mobile service licence outside Mainland China. China Unicom can now provide roaming services for international and domestic CDMA users visiting MSAR through its CDMA network. In a year's time, China Unicom expects to apply to provide local residents with other mobile services such as voice, data and multi-media services.

The company's launch of the CDMA network ensured the provision of roaming services to CDMA users during the Fourth East Asia Games at the end of October 2005 in MSAR.

[SeeMacau]

NORTH KOREA KIDNAPPING: Can we bring her home?

Published on November 05, 2005

Delicate and dedicated diplomatic steps will be needed to resolve the Anocha case. Dark diplomacy snatched Ano-cha Panjoy from her happy, smiling life 27 years ago.

Bringing her back from the world’s most reclusive nation will require all the good sides of international relations to work relentlessly at full force.

The North Korean Embas-sy’s immediate response to the heartbreaking story of Anocha simply underscores the forbidding nature of the task ahead.

“I don’t have any information,” Kim Chol-nam, the counsellor at the embassy, told The Nation yesterday.

The statement confirms that to bring this ordinary woman back home where she belongs, extraordinary, subtle and perhaps complicated diplomatic manoeuvres have to be made by all parties and countries

concerned. Japan has boosted her family’s hopes by promising cooperation with Bangkok, which has awoken to the missing woman’s plight.

Now that Sukham Panjoy, 59, has come forward to ask for more information about the disappearance of his sister 27 years ago, allegedly at the hands of North Korean kidnappers, the Foreign Ministry is dispatching a team of officials to interview her family in Chiang Mai’s San Kamphaeng district.

Foreign Ministry spokes-man Sihasak Phuangketkeow said the ministry wanted to find out more about Anocha and her family as soon as possible so that the government could proceed to the next step.

The ministry has asked its embassy in Tokyo to make a request to the Japanese government, which played an important role in uniting Charles Robert Jenkins with his wife, Hiromi Soga, and their two daughters.

Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said in his weekly press conference that his government would follow up on the case.

Based on the way Japan handled the issue of its citizens snatched by North Korea in the 1970’s, Anocha’s fate will depend on Thaksin’s intervention as well as local sentiment.

In Japan, Prime Minister Junichi Koizumi placed top priority on the reported 11 abducted Japanese by raising the issue with North Korean leader Kim Jong-il when they met for the first time in September 2002. At that meeting, Kim admitted for the first time that the Japanese had been abducted and were still alive. Pyongyang has apologised and promised that it will never happen again.

Long before North Korea’s confession, the Japanese government had established 15 cases of abduction. Tokyo raised them with Pyongyang several times, but the latter denied any knowledge of them. In 1997 the Association of the Families of Victims Kidnapped by North Korea was established in Japan to help the families of the abductees.

With such a coalition, Japanese politicians and MPs both in the home towns of abductees and beyond joined forces and have steadily pressured the government to raise the issue with the North Korean government.

They have demanded their government withhold further assistance until full accounts of those abductees are made. Public opinion wants the government to get all Japanese back home as soon as possible before any normalisation of relations.

As prime minister, Koizumi has kept his promise to bring back the abductees. He managed to bring five of them back to Japan, but they were separated from their families. Hiromi Soga, wife of Charles Robert Jenkins, a US army deserter, left Pyongyang with the first batch in October 2002. Through continued pressure from Japan, she was later joined by Jenkins and her two daughters when they came to Japan last November. Tokyo continues to dig for more information about the remaining Japanese in North Korea.

In Anocha’s case, after interviews of her family members by authorities, the next step will be through diplomatic channels. The Foreign Ministry will meet North Korean diplomats in Bangkok to search for more information.

She disappeared from Macau 27 years ago and is believed to have been abducted by agents and used as a language and culture teacher for Thailand-bound North Korean diplomats.

Thailand and North Korea have so far had cordial relations. The Foreign Ministry recently allowed North Korea to post one extra diplomat here.

Should it become clear that Anocha is indeed in North Korea and alive, both Thaksin and Foreign Minister Kantathi Suphamongkhon will have to raise the issue at the highest level to secure her return. She is 47 years old. It would be wise to ask if there are more Thais in a similar predicament.

The next step will depend on the North Korean government: if Thai officials can gain access to her and interview her, she will be asked if she wants to return to Thailand, and her wishes will be respected.

According to Jenkins’ book, Anocha’s American husband, Larry Allan Abshier, has died and they did not have any children. If she remarried and has children, the Thai government will also have to interview them.

If the Thai government is reluctant, an international humanitarian organisation such as the International Committee of the Red Cross can provide assistance on humanitarian grounds.

When Kantathi visited Pyongyang in August, he did not know that there was a Thai abductee, and North Korea did not inform Thailand of this either.

Kim Chol-nam told The Nation that the Foreign Ministry had been in touch with the embassy, but he did not elaborate.

At the moment, the embassy is waiting for its new ambassador, Oh Yong-son, to arrive. Oh is currently ambassador at large in Pyongyang.

A source said the Foreign Ministry would dispatch a team of officers to interview Sukham Panjoy for additional information tomorrow.

If necessary, Sukham and her relatives, including those who knew Anocha, will be brought to Bangkok for interview.

Abductions of Japanese nationals by North Korean agents in the 1970s and 1980s are a priority topic for Japan in this week’s talks between the two countries in Beijing. Koizumi has instructed Japanese negotiators to tackle the talks with North Korea under Tokyo’s basic policy on the abduction issue and said he cannot predict how the discussions in Beijing will proceed.

The Japanese government has been seeking concrete information on abduction victims, who North Korea claims have died after since being taken to the country, and demanding that any surviving be repatriated.

Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso said he had not heard that North Korea had made any “particularly new proposal” to Japan at Thursday’s meeting regarding the abduction issue.

Representing North Korea, Song Il-ho, vice director of the North Korean Foreign Ministry’s Asian Affairs Department, indicated that North Korea planned to propose to Japan a path towards a potential resolution of the abduction issue.

Aso also said Japan and Thailand could work together to address the Anocha case.

“This kind of issue violates our countries’ national sovereignty. In that context, one way of thinking is for both countries to jointly take measures to address it,” Aso said.

Jenkins writes in a memoir of his life in North Korea, released last month in Japan, that he met or saw many people in North Korea he believed were abductees, including the woman from Thailand.

Kavi Chongkittavorn

The Nation

[SeeMacau]

NEGOTIATIONS FIRST: The council's top two officials said that flights should not be a problem, but that expanding the program required talks

By Shih Hsiu-chuan

The government is considering expanding the cross-strait charter flights program for the Lunar New Year holiday, officials said yesterday.

The government is optimistic that the cross-strait charter flights for the holiday will take place without difficulty, as long as the Chinese side is willing to negotiate with Taiwan in line with the spirit of the "Macau Model," said Mainland Affairs Council Vice Chairman David Huang (黃偉峰).

The "Macau Model" means the setting aside of disputes, no preconditions, mutual respect, acting pragmatically, the government taking initiative and the private sector providing assistance, he said.

Lunar New Year charter flights took place in 2003 and this year to allow Taiwanese businesspeople and their families in China to return home to spend the holidays with with their friends and relatives.

The negotiations for this year's charter flights were completed in Macau, where the framework for the 2003 flights moved one step forward by allowing Chinese carriers to participate, and the requirement for a transit stop in Hong Kong or Macau was dropped.

PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE

"We hope that the negotiations for the upcoming Lunar New Year charter flights can be based on previous experience," Huang said.

Huang said that the government is now considering how to respond to a request from Pu Zhaozhou (蒲照洲), the head of the Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Department of the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC).

Pu sent a letter to the council on Tuesday expressing China's willingness to have talks on the issue.

As for whether next year's holiday flights will be expanded to include tourists and students, Huang said that the details could only be finalized during cross-strait negotiations.

MORE DESTINATIONS?

Council Chairman Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) said yesterday that the government is considering adding more destinations for the holiday charters.

The expansion proposal was initially reported by a local Chinese-language newspaper, which cited Minister of Transportation and Communications Lin Ling-san (林陵三).

Taiwanese students and tourists would also be allowed to take the charter flights, the paper said.

DETAILS, DETAILS

Wu said he was optimistic that talks between CAAC and the Taipei Airlines Association would result in an agreement to renew the charter flights next year, but he cautioned that final details were still to be worked out.

``Based on our experience, we believe that negotiating about direct charter flights again for the next Lunar New Year should not be a problem,'' he said.

Wu said the visit by Shao Qiwei (邵琪偉), the director of China's State Administration of Tourism, was a positive development, and he expressed hope that the two countries could soon hold talks about expanding tourism links.

CHINESE TOURISM

Shao is visiting Taiwan at the head of a delegation of tourism and business officials.

Earlier this year, China dusted off a proposal to raise the number of tourists visiting Taiwan to 360,000 a year -- more than 10 times the current level.

At the time, the government spurned the offer, saying that it needed further study. Since then, however, the government has come under heavy pressure from the tourism industry, which views the Chinese market as a key element in its future growth.

[SeeMacau]

MACAO, Nov. 10 (Xinhuanet) -- Macao's number of reported crimes reached 7,774 cases in the first three quarters of the year, an year-on-year rise of 8.2 percent, local media reported Thursday.

The Macao Post Daily quoted Cheong Kuok Va, Secretary for Security, as saying that the rise of crime rate is partly due to the more frequent street patrols by the law enforcement agencies.

"As we are increasing the level of fighting crimes, the number of recorded crimes will rise," the official was quoted as saying.

Meanwhile, The number of violent crime cases in the nine months fell year-on-year 12.3 percent to 571, Cheong told the newspaper.

The special administrative region recorded 2,426 theft cases, 274 robbery cases and 32 arson cases during the period, it reported.

The region has a population of nearly 470,000. Enditem

[cooolboi]

where can i find macau pictures of skyscrapers????

[SeeMacau]

^^^ here
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=112464

[a2zMacau]

Steve Wynn yesterday revealed that he might pursue business partnerships with James Packer in Las Vegas and Asia.

“I like James Packer and I like Lawrence Ho,” he said. “I consider them both friends and I think they are very bright men, and considering their age and the position they’re in, I think they represent the next generation of developers that may bring imagination and style to this whacky business we’re in.”

“I think that they would be perfectly capable of entering the Las Vegas market. There’s nothing like experience, but they’re gaining it rapidly. We’re talking about these two young men who are going to be full-on Asian gaming operators.”

Mr Wynn said he did not believe the US gaming inquiry into Pansy Ho - sister of Lawrence Ho - would cause problems for Mr Packer’s mooted push into Las Vegas.

“I will make a prediction for you: the Pansy Ho inquiry will result in her not being an issue with her partners.”

Mr Wynn said he might look at joint venture opportunities in Asia with Mr Packer.

“Depending on business opportunities and what skills we need to bring to the table, it may be appropriate for us to act jointly, but again, that will depend upon the situations that we haven’t discussed yet.” Mr Wynn, who developed and sold the famous Bellagio Casino Hotel (to MGM), helped revive the Las Vegas strip.

Wynn Resorts now includes the flagship casino Wynn Las Vegas and it holds one of six casino licences in Macau. He sold a sub-commission licence to Melco PBL in 2006 for $US900 million, allowing Mr Packer and Mr Ho to run their own casinos.

Mr Wynn said his immediate focus was on China, Macau and Las Vegas.

As for Richard Branson’s proposed push into Macau, Mr Wynn said: “There are no more licences in Macau. Anybody that wants to come in here now would have to be in a joint-venture with one of us. I don’t know who Richard has been talking to. It wasn’t me, so far.”

Source | The Australian

[ggaaxx]

Hong Kong’s steel fixers who participated in a strike came to Macau to appeal to fellow workers there to follow suit.

According to Hong Kong’s RTHK report, about 10 steel fixers and officers of the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions (香港職工會聯盟，職工盟) came to hotel construction sites in Macau to hand out leaflets, appealing to them to join the strike.

The hotel construction sites concerned also hire Hong Kong contractors in conducting steel projects.

RTHK reported that a majority of Hong Kong steel fixers there did not respond whether they will join the strike.

Meanwhile, local steel fixers pointed out that they received a daily wage of MOP 950, which is similar to what Hong Kong steel fixers working in Macau would receive, at MOP 900 to 1,000 per day.

The appeal to strike will not arouse sympathy among workers in Macau, they said.

Steel fixers in Hong Kong had begun strike from the beginning of August, demanding a pay rise and reduced working hours.

Several demonstrations have been held to voice their demands, and the situation remains in stalemate.

source (http://www.blogmacau.info/blog/?p=1771)

[ggaaxx]

Government-outsourced cleaners and security guards will receive minimum wage from 1 September, according to a Dispatch made by the Chief Executive.

The Dispatch, published in the Macau Special Administrative Region Gazette, requires government agencies to stipulate the minimum wage in all cleaning and security services contracts.

The minimum wage standard will be MOP 21 daily, MOP 168 hourly and MOP 4.368 monthly.

Service providers not complying with the rule could be fined at a maximum of 30% of the service fee.

The Labour Affairs Bureau will be responsible to deal with complaints related to the execution of the minimum wage.

source (http://www.blogmacau.info/blog/?p=1772)

[nazrey]

Macau Aims To Attract 400,000 Malaysian Tourists This Year
October 18, 2007 23:14 PM


KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 18 (Bernama) -- Relatively unknown to most Malaysians, Macau aims to double the arrival of Malaysian tourists to the state to 400,000 this year through aggressive marketing and promotion.

The Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) Representative in Malaysia, Tunku Iskandar Tunku Abdullah, who is also Pacific Travel's group president, said they aimed to attract more Malaysian Muslims to the state too.

He said at present Macau was visited mostly by Malaysian Chinese due to the belief that most tourism products offered by the state were not attractive enough for non-Chinese.

To change the perception, a four-day festival was held by MGTO at The Curve Piazza, Mutiara Damansara, here to provide Malaysians a glimpse of the unique blend of Western and Oriental cultures of Macau, he said.

"As we all know, Chinese are the main visitors of Macau, but through this festivals, we hope we can create greater awareness to the general public, including to the non-Chinese that there are more places that you can visit and enjoy yourselves, including the theme park and shopping complexes," he told reporters after launching the festival, here Thursday.

He pointed out that contrary to some beliefs, it was not difficult to get halal food in Macau as there were Muslim restaurants as well as mosques.

"The number of halal restaurants is expected to increase as the state is currently promoting its products in the Middle East," he said.

He added that last year, Macau had received 202,821 tourists from Malaysia while for the first nine months of this year, a total of 256,264 Malaysians had visited the state.

The festival which began today offers, among others, various cultural performances such as Portuguese Dances, Chinese Acrobatics and Chinese Opera performances, which are part of the Macau culture.

Apart from experiencing the uniqueness of the Macau culture, visitors to the festival also have the opportunity to find the best deal to visit Macau as six travel agents have set up booths offering attractive holiday and travel packages.

-- BERNAMA

[Qatar Son 333]

Guys does anyone know what are the chaneels that are broadcasting the asian indoor games opening ?????????????

[Portugues de Macau I]

Guys does anyone know what are the chaneels that are broadcasting the asian indoor games opening ?????????????

TDM :lol:

[ggaaxx]

The Government is considering introducing an accreditation regime to govern how casino workers should take up their jobs.

The Chief Executive Ho Hau Wah (何厚鏵) said during a site visit to a casino workers’ training centre that his government will study and consider the policy, and the sector and the community will also be consulted.

The Secretary for the Economy and Finance, Tam Pak Yuen (譚伯源), indicated that the Government is currently looking at the accreditation regimes of different territories. Local conditions will be integrated to set up a regime which will be the most suitable for Macau.

Tam revealed that the criteria will take into consideration not only the professional skills, but also the psychological quality and behavioural ethics.

He believed that the proposal can be published by the first half of 2008.

Meanwhile, Ho Hau Wah emphasised that both the Government and the gaming sector share the responsibility to prevent the pressure the development of this particular sector brings to other sectors, and the possible costs to the society.

He also encouraged croupiers, particularly the new ones, to maintain a healthy psychology and avoid the temptation of bad habits and hobbies.

source (http://www.blogmacau.info/blog/?p=1846)