Macau Daily News (English)

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The Macao Red Cross Society has allocated 100,000 yuan, or about 12,000 US dollars, to help the disaster relief efforts in the flood-hit Hunan and Guizhou provinces.

The floods triggered by torrential rains have claimed more than seventy deaths and affected five million people in the two provinces in central and southwestern China.

The Macao Red Cross Society says it will closely follow the development of the disaster and be prepared at any time to cooperate with disaster relief work of the Red Cross Society of China.

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Macau's Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau (IACM) will offer free safety inspection services for 500 vehicles next month, local media reported Tuesday.
The Macau Post quoted IACM sources as saying that the move aims to encourage drivers and riders to maintain their cars and motorbikes in "optimum conditions" all year long.
The free check-up, in conjunction with the University of Macau and Macau Institute of Engineers, will be launched on July 23 to 24 for 200 light vehicles, 100 heavy vehicles and 200 motorcycles, according to the newspaper.
It added that the IACM opened a hotline and a website for residents to get needed information.
Macau, a region with a population of around 460,000, is expected to have 150,000 vehicles next year, said the newspaper report.

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The Macao police have apprehended two drug smuggling suspects, local media reported Tuesday.

The Macao Post quoted police sources as saying that on a tip-off, the police have busted the two traffickers, one 37-year-oldMacao female citizen and one Hong Kong male resident at the same age.

The duo allegedly sold illegal drugs to clients in the northern district of the Macao Peninsula, said the newspaper report.

It added that a quantity of drugs have been seized from the female suspect's flat.

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Macau, June 13 (CNA) A shipment of fresh, mature Taiwan pineapples was delivered to Macau Monday in a record-breaking 13 hours, trade sources reported. It took only 13 hours to allow fresh and tasty pineapples to be put on a Taiwan Agricultural Products Exposition table in Macau around 9 a.m. Monday after farmers in Chiayi County, southern Taiwan began to pick and pack the fruit around 8 p.m. Sunday upon receiving a telephone order from the Macau expo authorities, said Wu Wen-hsiung, vice president of the Taipei-based China Times Evening News, one of the private organizations co-sponsoring the expo. According to the Taiwan Agricultural Products Expo authorities in Macau, the Taiwan pineapples on display were all sold out on the first day of the expo Sunday. They placed another order with the Chiayi pineapple farmers around 4 p.m. the same day in the hope that a new shipment could make it when the expo reopened the next day at 9 a.m. The Chiayi farmers did not fail them -- they began to pick and pack the pineapples around 8 p.m. Sunday and delivered the cartons at 4 a.m. Sunday, enabling the shipment to reach the Chiang Kai-shek International Airport at 7 a.m. the same morning. The transportation companies as well as the Macau customs authorities have also been cooperative -- the pineapples were flown over the Taiwan Strait and passed Macau's customs and quarantine checks to hit the expo table in two hours, Wu said. Normal transportation of agricultural products from Taiwan to Macau takes at least 20 hours if the products are transported by air. It usually takes three to seven days if the shipments are delivered by sea, Wu added.

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China's Health Minister says mainland will set up a cooperation mechanism with Hong Kong and Macao to coordinate their responses to public health emergencies.

Gao Qiang told reporters Saturday in Hong Kong that his ministry will enhance information exchange with the two regions.

He says if there is an outbreak of infectious disease on the mainland, authorities would make every effort to contain it by providing information, and implementing control and prevention measures.

And the central government will assist Hong Kong and Macao with expertise and resources in the event of public health emergencies.

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Macao's Health Bureau on Thursday warned the public over the consumption of traditional Chinese dragon-boat rice dumplings which contains boric acid harmful to health.

A statement issued by the bureau said local businesses have been requested not to produce or sell dumplings containing the harmful substances.

The Health Bureau tested 30 dumpling samples earlier this week and 10 of them proved to contain the hazardous component, said thestatement.

Boric acid, being used as a mild antiseptic in the manufacture of certain heat-resistant products, might trigger toxic symptoms to human bodies, including nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain.

Infants and children are more susceptible than adults to boric acid intoxication.

Dragon-boat rice dumplings, pronounced "Zongzi" in Mandarin and"Chung" in Cantonese, are the most popular tidbit for the Dragon Boat Festival, a traditional Chinese festival having an over 2,000-year history.

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The Macao police have arrested two male suspects for alleged credit-card fraud, local media reported Thursday.

The Macao Post quoted police sources as saying that the duo, holding Hong Kong passports, used three fake cards going on a shopping spree in Macao earlier this week.

The pair, both at the age of 21, spent 18,000 Hong Kong dollars(2,250 US dollars) on gold necklaces and expensive jeans in two hours, according to the newspaper.

The two, reportedly having criminal records in Hong Kong, were apprehended after a shop cashier alerted police about their "suspicious behavior."

Further investigations are underway.

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A Taiwanese agricultural products exhibition was launched Thursday at the Macao Forum, a local convention center.

Over 200 sets of farm products, 100 adornments and souvenirs were on display at the Taiwan Agricultural Products Expo, covering flowers, fruits, vegetables, rice, flour and tea.

Edmund Ho Hau Wah, chief executive of Macao Special Administrative Region, and Bai Zhijian, director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in Macao, attended the opening ceremony.

Hundreds of professionals, scholars and business people from China's mainland, Taiwan and Macao were also present at the ceremony.

The expo will last till Sunday.

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The legislature of China's Macau Special Administrative Region has passed the government's net profit tax bill, local media reported Thursday.
The Macau Post reported that a plenary meeting of the Legislative Assembly gave a nod to the general outline of the bill, which will lower the maximum net profit tax rate from 15 to 12 percent.
The newspaper quoted Francis Tam Pak Yuen, secretary for economy and finance, as saying that the tax cut will bring about " a string of positive effects" to Macau's business community.
It will hopefully help reduce tax payers' burden, create incentives for enterprises and improve Macau's investment environment, according to the official.
He stressed that Macau's small-and-medium-sized enterprises will benefit most from the tax cut.

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China's Macao Special Administrative Region saw a 2.5 percent decrease in April in the number of visitor arrivals in package tours over the same period of last year, according to official statistics issued on Thursday.

The figures from the Statistics and Census Service showed that in April 2005, visitor arrivals in package tours totaled 231,739.

The number of visitors from the Chinese mainland dropped 14.1 percent year-on-year at 180,995, from Taiwan surged 136.3 percent to 28,722 and from Hong Kong decreased 4.4 percent to 6,378.

Meanwhile, the number of Macao residents traveling in package tours totaled 19,372 in April 2005, a year-on-year increase of 49.7 percent.

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A new system allowing Hong Kong and Macao residents with home return permits to pass through customs more quickly, went into trial operation Thursday at Luohu Customs, China's busiest passenger checkpoint.

Residents of the two SARs only need to show their home return permits to an automatic card reader, and have their thumbprint scanned to go in and out of the mainland. Previously they had to hand their permits to checkpoint officers and wait for approval.

The new system allows passengers to pass through customs in around six seconds, and is said to provide an alternative for passengers who feel more at ease with automatic checkers.

Six channels have opened, three for entry and three for exit.

Some Hong Kong and Macao residents who have tested the system gave it a thumb-up, saying it's fast and convenient.

Officials say if the trial proves successful, simliar systems will be installed in other checkpoints.

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The Macao Red Cross Society is allocating a further 24 million Macao patacas, or 3 million US dollars for reconstruction in countries devastated by last December's tsunamis.

The money comes from a fund collected by the Macao government. It contains 40 million Macao patacas, or about 5 million US dollars, which will all be allocated over the next few months.

The Red Cross Society has already sent out more than 10 million Macao patacas to the disaster-hit areas, which has helped set up ambulance services, restore people's livelihoods and build orphanages.

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Macau's garment factories employed around 10 percent of the special administrative region's labor force in the first quarter, according to official statistics issued on Monday.
The figures from the Statistics and Census Service showed that the number of employees in the garment sector reached 24,673, surpassing 21,368, the number of those working in restaurants and hotels.
The trend, local analysts witnessed, is an indication that the garment industry has been gaining the significance in Macau, a city famed for its gaming and tourism businesses.
Macau's work force totaled 240,000 in the first quarter, when its population reached 469,800, the figures showed.

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LUTONG Macao" is a Filipino catch-phrase for a done but fishy deal. It is traced to a fatal accident in the '60s met by a Filipino car racer who had been allegedly ditched in a game in Macau. Despite the word's unsavory roots, Macau the place is intensely interesting and picturesque.

A former Portuguese colony, Macau is your dream All-Under-Heaven. Since Western merchants turned it into a trading port like Hong Kong, Macau has been home to Europeans, Latinos, Africans, Indians and, well, Filipinos. Macanese cuisine, spirituality and lifestyle offer as much international spice.

What's common with Matteo Ricci and Sun Yat Sen is that they all stayed in this strategic Chinese place. John Paul II could have graced China with a visit via this Catholic-Buddhist city, where his message of ecumenism and religious freedom would have made no bitter bite. (The Vatican and China have no diplomatic relations)

With Air Macau, the package trip includes hotel accommodation. The tour starts with lunch at Holiday Inn, where an "international buffet menu" is served. A Macanese mix of seafood and home-made desserts and pastries from different cultures are up for smorgasbord.

For a feel of God and nature, there's a side trip to Zhuhai, China's ecological city that has been given the International Award for Best Practice in Improving the Living Environment by the United Nations. The cool breeze from the South China Sea gives the perfect air for Zhuhai's famous Lover's Lane, which has an underground shopping mall.

A visit to the statue of the Lady of Pearl, Zhuhai's legendary fisher girl and pearl catcher, planted along a river, follows the day after. Next comes the walk to Bai Lian Dong Park located at the foot of a hill, where spring water from the hill forms a lake.

Drink and drive

By afternoon, a city tour back in Macau begins with a godspeed to Grand Prix Museum, where cars and motorcycles are on display.

In connection with the annual car race in Macau, on exhibit are memorabilia of the two-time Filipino Formula 3 champion, Arsenio "Dodjie" Laurel. His racing car is included in the exhibit. In a 1967 race, his car crashed against a wall, catching fire and killing Laurel instantly, thus giving birth to the expression "lutong Macao."

Visitors then get treated to a survey of exotic wines at the Wine Museum. The complex exhibits Portuguese and Macanese wine goods and viniculture equipment through the years. The museum presents more than 1,050 wine brands, the oldest being the 1815 Madeira.

The Maritime Museum, built on the spot where the Portuguese first landed, is the next stop. The building is styled like a ship and displays fishing and navigation instruments, weather monitors, and varieties of fishes and shellfish in Macao. Outside the museum are several real-size ships, including a Chinese dragon boat.

Just beside the museum stands the A-Ma Temple, where Macau natives first embraced the Portuguese traders. Macao came from the word A-Ma Gao, meaning "bay of A-Ma," the Taoist goddess of seafarers. The temple has been a popular subject for visiting artists like George Chinnery and Auguste Borget.

Holy indulgence

You've never been to Macau if you miss Leal Senado, a square snaked around by wavy mosaics of cobblestones surrounded by pastel-colored heritage buildings.

Pilgrims can check for a Mass inside the baroque St. Dominic's Church, which is often used for classical concerts. When religious orders were abolished in Portugal in 1834, the church received a great number of sacred art pieces, which it houses in a museum.

At the left of the church is a street and a grand staircase leading to St. Paul's Ruins. The surviving fa‡ade of this church, destroyed by a fire, catechizes in Chinese biblical quotes, Western imagery and Japanese chrysanthemums.

In its crypt lies the bones of Japanese and Vietnamese martyrs, who fled their motherlands and helped build the church in 1602.

Also exhibited are ivory sculptures, silver liturgical pieces, and paintings, including St. Michael the Archangel in samurai suit.

Nearby is Mount Fortress, the city's "Great Wall" that runs to 10,000 sq.m. and is equipped with cannons and ammunition supplies to survive a two-year siege!

Finally, delegates are free to spend the last day going to Hong Kong or buying mementos in Macau. A free port, Macau produces goods that are duty- and tax-free. Offered at bargain prices are Chinese antiques, glassware, porcelain and jewelry.

Meanwhile, Macau is under the "One China, Two Systems Policy" of free market and religious liberty for only 50 years. The countdown has begun. Soon enough, Macau may be cooked up for drastic changes.

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Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) and Cape Verde, an island nation in West Africa, have granted each other visa-free access for a stay not exceeding 90 days.

A press release issued Monday by Macao's Information Bureau said the arrangement has been effective since June 15, 2005.

There are now 65 countries and regions granting visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to the holders of Macao SAR passports, said the release.

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Edmund Ho Hau Wah, chief executive of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR), on Friday extended his congratulations to Donald Tsang Yam-kuen on his becoming the chief executive designate of the Hong Kong SAR.

Ho, in a letter to Tsang, conveyed the congratulations on behalf of the Macao SAR government, according to a press release issued by the Government Information Bureau.

Ho said in the letter that the co-operation between Hong Kong and Macao has been increasing at a steady pace since the establishment of the special administrative regions and he anticipated the co-operation between the two SARs to develop further with joint efforts.

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Edmund Ho Hau Wah, chief executive of China's Macau Special Administrative Region (SAR), expressed the hope on Monday that Macau may become a platform for Sino-Brazilian economic exchange and cooperation.
The Macau SAR government hopes to promote the friendship between Macau and Sao Paulo to a new stage through the promotion of economic and cultural exchanges, Ho told a luncheon of Macau and Brazilian businessmen.
Sao Paulo plays a significant role in Brazil's economy as well as in the rapidly developing Sino-Brazilian economic exchange, he said.
Ho invited Brazilian entrepreneurs to Macau to deepen mutual understanding and cooperation between Macau and Sao Paulo in various fields.
On Monday afternoon, Ho met Claudio Lembo, deputy governor of Sao Paulo, and the two men exchanged views on cooperation between the two sides.
Ho is in Brazil for a six-day official visit to the Latin American country.
He will meet President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, parliament leaders and government officials during the trip.

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The three-day Pan-Pearl River Delta Forum and Exhibition for Chinese Medicine opened here Tuesday at the Macao Tower, a multi-functional convention center.

Some 400 professionals, researchers and governmental officials, mainly from China's Pan-Pearl River region, attended the opening ceremony.

While addressing the opening ceremony, Dr. Yeung Tsun Man, member of Macao's Science and Technology Council, said that the event will hopefully help build an access for traditional Chinese medicine to the international market.

It could also boost Macao's ambition to serve as an international "testing center" for Chinese medicine standards, said Yeung.

The forum with the theme, "innovation and industrialization of Chinese medicine in Pan-Pearl River Delta," will cover events as sessions on research and development of Chinese medicine and presentation of traditional medical products.

Macao has a long history of using traditional Chinese medicine

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Brasília - Today the chief executive of the Special Administrative Region of Macau, Edmund Ho, will meet with president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in Brasilia. Ho is a kind of governor of the Macau region, which covers some 16 square kilometers and was formerly a Portuguese colony.

Brazil is interested in strengthening its relations with Macau precisely because a part of the population there speaks Portuguese.

Ho and his entourage of politicans and businessmen will be in Brazil until June 25. They will also visit São Paulo, Manaus and Rio de Janeiro.

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Macau was on high alert of flood Friday as the Port Authority has issued an announcement requesting the public to take precautionary measures.
The Port Authority has reportedly been informed by the central government's Ministry of Water Resources that the water level of the Pearl River will reach its peak between 11 am and 1 pm local time.
The water level at near Sai Van Bridge and close to the Cross Border Industrial Park is expected to reach 4.2 meters, one meter above the normal level, the Port Authority predicted.
All schools in Macau, due to the impending warning, have been demanded by the concerned authorities to take measures to ensure the students' safety.
The public is advised to remain vigilant of further announcements and advisories through television and radio broadcasts.