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Preliminary work in quality assessment exercises for university courses in Macau is expected to begin next year, according to a newspaper interview with the senior management of a univeristy.

Portuguese-language newspaper Hoje Macau reported that Rui Paulo da Silva Martins, Deputy Rector of the University of Macau, admitted that there are far too many universities in Macau, although this is the international trend.

He said that perhaps it cannot be said that there are far too many universities in Macau, because “there are some which they call themselves 'universities'”.

He said that the institutions of unviersities that become businesses have become worse after Reunification, and some private institutions do not have the deserved teaching quality.

He agreed that the Government should interfere with the situation, and revealed that contacts have been made with quality assessment units in Hong Kong.

Martins also expressed surprise that the Portuguese-language law degree course is popular after Reunification. There are more students enrolling to the course than before 1999. The Faculty of Law is the third largest in the University, offering law degree courses in Chinese, English and Portuguese.

On the other hand, there are also more people studying for undergraduate course in Portuguese language and culture, a majority of which come form mainland China, and there are also local students.

The University is working hard to recruit top professors to teach at the forthcoming academic year, with new heads of the Faculties of Social Sciences and Humanities and Education appointed.

Meanwhile, Nobel Prize winner James Mirrless has accepted the invitation to help setting up an institute of economics at the University.

He also revealed that the University prepares to open new courses in Sociology and International Law.

Preparation is also under way to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the University, including a joint conference of universities in Lusophone countries.

A topping out ceremony was held yesterday (30 August), at the resort of Wynn in the NAPE area in Macau.

The resort is expected to open next Autumn, and will become the third non-local casino operator in Macau.

Grant Bowie, President and General Manager of Wynn Macau, said that a recruitment drive will be launched this November, and local candidates will be given priority.

It is reported that the company will not use the application method in which applicants have to queue to obtain and submit their forms, and the benefits will be comparable to its US counterpart, the Las Vegas Sands.

The 600-room resort will include a casino with an area of 9,300 sq. metres, with 200 gaming tables and 300 slot machines. The second phase of the project will be completed by 2007, with an additional 150 gaming tables, 500 slot machines and facilities of sport gaming.

Macau so far has not yet received any applications to set up new offshore companies two months after the new regulation is in effect.

Lei Peng Hong, President of the Macau Trade and Investment Promotion Board (IPIM), predicted that the total number of new applications for this year will not be less than that of the previous year, because many companies submitted their applications before the new regulation is in place.

There are 446 authorised offshore companies, and about 50 more companies pending for registration process. In other words, there are a total of about 500 offshore companies in Macau.

Chief Executive Edmund Ho Hau Wah may meet Chinese state leaders on his visit to Beijing this weekend, according to a newspaper report.

Ho will attend there a meeting in comemoration of the 60th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese people in the anti-Japanese and anti-Fascist wars, as well as the accompanying artistic performance on 2 September.

The Macao Daily News quoted from media sources in Hong Kong, which reported that the central government has invited governors from all provincies, municipalities directly under central administration, autonomous regions, as well as the Chief Executives of Macau and Hong Kong to attend the said ceremony.

Several standing members from the Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party are also known to be attending.

Ho is currently on private holiday.

Macau should perfect its transport network and add mass rapid transit system, whereas valuation of properties is necessary, according to businessmen from Hong Kong.

Executive Director of the Hopewell Highway Infrastructure Leo Leung said that Macau will have top cope with an increasing amount of traffic, following the opening of the Hong Kong-Macau-Zhuhai Bridge.

A flyover can be built across the Macau Peninsula, cutting through the “Perola” monument at Areia Preta and the Macau Tower, and a rapid transit system combining the advantages of trams and underground trains can also be built to channel passenger traffic.

He suggested that the transport system in Macau can be built in three layers, with the mass transit system operating underground, and the road surface and a flyover above to cope with vehicle traffic.

Regional Director of the Jones Lang LaSalle Lau Chun Kong said that following the increasing foreign investment and the property boom, there is a market demand in Macau for property valuation.

He said that valuation in Macau are most focused on land plots, and clients usually are banks and enterprises.

He also said that valuation must be conducted in an objective manner, in order to establish the value of the property in a fair manner.

The two were invited by the Macau Management Association to deliver the presentations.

Newspapers were burnt by an election group in protest of a report which could affect their reputation.

Wong Cheong Nam, the first candidate of the Association for Democracy and Social Well-Being of Macau, led about 30 people to protest in front of the head office of Macao Daily News, and burnt the paper's edition for today as well as the edition which carried a report about the denial of the police authorities in Guangdong on rumours about granting the right of abode to members of his association (see report here).

During the protest, it is reported that some protesters cried out to pull down with Leong Heng Teng, current legislator and the first candidate of another contending group belonging to the General Union of Neighbourhood Associations, one the largest grassroot organisations in Macau.

A representative of the paper came out to receive a statement from the Association, which also demanded an open apology regarding the report.

The Association also criticised the Macao Daily News for treating dissidents unfairly in their reports, and are biased to elite groups.

It deemed that the approach was against the principle of the Electoral Commission, which asked the media to fairly treat all contending groups.

Earlier, the Macao Daily News office refused to publish a statement of clarification made by a contending election group, for fear of infringement of the Election Law. A “threat” was received after the refusal, saying that there would be “an action” during the afternoon (28 August). 

The paper claimed that it had reported the case to the Electoral Commission and the Judiciary Police (see report here).

In the report the following day, the Macao Daily News hinted that the move by the association was a publicity drive “to attract attention from voters before the campaigning period”. Meanwhile, a ”letter” written by a reader signed as ”Wong Cheong Pak” (“Pak” in Cantonese means “north”, in opposition to “Nam”, which means “south”) was published, which said that the protest was a “farce”, and appealed to the authorities not to tolerate any election irregularities, especially in inciting supporters of one group to pull down with candidates of another group.

Meanwhile, Fong Man Tat, the first candidate of New Power for Macau group, sent a letter of petition to the Chief Executive, supporting the Macao Daily News's “fair reporting” to voice out the incident of “blackmail”, and appealing him to arrest the responsible.

Fong sent the letter under the name of the “Union for the Construction of Macau”, his own association.

The largest-selling Chinese newspaper in Macau was asked to publish a statement with “threat”.

Macao Daily News also reported that a media from Hong Kong received a called at midnight (28 August), claiming that a “friend” of the same group will “take action” to the paper's office this afternoon (28 August).

The Macao Daily News claimed that it had explained to the concerned group that the statement had to be verified by the Electoral Commission before publication, but the first candidate of the group threatened the paper to publish it as soon as possible.

The paper had reported to the Electoral Commission and Judiciary Police over the matter.

The driver of a lorry died and two fellow passengers were injured after a lorry fell into a canal near the Wynn Macau construction site.

The accident happened at about 09:00 yesterday morning (27 August), when the driver lost control in an attempt to avoid a car that came out from Rua da Cidade de Coimbra at NAPE.

The control of the lorry was lost and it fell straight into the nearby canal at Avenida 24 de Junho, measuring six metres deep.

The lorry was completely deformed after the fall, and the driver was in coma when fire officers managed to rescue him.

Two other passengers were also injured, one of them was still under intensive care, and the other was discharged from hospital from minor injuries. He is currently assisting the police to investigate the incident.

The Government telecom watchdog is considering delaying the planned crackdown on illegal satellite TV relays, after operators failed to observe the deadline in responding to a new proposal on the time and procedure of law implementation.

The Office for the Development of Telecommunications and Information Technology (GDTTI) will focus instead on disseminating the public knowledge of issues concerning infringement of intellectual rights, and explaining to them why a crackdown is necessary.

Director Tou Veng Keong emphasised that there is no room for discussion on issues of copyright, and the adjustment does not mean that the crackdown will not be executed.

The Office is using the time gap to explain to the public and disseminate information, he said.

Nomination groups contesting for the directly-elected seats at the Legislative Assembly attended a draw yesterday (26 August), deciding their right of use of venues during the campaigning period beginning from 10 September.

14 locations are designated by the Electoral Commission to be campaigning venues, and those in proximity of residences and human traffic, such as the Largo do Senado in the city centre, Rotunda de Carlos da Maia, the leisure park at Baia Norte de Fai Chi Kei, the Areia Preta Park and Flower City Park in Taipa, were proved to be popular among the groups. Many of these groups also chose to have their campaigns launched at weekends or the public holiday on 19 September.

The number of campaigning sessions for each nomination groups are:

Group 1  For Macau, 8
Group 2  New Power for Macau, 209
Group 3  New Democratic Macau Association, 17
Group 4  Association for Activism for Democracy, 24 
Group 5  New Youth of Macau, 7 
Group 6  Union of Workers, 5  
Group 7  Union Promoting Progress, 8
Group 8  General Union for the Good of Macau, 4  
Group 9  Alliance for the Development of Macau, 18 
Group 10  Association for Democracy and Social Well-Being of Macau, 12 
Group 11  Vision Macau, 4
Group 12  Union of Workers of the Gaming Industry of Macau, 13
Group 13  Convergence for the Development of Macau, 19 
Group 14  Union for Develpment, 5
Group 15  Association for Helping the Community and Engagement with the People, 8
Group 16  New Hope, 5
Group 17  Civil Rights Association, 7
Group 18  United Citizens Association of Macau, 5

The groups also drawed on the time slot for campaigning on TV and radio. Each group is entitled to have five minutes of TV and radio broadcasts for four times on the Chinese channel of Rádio Macau, and six times on Canal 2 of TDM-TV; and three minutes on Portuguese channel of Rádio Macau and Canal 1 of TDM-TV.

The official campaigning period will begin on 10 September, with the Electoral Commission hosting a launch ceremony in the morning, at Largo do Senado.

All campaigning will then begin in the afternoon of the same day, between 17:30 and 23:00.

Meanwhile, all indirectly-elected groups have quitted their entitlement to campaigning, as there is no contest between the seats in this constituency.

In other election developments:

- All direct constituency nomination groups have submitted the negatives of their political platforms to the Electoral Commisssion on time. These platforms will then be compiled onto a publication, which will be distributed to each voter during the period of campaign.
- The Electoral Commission has “no comment” regarding two candidates quitting the election on Thursday. Chairman Fong Man Chong said that anyone deciding to quit from the election is out of his own initiative, and anyone can quit three days before the voting day.