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A summary of news on 29 March:

Survey
The annual quality of life survey will be conducted by the Government from today (30 March) until the end of May. Opinions on Macau's city planning will be included for the first time. 3,500 addresses have been selected to take part in the survey.

Population
Official figures show that Macau's estimated population by the end of 2006 stood at 513,247, an increase of 5.8% compared to 2005.

Broadcast
Macau's Teledifusao de Macau (TDM) recorded a loss of MOP59 million, although it recorded a profit of MOP6 million on the books as the Government's MOP65 million subsidy is not included. New equipments will be purchased and a new studio at the Forum will be in use from September. Meanwhile, TDM-TV's Portuguese-language Canal 1 will be renamed Canal Macau, and Chinese-language Canal 2 will be renamed ¿Dªù¹qµø¥x (Macau TV).

An investigation is under way over a man from mainland China who died suddenly whilst detained at the police station.

The man, from Heilongjiang Province, was invited back to the Police Headquarters in ZAPE in a police action to combat prostitution in the area.

He attacked a police officer whilst being detained, and the concerned officer had to be sent to hospital for treatment for his nose.

The man later fell down and vomit endlessly. Police sent him to emergency treatment but was later pronounced dead.

The Judiciary Police is currently investigating the case, but has established preliminarily that the death was suspicious.

His body will be anatomised to establish the exact cause of death.

A summary of news on 28 March:

Shares
Macau Fisherman's Wharf will be listed in Hong Kong's stock market within this year, claimed CEO David Chow (©PÀA½÷). He also claimed that he hoped to raise HKD2.1 billion through listing in the stock market, and pointed out that he may list his company in London rather than Hong Kong.

Work
A legislator expressed concerns over a university's recent recruitment drive aiming for mainland Chinese graduates. Lei Chong Cheng (§õ±q¥¿) raised written questions to the authorities on whether the recent invitation issued internally by the Macau University of Science and Technology for mainland graduates to render “campus services” between April and summer holidays infringe the existing work regulations, and whether the Government has solid policies over employment of mainland graduates from local universities.

A summary of speeches made by Legislators before the Order of the Day of the Legislative Assembly session on 27 March:

Au Kam San (°ÏÀA·s) wanted the Government to amend the existing regulations, so that the assets of the senior and principal officials will be published in order to prevent corruption.

Iong Veng Ian (®e¥Ã®¦) suggested to the Government to build an effective monitoring mechanism for cancer.

Leong Iok Va (±ç¥ÉµØ) made a series of proposals on nursing in Macau, including the introduction of foreign nurses, formulating a training plan, and setting up a nurse management commission.

Ng Kuok Cheong (§d°ê©÷) proposed for a complete social security system, and to lower the pension age from 65 to 60.

Leong Heng Teng (±ç¼y®x) demanded for more public housing, taking the advantage of regeneration, and measures to help first-time buyers.

Lei Chong Cheng (§õ±q¥¿) pointed out that Macau's property market development is “abnormal”, and the Government should enhance monitor Macau's financial market.

Josˆm Pereira Coutinho criticised Macau's economic development is “at all cost, inhumane, unfair”, and said that the quality of life of the population is in sharp decline. He appealed to the authorities to consider more for the welfare of the population and the environment in development.

Kwan Tsui Hang (Ãö»A§ö) demanded the Government to suspend all land concessions until an improved system is formulated to rectify the existing loopholes.

Chan Meng Kam (³¯©úª÷) and Ung Choi Kun (§d¦bÅv) suggested to the authorities to study the feasibility for homestay accommodation.

Lau Pun Lap (¼B¥»¥ß) said that Macau should consider opening its borders with mainland China 24 hours a day.

Leong On Kei (±ç¦wµX) welcomed the recent proposal by the Government to increase the salaries of security officers, but also said that it should pay attention to the impact on small and medium enterprises.

A coach driver was arrested in connection with the murder of an estate agent, whose body was dismembered into six pieces.

The estate agent, surnamed Lam (ªL), was reported missing by his wife after losing contact with him at dusk on 20 March.

Judiciary Police investigators later found his car in northern Macau, and later found out that he had been to a housing unit in Areia Preta, whose owner was known to have fled to mainland China at that time.

A search warrant was granted by the Court for the concerned housing unit, and blood stains were found in several locations.

The coach driver was arrested upon arriving at Macau on Saturday (24 March) from the Bordergate.

According to Macao Daily News report, the apartment, belonged to the coach driver surnamend Lo (ù), was sold to Lam's estate agent for MOP800,000, but Lo refused to move out afterwards because there had been another MOP200,000 rise in property prices in that neighbourhood.

A row broke out between the two when Lam went to Lo's apartment to speak to him. Lo later used a chop and axe to kill Lam, and his body was later dismembered.

Certain parts of his body was found at a Grand Prix storage warehouse near the Reservior, but his head, hands and feet, which were deposited as refuse, were believed to have been burnt already by the incinerator.

Officers in the Macau Security Forces may receive more than 30% pay rise in response to labour shortages under a proposal.

Secretary for Security Cheong Kuoc Va (±i°êµØ) told local journalists that the starting salary for frontline officers will increase from 195 points (MOP10,725. 1 point equals MOP55) to 260 points (MOP14,300).

With overtime pay and subsidies, they are likely to receive about MOP17,000 a month.

Meanwhile, the Government is planning to restructure the Public Security Police (PSP), with the introduction of more supervisors at the frontline level, so as to enhance their career prospects.

The minimum entry requirement for police officers will also be elevated from Year 9 to Year 11, Cheong said, and the proposals on pay rise and entry are currently waiting for feedbacks from the treasury and legal experts.

He pledged that the authorities will work hard to pass the proposal as soon as possible.

Judiciary Police believed that the 232 fake HKD1,000 banknotes found in Macau so far come from the same criminal group.

Two more fake notes were found yesterday (22 March), two of which were from the casino, and one was uncovered by a bank whose customer felt suspicious about the authenticity of the note she had.

However. the chief of the Public Security Department of Guangdong Province, Liang Guoju (±ç°ê»E), told local journalists in a meeting with Macau security officials that they has not yet discovered signs of organised counterfeiting, and fake banknotes were found 'scatteredly' in some parts of the province so far, especially the Pearl River Delta region.

Liang pledged to combat counterfeiting 'with resolution', so as to safeguard the economic and social order.

The former Secretary for Transport and Public Works' corruption investigation will be completed to referred to the Public Prosecutor 'soon', said a Commission Against Corruption (CCAC) official.

Assistant Commissioner, Director of Bureau Against Corruption Chan Shek Hou (³¯¿ü»¨) told journalists that the CCAC still cannot establish how many people exactly are involved in the corruption case, but he believed that there could be 'more'.

He refused to reveal how much bribes are involved, only saying that there could be 'some cash, some accounts and some properties'.

However, he admitted that the CCAC does have 'a preliminary estimate' on how much bribes there are, although he stressed that this would depend on how collaborative the law enforcement authorities abroad is in helping them to investigate.

When asked whether Ao Man Long's assets overseas will be frozen, he only responded by saying that this is 'a sensitive matter', according to Jornal Va Kio report.

Chan admitted that it took the Commission 'more effort than other cases' to investigate Ao's corruption activities.

He also revealed that the CCAC will consider publishing the details of the case once the results are referred to the Public Prosecutor 'soon', although he refused to mention how soon exactly.

The EU is likely to set up a “Europe Centre” in Macau before the end of this year.

The head of delegation of the European Commission (EC) in Hong Kong and Macau, Thomas Roe, told Portuguese-language newspapers in Macau that the Europe Centre will not be a diplomatic representation, but a platform of cooperation.

16 other countries and regions that also included in a 100-million-Euro initiative by the EC to enhance cooperation with the EU include Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Japan, Australia, Canada and the US.

Private organs will operate the centre, which will become a platform to launch cooperation projects in a wide variety of themes, said Roe, and pointed out that the projects will generally receive 75% of the funding from the EU, or even full funding for certain projects.

Josˆm Luˆqs Sales Marques, President of the Institute of European Studies of Macau (IEEM), welcome the EU's decision, and expressed interest of his Institute to participate in setting up the centre.

He pointed out that the centre should be able to provide easy access for Macau's associations to invite EU experts to come to Macau to give talks or seminars, which will stimulate the population to understand more about Europe.

Trade between China and Portuguese-speaking countries in 2006 has doubled comparing with 2003, according to latest figures.

In a press release by the Permanent Secretariat of the Economic and Trade Cooperation Forum between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries (FCE) in Macau, total trade between the two sides reached USD34.08 billion, an increase of 46.9% from 2005.

Imports from the Portuguese-speaking countries into China stood at USD24.29 billion, an increase of 43.1% compared to 2005; and exports from China to these countries stood at USD9.79 billion, an increase of 57.4% compared to 2005.

China imported more from these countries than exported to them, the Secretariat also said.

Mainland Chinese Commerce Minister Bo Xilai (Á¡º³¨Ó) said during the second Ministerial Conference of the FCE in 2006 that he expected trade between China and the Portuguese-speaking countries would amount to over USD33 billion.