Briefs | Bids for new reclamation project opened

The Infrastructure Development Office (GDI) received seven bids for the reclamation project of the New Urban Zone C. The bids to develop the reclamation area, which covers about 32 hectares, opened yesterday. Construction for the project is expected to start in the fourth quarter of this year. The maximum construction period has been fixed at 720 working days. Zone C is located at sea, in front of Av. do Oceano, between the Sai Van and the Macau-Taipa Bridges. Once the reclamation is complete, the land will be used for residential purposes and for public community facilities.

Pigeon meat discovered tied around man’s legs

A local man tried to smuggle 7kg of pigeon meat tied around his legs into Macau, the Macau Customs Service reported yesterday. An additional 11kg of fresh chicken meat was also seized from the same man. In a separate case, a local woman was found on May 12 smuggling 36kg of chicken meat and 5kg of pigeon meat to Macau. This is the second time that particular woman was detected trying to smuggle meat into Macau. In the first quarter of this year, Customs seized more than 700kg of smuggled bird meat.

Chinese instrument seminar to be held next week

A seminar titled “Music and Chinese Musical Instruments in Portugal” will be held on May 21 at 6:30 p.m. at the Albergue SCM. The event will coincide with the book launch of “Chinese Musical Instruments”, written by researcher Dr. Énio de Souza. The event is in line with the objective of Albergue SCM to promote the arts to the Macau public. De Souza is a coordinator of the education department of the Macau Scientific and Cultural Center Museum in Lisbon. His research interests focus on cultural policy and infrastructure, Chinese music and musical instruments, and festivals. In the 1980s and 1990s, de Souza held various positions at the Macau Cultural Institute – now known as the Macau Cultural Affairs Bureau – among them, head of the performing arts department, within which role de Souza was involved in a strong cultural movement. The seminar will be conducted in English. Admission is free and registration is now open.

Customs officer found driving a taxi while on sick leave

An officer of the Macau Customs Service was found working as a part-time taxi driver while on sick leave, according to a statement released by the Office of the Secretariat for Security. The case was revealed recently by the Commission Against Corruption. The officer is said to have been working part-time in this role since March 2014, and been on sick leave for this entire time. According to the Customs Service, from July 2014, the officer’s sick leave was approved by the government’s medical board. The officer returned to work at the beginning of May.

5G service in research stages

Macau hopes to launch the 5G service around the same time as Macau’s neighboring regions, according to the director of Macau Post and Telecommunication Bureau (CTT), Lau Wai Meng. Yesterday, Lau revealed that CTT is currently conducting a study on the 5G service, especially regarding legal and technological matters. The purpose for this is to enable telecommunication operators to expand the range of their services. “During the promotion of 5G, the law has to be taken into consideration. We hope to give some time for the telecommunication operators to prepare for 5G service launch,” said Lau.

Four locals listed as intangible heritage inheritors

Four Macau residents have been selected by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism to be intangible cultural heritage representative inheritors, according to the official announcement of the Chinese ministry. One of the four inheritors is from Cantonese Naamyam, another from Belief and Customs of A-Ma, while the remaining two are from Belief and Customs of Na Tcha. Hong Kong also has one inheritor included in this latest list. On Wednesday, the ministry announced a list of artists who have the official responsibility of carrying forward the country’s intangible cultural heritage.