Briefs | Chiang Ngoc Vai to head DSAT

The Secretary for Transport and Public Works, Raimundo do Rosário, revealed yesterday that Chiang Ngoc Vai, currently serving as the Transport Bureau’s deputy director, will be heading the department after Wong Wan leaves. Mr Chiang will take office as DSAT head next Wednesday, temporarily taking over outgoing chief Wong Wan’s duties. Last March, the secretary confirmed that Mr Wan would be leaving his post, stating that he had “resigned for personal reasons.” In recent years, Mr Wong and DSAT have been under fire for failing to solve the city’s major transportation woes. Among other issues, residents complain of packed buses, traffic jams and of an insufficient number of taxis.

Beijing-Macau cooperation association established

The Beijing-Macau Economic and Cultural Exchange Promotion Association, initiated by a number of Macau personages, was founded on Tuesday. The founding president, Ms Pansy Ho, said that the association will actively cooperate in pursuing the country’s “One Belt, One Road” initiatives. It will also aim to further strengthen the economic and cultural exchanges among the four territories across the strait. The MGM China co-chair also commented on the continuous gaming revenue plunge, saying that now is the time for the transformation and repositioning of casino corporations. She indicated that casino operators cannot always play a leading role in the transformation, as a deep review is needed to introduce new elements into the local economy.

Department merge at Public Works Secretariat

The Secretary for Transport and Public Works, Raimundo do Rosário, revealed yesterday that he intends to downsize the number of his departments from the current 15 to around 11 within the year, given that as many as half of his secretariat’s departments are staffed by less than 100 employees each. The government official’s announcement was made yesterday after he finished officiating at the opening ceremony of a new Housing Bureau office, located in the Edifício do Lago  public housing complex, together with the bureau’s head Ieong Kam Wa. Raimundo do Rosário told the media that some of the departments would soon be merged. Currently, the Civil Aviation Authority, Infrastructure Development Office, Transportation Infrastructure Office, Science and Technology Council, Combustibles Security Committee, the Office for the Development of the Energy Sector and the Bureau of Telecommunications Regulation are among those departments with less than 100 staff members.

Multiple blasts set warehouse ablaze

A warehouse complex at Areia Preta was engulfed in flames early yesterday morning after multiple blasts broke out. Yet no deaths or injuries were reported by the authorities. The initial inquiry has suggested that an electricity leakage coming out from old batteries, that had been placed outdoors for long time, triggered an explosion at around 6.30 a.m., which subsequently caused another blast when a liquefied petroleum gas tank nearby went off, the fire service told the media after extinguishing the flames. Heavy smoke was seen billowing above the complex, which stands close to a Shell Gas Station. Two trucks parked at the site were severely damaged by the explosions. The owner of the company said two of his workers managed to escape when the accident happened. The flames resulted in a nearby road being cordoned off for three hours.

Airport dumpsite engulfed in flames

A fire, which occurred at a dumpsite near the airport in Taipa at around 8.30 a.m. yesterday, engulfed a large area in flames, although there were no reports of any fatalities or injuries. It was initially reported that the cause of the blast was due to negligence. As a result of someone’s carelessness, a number of old tires on the site were set ablaze. The fire brigade spent an hour and a half trying to control the fire, which spanned a 50-meter-by-20-meter area of the site. The blaze caused no delays to any flights at the airport. The fire service later even deployed excavators to inspect if there was any possibility of flames returning after they had been extinguished.