Briefs | Ching Ming: 9.5 percent tourist increase

Immigration authorities recorded a total of 406,769 tourist arrivals crossing the seven immigration checkpoints of the MSAR during Ching Ming Festival (from April 1 to April 4). The figure represents an increase of 9.5 percent when compared with last year, according to the police. As usual, the most used checkpoint was the Border Gate, with a total number of arrivals (including residents) of 736,710. The total number of arrivals stood at 987,369 and the total number of departures 1,015,297.

Rocha Andrade visits Macau

The Portuguese Secretary of State for Fiscal Affairs, Fernando Rocha Andrade, visited BNU and met with members of the Portuguese community yesterday. During the visit to bank, the secretary was accompanied by the General Consul of Portugal in Macau and Hong Kong, Vítor Sereno, and the representative of AICEP, Márcia Guerreiro. Rocha Andrade was in Macau to sign an agreement on new rules on tax information exchange between Macau and Portugal. However, during a meeting held yesterday morning, he was informed that the MSAR had postponed the signature, since preparatory works are still ongoing.

CCAC concludes less criminal investigations

The Commission Against Corruption (CCAC) concluded 182 criminal cases in 2016, less 29 percent fewer than in 2015. According to CCAC’s annual report published yesterday, 910 complaints were received over the year, 15 percent more than in 2015. Assessing last year’s work, the report stresses the investigation related to the former Prosecutor General, Ho Chio Meng. “In the criminal cases detected, we highlighted cases of corruption related to public tenders, with cases of collusion between the suspects and persons who have no connection with the related services.” Regarding CCAC’s role as ombudsman, 280 cases of alleged administrative infractions were analyzed.

City of Dreams: Hard Rock name dropped

The casino operator majority-owned by Melco International Development officially changed its name from Melco Crown Entertainment yesterday to “Melco Resorts and Entertainment Ltd.” Subsequently, its stock ticker name will change to MLCO from “about April 6”. The company’s name in Chinese will not be changed, the firm has previously said. The rebranding also involved the dropping of Hard Rock name from its City of Dreams casino in Cotai. Instead, the resort will be operating under the name “The Countdown”, starting from July 2017 and lasting until March 31, 2018. After that, it will be renamed. “The hotel will feature a countdown clock timed to the unveiling of a new phase of development of City of Dreams,” the firm noted in a statement. “April 2018 will mark the opening of Macau’s new landmark: Morpheus [and] alongside the opening of Morpheus, the Countdown Hotel will commence its ultimate rebranding journey.”

Illegal food seized from restaurants

The Macau Customs Service and the Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau (IACM) seized 840 kilograms of uninspected vegetables from seven restaurants in the territory before the Ching Ming Festival. The two departments seized the foods during a joint operation which took place on March 30, 31 and April 3.  The Customs revealed that these vegetables are not only suspected of being sold in Macau but also of having been smuggled into the city.  IACM will sue the food collectors, who, according to the city’s food safety law, can be punished with a maximum of five years in prison. 

Thriller Live to return to The Parisian

Sands China announced yesterday that Thriller Live, a theatrical concert paying tribute to Michael Jackson, will return to The Parisian Macao, due to popular demand, from April 28 to September 3. The concert is a 90-minute performance of pop, rock, soul and disco as it features Jackson’s timeless songs and signature dance moves. Thriller Live was the debut show at The Parisian Macao’s new Parisian Theatre when it opened in September last year. According to a statement issued by Sands China, the concert been performed close to 5,500 times and been seen by more than four million people in over 30 countries.