Briefs | Disciplinary procedures announced to assess Fong and SMG

The Secretary for Transport and Public Works, Raimundo do Rosário, has ordered the commencement of disciplinary procedures to assess the internal workings of the Macau Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau (SMG) as well as the conduct of its former director, Fong Soi Kun. The announcement follows the investigation report issued by the Commission Against Corruption last week, which blamed Fong for faulty typhoon forecasting procedures. The report stated that SMG relied on the personal judgments and decisions of its former director when making typhoon forecasts and issuing warning signals for the tropical cyclones. Fong resigned after residents and lawmakers criticized the bureau’s failure to raise timely warning signals on August 23, when Typhoon Hato struck.

IC: Repairs ongoing at temples and churches

The Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) is continuing repair works on temples and churches affected by the passage of Typhoon Hato. In a press release issued last week, the IC said it had contacted the managers of 17 churches and 44 temples to discuss and coordinate maintenance works. These include the removal of debris from 18 affected sites. The IC said that repair and cleaning works in another 28 sites have mostly been concluded, but that some other buildings require refurbishment by specialized personnel.

Airport conducts hijacking drill

An exercise on unlawful seizure of aircraft was conducted in Macau International Airport on Friday. The drill, which is held once every two years, simulated the scenario of a foreign aircraft being unlawfully seized by members of a foreign political organization, who subsequently requested to land the aircraft in the local airport. The simulation was led and coordinated by the Public Security Police Force. MIA’s annual security exercise tests and assesses the efficiency of airport emergency plans, as well as the action plans of the various participating entities. The exercises also aim to analyze ways to enhance the capacity of the entities and personnel involved in airport security.

Additional show of   ‘A Little Lamp, Pea and Feather’

Due to a high demand for tickets, the Macau Cultural Center will present an additional showing of the puppet show “A Little Lamp, Pea and Feather” on January 1, 2018. Staged by Slovenia’s Ljubljana Puppet Theatre, the show takes children around a magical world through a gentle performance that “lulls toddlers into an enchanting story inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s tale, The Princess and the Pea.” In parallel to the additional performance, the Macau Cultural Center is also promoting various activities, such as a sharing session hosted by the Slovenian cast and two family-oriented workshops where children can learn lullabies and how to make their own paper puppets. Tickets for the second show are on sale now at Macau Ticketing outlets.

Social housing application requirements eased

The Chief Executive has signed a notice to relax the income and asset ceilings of social housing applicants by about 1.4 to 1.9 percent, effective today. The total income required per person was raised from MOP9,560 to MOP11,470. The monthly income for a family of two persons was increased to MOP17,360, with the total assets now fixed at MOP375,000. The monthly income for families of three and four are now MOP23,430 and MOP25,680, respectively. The total assets of these two types of families are now limited to MOP506,100 and MOP554,700, respectively.

Many Canidrome dogs to be sent back to owners

Lawmaker Angela Leong, the executive director of the Macau (Yat Yuen) Canidrome Co. Ltd, said that the Canidrome has held internal discussions and kept in touch with the greyhounds’ owners regarding their dogs’ futures, following the news of the Canidrome’s closure next year. According to a report by Macao Daily News, Leong’s company has already proposed new arrangements for the greyhounds, such as sending many of the dogs back to their owners or other places of origin, including Australia and New Zealand. Leong also questioned the motivations of animal rights association Anima over its show of interest in adopting the dogs.

Court of First Instance welcomes new judges

Leong Fong Meng has been appointed as the presiding judge of the Court of First Instance (TJB), according to a notice published yesterday in the Official Gazette. Prior to his appointment, Leong had served as a judge at the TJB. Another eight TJB judges have also been appointed on the proposal of the independent commission responsible for nominating judges. These eight judges are Ho Chong In, Chong Chi Wai, Rong Qi, Lam Ka Heng, Chang Sin I, Chu Ka Sin, Chan Ka Man, and Xu Teng.