Briefs | Illegal football betting trial commences 

The trial involving a group of 15 people, including Malaysian businessman Paul Phua, known for his connections to the gambling underworld, commenced earlier this week following a previous postponement. One investigator from the Judiciary Police (PJ) was called to the court to give his testimony. According to the witness, in the hotel room where the suspects were arrested, the PJ seized computers, mobile phones and other valuable items. Information retrieved from the computers indicated that the group of suspects were indeed bookmakers. The witness also said that the betting was settled in RMB, and that the computer data contained the betting information of other people, which ruled out the possibility that the suspects were gambling among themselves.

90pct of business space in Taipa Ferry Terminal occupied

Taipa Ferry Terminal business space management and operation company plans to work with the local government toward the goal of  hosting more shops at the terminal. Yesterday, the owner of the company, Cheang Chi Kam, noted that the ferry terminal currently has approximately 60 restaurants and retail shops, which means that 90 percent of the business space at the ferry terminal is occupied by shops.  The company plans to have cultural and creative shops operating at the premises through collaborations with the local government.

Lawmaker wants effective noise control

Lawmaker Leong Sun Iok has urged the local government to control noise coming from households and tourism, as well as from construction work at night. Leong proposes that the government encourage residents to use wireless headphones (particularly middle-aged residents who sing and dance in gardens). He also asked the government whether it would introduce other noise-proofing equipment into governmental engineering projects. Leong finally asked the government how it will regulate large-scale entertainment activities in public spaces after 10 p.m.

Wong calls for transport arrangement in northern area

Lawmaker Wong Kit Cheng has asked the government to disclose the progress of transportation arrangements at the ‘Pearl of the Orient’ area. Wong remarked that the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge Macau port and the Border Gate are both located in the northern district of Macau, where transportation is poor. Wong wanted to know whether the government had other transportation arrangements for the area, and expressed hopes that the tourism authority and Alibaba could build a tourism database to better manage the flow of tourists.

New book receives academic awards

A book written by Professor Wang Di, a scholar at the University of Macau’s  Department of History, recently received the Academic Excellence Award from the Chinese Historians in the United States and the Best Book Award from the Association for the Studies of Chinese Secret Societies. The book also entered various best book rankings in 2018. In “Violence and Order on the Chengdu Plain: The Story of a Secret Brotherhood in Rural China, 1939-1949,” Professor Wang uses a murder case that took place in 1939 in rural Chengdu to examine the history, culture, and organization of the Gowned Brothers, and reveal the structure of local power during that time. By studying the complex relationship between the Gowned Brothers and the Chinese Communist Party, Wang offers a unique perspective on China’s transition to socialism and how new movements and ideologies helped shape contemporary China.

GBA plan will not include substantial measures

The governments of Hong Kong, Macau, and Guangdong will hold a public meeting in Hong Kong this week regarding the framework of the Greater Bay Area (GBA) development plan, the Chief Executive of Hong Kong, Carrie Lam, revealed.  The Central Government will announce the plan soon. Senior officials of the National Development and Reform Commission of China will announce the details of the plan. According to Lam, while the plan will not include substantial measures that can be implemented immediately, it will outline general policies and the collaboration between the three places.