Briefs | IPM president to retire next month

Lei Heong Iok

The President of the Macao Polytechnic Institute (IPM), Lei Heong Iok, will retire on August 31. Lei disclosed news of his retirement to the media yesterday, saying that he has reached the maximum legal age designated to the office of IPM president. Following his retirement, Lei will continue his research into the  Portuguese language. His successor will be announced later by the relevant government department.  In August, it is expected that IPM will start offering postgraduate degrees at both Masters and PhD levels.  Lei said that IPM is well prepared for the new programs.   

Signboards need approval of 50pct of owners

From next month, the erection of overhanging signboards outside buildings must be approved by half of other property owners, the Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau (IACM) announced yesterday. The new regulation will come out along with the city’s new building management regime, which will come into effect in August. Yesterday, the Association of Advertising Agents of Macau expressed its desire for the government to allow the installation of such signboards outside buildings without the consent of other building owners. In 2017, IACM received 3,870 applications for signboard installations.

FEC implies interest in Macau gaming concession

Managing Director of Far East Consortium International Limited (FEC), Chris Cheong Thard Hoong, has reportedly implied that FEC might be interested in bidding for a Macau gaming concession. According to a report by the Hong Kong Economic Journal, Hoong said that “if there are opportunities, [I] will certainly consider Macau.” Back in 2005, FEC planned to operate casinos and hotels in Macau in collaboration with Sands, however, FEC eventually gave up on the plan. Hoong is optimistic about his company’s business in Australia in the gaming sector because the taxes applied to casino VIP zones in Australia are far lower than in Macau.