Briefs | Local student receives award for study on Buddhism

Dorji Wangchuk, a Doctor of Philosophy student of the University of Macau’s (UM) Department of Communication, recently received the Top Student Paper Award at the 103rd Annual Convention of the National Communication Association (NCA) in Dallas, United States. The award was conferred by the Religious Communication Association (RCA), an organization affiliated with the NCA. The award-winning paper, titled ‘Buddhism and its Influence on Communication in Bhutan: Search for the Middle Path in the Age of Social Media’, explores the influence of Buddhism on communication behaviours in the Kingdom of Bhutan. The association commended the paper’s ‘contribution to the study of religious communication’.  Founded in 1973, the RCA is a multidisciplinary academic society for scholars, teachers, students, clergy, journalists and others who share an interest in religious speech, rhetoric, media and performance.

10th Tap Seac Craft Market to be held in April

The Tap Seac Craft Market will return in April 2018. To celebrate, the tenth anniversary of the event, the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) is soliciting proposals for a series of programs such as ‘interactive art installations’, ‘stage performance’ and ‘creative handicraft workshops’. The call for proposals is open to the general public and the deadline for submission is February 2. Inaugurated in 2008, the Tap Seac Craft Market is described by the IC as “a platform for local and foreign cultural and creative practitioners to showcase and sell their products, and has gradually become a local brand of [the] cultural and creative market.”

Macao Post to issue greeting card for Year of the Dog

The Macao Post and Telecommunications Bureau will issue a new greeting card for the Year of the Dog titled “The Year of the Dog brings blessing”. This card will be available for sale at the General Post Office, all post offices and postal kiosks from January 8. This greeting card, priced at MOP15 each, can be sent worldwide without a stamp.

Macau construction union opposes easing worker import quota

The Talent Development Committee has suggested to the government that it raise the quota for the import of non-skilled construction labor to meet growing demand. The Committee cited some 2,000 low-level job openings that remain unfilled in the territory. However, the Macao Construction Industry General Union has publicly opposed the suggestions, claiming that many local residents in the industry are already out of work. The president of the Union, Cheong Man Fun, told TDM news that most of his fellow workers in the industry are unemployed at present. “It’s evident that we have failed to protect local workers’ employment rights,” he said. Unemployment in Macau stood at 1.9 percent (2.6 percent for local residents) at end-November 2017.

MSAR passport holders exempted from visa to  Cook Islands

The Identification Services Bureau (DSI) announced that holders of the Macau SAR Passport visiting the Cook Islands could be exempted from visa requirements for a maximum stay of 31 days. In addition, holders of SAR passports visiting the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia can apply for a visa upon arrival for a maximum stay of 30 days. Applicants must provide two photographs and pay a fee of USD50 when applying for the visa on arrival.  According to the DSI, these passport holders can also choose to apply for an electronic visa before departure. At present, a total of 136 countries or territories have agreed to grant visa-free access or visa-on-arrival to Macau SAR Passport holders.