Briefs | Sulu Sou appeals to Court of Final Appeal

Suspended lawmaker Sulu Sou confirmed to TDM he will appeal to Macau’s top court after the Second Instance Court ruled earlier this month “it does not have the jurisdiction to hear the appeal.” Sou’s defense claim that several irregularities leading up to the December 4 suspension vote at the Legislative Assembly “violated the rules of procedure and fundamental rights of the appellant,” and that this should annul the suspension. However, the TSI has refused to consider the appeal on the basis that it does not think it has the authority to rule on affairs of the legislature. The young lawmaker is accused of civil disobedience in a lawsuit related to a protest last year against a controversial donation from the Macao Foundation to Jinan University. He was ousted in a secret ballot vote at the Legislative Assembly, with 28 legislators voting in favor and just four against.

Ten carbon monoxide poisoning cases recorded

Ten cases of carbon monoxide poisoning have been registered so far for this winter, with one incident resulting in death, the Health Bureau (SSM) announced in a statement on Sunday. According to the SSM investigation, in all cases the houses involved gas water heaters that were incorrectly installed without an exhaust pipe to allow waste gas to be channeled outside.

Most house buyers are Macau residents

Most of Macau’s property buyers over the last two years were Macau residents, Financial Services Bureau director Iong Kong Leong revealed recently during a TDM program. According to Iong, 56.7 percent of Macau residents who purchased a property in the last two years already owned a house. Recently, the local government relaxed the loan conditions for young first-time home buyers taking out a mortgage loan. Before the measure was announced, the average monthly residential transactions amounted to between 600 and 700. In the first nine days following the announcement of the measure, the transactions climbed to 900.

Some temples still disobey safety instructions

The deputy director of the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC), Leong Wai Man, said that certain temples still fail to comply with the government’s safety requirements. Last year, the IC banned the indoor burning of incenses at night in temples, and required temples to switch off their electricity supply overnight. According to a report by Jornal Va Kio, Leong stated that the IC conducted inspections across all of Macau’s 43 temples in which it was determined that 20 to 30 percent of the temples were still noncompliant.

Suspect sprays flammable liquids on Old Court Building

A person sprayed a pile of papers with flammable liquids at the entrance of the Old Court Building around 4 p.m. yesterday. The police rushed to the scene shortly after the incident. Upon evaluation, it was concluded that the building had not suffered any damage. The police are handling the case as an attempted arson.

Ophthalmologist José Batalha has passed away

Ophthalmologist José Batalha died last Friday at the age of 96, TDM radio reported. The physician, a prominent figure within the Macanese community, worked for several decades in the Macau Health Bureau and was also the clinical director of the public hospital between 1983 and 1986.  In the mid 1950s, he served as vice-president of the administrative committee of the Leal Senado. Batalha, whose name is almost synonymous with ophthalmology in the region, was also one of the founding members of the Association for Macanese Education (APIM). One of the things which APIM runs is the D Jose da Costa Nunes Kindergarten in addition to significant participation in Macau’s Portuguese School. Batalha was given two honors from both the Macau and Portuguese government during the 1980s.