Legislative Assembly | Standing Committee reviews severity of LRT fines

The Third Standing Committee of the Legislative Assembly (AL) yesterday discussed a petition submitted by six entities in regards to the Employment Agency Operation Law, as well as the penalty structure for violations under the Light Rail Transport System (LRT) Law.

During the meeting, committee members discussed the types of administrative violations that should be covered in the law, as well as their penalties.

The president of the committee, Vong Hin Fai, met with the media after the meeting, which took place behind closed doors.

Vong said that the committee met with the government last week, to discuss the LRT law for the third time. The next meeting will stage discussions between groups of consultants from both sides.

The main focus of committee members during this meeting was on penalties for administrative violations; specifically, the severity of the penalties. According to Vong, Article 8 in the “second working text,” which is different from the “initial text” available to the public, sets forth penalties for passenger administrative violations.

There are seven types, including forcibly opening doors or gates of stations or trains, littering distributing leaflets, asking for donations, and “throwing any objects at operational areas of trains.”

The government had proposed that all violations carry a MOP10,000 fine, but the committee suggested these violations be categorized into three types, with each type warranting a different fine. For example, littering would be considered a more serious offense than the distribution of leaflets.

Vong stressed that the committee had not made any proposal as to how much the respective fines should be.

According to the latest information from the government, the LRT Taipa section is expected to open by the end of the year.

Meanwhile, regarding the employment law, Vong stated that on May 29, six entities connected to foreign labor in Macau co-signed and submitted a petition to the AL, with concerns about the Employment Agency Operation Law.

The committee listened to a group of consultants for comment on the technicalities of the petition. The petition was then accepted by the committee, which will meet with the six entities. Vong, in response to a question from the media, said that the committee had not met with any stakeholders in the industry. Staff reporter