Municipal Affairs Bureau to repaint headquarters

The Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) is repainting its headquarters at a cost of 1.26 million patacas to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the Macau Special Administrative Region, local media outlet Macau Concealers reports.

The outlet wrote that the information was disclosed on August 12 in the bureau’s reply to a lawmaker’s question. In the reply, the bureau said it had already designated a local construction company to work on the refurbishment.

Prior to the designation, the bureau invited quotations from 12 companies. The work will take 25 days.

In May this year, a Portuguese tourist graffitied the exterior of the IAM Building, which is a World Heritage site. The tourist was arrested by the police and prosecuted.

Previous reports had indicated that fixing the graffiti might cost the bureau MOP37,000. At the time, the president of the bureau’s Administrative Committee, José Tavares, expressed that he did not like the idea of merely covering the area of concern.

In February, Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Alexis Tam stressed that any damage caused to heritage sites will be investigated and violators will be prosecuted if sufficient evidence is found. AL