‘Respect the peace at night’

Dear Editor,

In June 2016, I commented on the Macau Daily Times website with respect to noise issues stemming from an ongoing protest in Senado Square, which was subsequently printed in the paper. The nature of my opinion was regarding the state of noise in the central district. Nearly a decade later, noise pollution has increased, and its nature has changed drastically. With reference to your May 2025 article, “DSPA admits to difficulties in enforcing the noise law,” I have personally filed multiple complaints over the past few years regarding nighttime disturbances emanating from revelry in Senado Square, some of which began as early as 4 a.m. The problem persists, and on the morning of 29 October 2025, it took a different and sadly nefarious turn.

At approximately 12 a.m. on 29 October, loud dance music with heavy bass broke the peace from two separate locations – people gathering in Senado Square and a rooftop event area of a nearby historic hotel. Having called PSP and spoken to DSPA on several occasions in the past, I was reluctant to call again, knowing it wouldn’t likely result in long-term adjustments. So instead, I went to the source of the noise to request the music be turned off. To my surprise, speaking to the people gathering and playing music in Senado Square near the post office worked. They kindly turned off the music, and I didn’t hear it again for the rest of the night.

However, with the music coming from the hotel rooftop, difficulties ensued. I went to the hotel only to be told by the elevator bellhop to go to the rooftop. Upon arriving, I found no hotel manager on site and learned the rooftop was being occupied by a private party. After briefly speaking to some of the partygoers, it became clear they had no intention of turning off their music despite my plea. Returning to the ground-floor lobby, I was advised that management was on another floor, so I went to seek elusive relief from the noise. Unfortunately, speaking to management resulted in no action. I asked that they speak to the partygoers on the rooftop, but whether they did is unknown.

By 12:30 a.m., I was convinced that a call to PSP was necessary. Soon after my call, I saw police officers begin urging gatherings in Senado Square to disperse, but the music from the hotel persisted. In fact, it continued until 1:30 a.m., seemingly stopping only after I located an officer on the street near the hotel and pointed out the issue. Whether the music stopped because of the officer’s intervention or because the party was simply over is unknown to me.

PSP and DSPA have a very difficult and unenviable job in trying to manage noise in our city. I am thankful that PSP has taken my complaints seriously and has done their best to kindly influence gatherings in Senado Square to break up, but it seems that the issue is so systemic that it’s possibly out of their control.

In your May 2025 article, it was noted: “Among the more than 10,000 complaints received last year, almost 69% (7,274 cases) were related to noise resulting from social activities, a type of case that also accounts for nearly 82% of the fines issued.” Given that the majority of complaints stem from social issues, perhaps the matter needs to be addressed in a social manner.

While not advised due to the risk of confrontation, I found that speaking to people causing the disturbance in a peaceful manner – and explaining the reason – would likely result in their compliance. Unfortunately, assigning officers to constantly monitor hotbeds of noise violations might not be feasible, but perhaps it could start there.

As for the hotel, this is most disappointing. A company working within the tourism industry should be sensitive to how its operations and guests interact with the local community. I do not place full responsibility on the attendees of the rooftop party, as they were simply trying to enjoy a good time they had likely paid well for. Yet, given that the attendees appeared to be from the local community, it was disheartening that they wouldn’t consider stopping the noise.

However, the hotel management should clearly understand the regulations set by the Macau government on nighttime noise, communicate them to their guests, and do their due diligence to stop the music.

Realistically, as Macau leans further into event services and tourism, the city’s noise issues are unlikely to decline if reactionary measures remain the only solution. This is a social problem and should be handled in a social manner—through continued public education and proactive intervention.

The problem also forces repeated calls to the government for enforcement or pushes residents to consider costly measures to mitigate noise, such as installing soundproof windows and doors. I hope this letter reaches readers and encourages them to do their part to respect the peace at night—to think about how their actions affect others and to observe the city’s noise control regulations.

Luke Lienau , Macau, Central District