12 YEARS A-CHANGIN’ Double Down! ADVERTISING HERE Kowie Geldenhuys Paulo Coutinho www.macaudailytimes.com.mo +853 287 160 81 FOUNDER & PUBLISHER EDITOR-IN-CHIEF THURSDAY T. 26º/ 31º Air Quality Good MOP 8.00 3391 “ THE TIMES THEY ARE A-CHANGIN’ ” N.º 10 Oct 2019 HKD 10.00 WITH AN OUTREACH OF 16 HUNDREDS FLOOD HK PORTUGUESE-SPEAKING CAPE MILLION PEOPLE, ART MACAO WAS VERDE IS EARNING A SPOT AMONG DESCRIBED AS THE MOST VISITED ART COURT TO SUPPORT THE MOST PROMISING TOURIST EXHIBITION IN THE WORLD JAILED ACTIVIST APPEAL DESTINATIONS IN WEST AFRICA P6 P9 P4 AP PHOTO JOURNEY OF A THOUSAND Thailand A court commuted a Taiwanese man’s sentence for smuggling heroin to MILES BEGINS WITH A NAME life imprisonment after sentencing him to death. The Bangkok Criminal The Macau University of Science and Technology Court official confirmed that 38-year-old Chen is calling on the public to submit name proposals Kuan Lin (pictured) had been arrested while trying for the city’s first scientific satellite. It will begin its to smuggle 5.6 kilograms of heroin from Thailand to journey into the Earth’s orbit as early as next year Taiwan. Authorities found 18 P3 tin boxes labeled as cooling powder in his luggage as he was about to fly from Bangkok’s Don Muang airport. AP PHOTO Japan A Tokyo court held a hearing yesterday into the case of a former brokerage manager who says he was forced from his job for taking paternity leave. Canadian Glen Wood (pictured) wants to get back his former position of equity sales manager at brokerage giant Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley. He sued the company last year. South Korea Thousands of protesters rallied yesterday in Seoul for the second consecutive week to call for the ouster of President Moon Jae-in’s hand-picked justice minister, whose family is at the center of an investigation into allegations of financial crimes and academic favors. More on p13 AP PHOTO Afghanistan A special U.N. report has criticized American airstrikes earlier this year against alleged drug facilities in Afghanistan, saying the attacks were unlawful and caused significant civilian casualties. The report, released yesterday in both Kabul and Geneva, says the U.N. verified 39 civilian casualties, among them 14 children and a woman. Fit for Macau? HK’s solution A progressive approach to drug to its housing problem abuse worthy of praise More on backpage P5 P2 page 2 www.macaudailytimes.com.mo MACAU 澳聞 10.10.2019 thu MACAU’S LEADING NEWSPAPER According to Peters, the prac- tice of placing drug control un- der social welfare is very specific to Macau, compared with other jurisdictions in Asia. “It makes LAURYNAS MERECKAS LAURYNAS our work with the Macau gover- nment much easier because they are always ready to address the problem with social welfare and public health policy,” added Pe- ters. She further added that UNO- DC experiences show that they have to convince governments in many places to take this approa- ch when dealing with substance use prevention and intervention. Substance use has been con- sidered a health problem rather than a security one in many Eu- ropean countries. The use of substances has since been decri- minalized and, often, since they will not face criminal procedures, substance users became more willing to seek medical support. UN officer commends progressive Questioned as to whether this approach can or will be adop- ted in Macau, ARTM president approach to drug abuse Augusto Nogueira replied that visiting official from the Uni- pport of the University of St. Jo- Social Welfare Bureau. Users will it’s correctly administered, it also analysis has been started. Ated Nations has praised Ma- seph, while the UNODC was the not be referred to the police or has positive social benefits.” The “[We want to see if] drug users cau’s progressive view of substan- training entity. prosecuted. UNODC officer described this as can be given other alternatives, ce abuse, which tends to regard it The UN’s theme this year for This has proven effective in one area in which Macau excels. for example, community work, as a health problem rather than the prevention and intervention preventing needle-related acci- Another “medal of excellence” counseling or out-patient [treat- a criminal one. The approach is of substance use is “Justice for dents and the spread of certain that Macau obtained, in Peters’ ments],” Nogueira explained. “So, unusual in most of East and Sou- Health, Health for Justice,” which diseases. It can also help NGOs personal view, is that the work of [all these options] instead of sen- theast Asia. encourages all parts of the world and the government to keep track drug control, apart from within ding them to prison. We will con- Speaking in her personal ca- to consider substance abuse as of and provide support to subs- the authorization of the law-en- tinue to discuss that next year.” pacity on the sidelines of a local medical problem instead of a cri- tance users. forcement agencies, is mainly Both Nogueira and Peters workshop yesterday, Karen Pe- minal problem. Peters commented on the pro- overseen by the social welfare stressed that the options only ters, Associate Drugs and Health The Social Welfare Bureau and gram, saying that it is not a secret. branch of the government. apply to people solely using subs- Officer of the United Nations Of- the Health Bureau have been col- She admitted it is one practice “It is not very common. tances. Those with other criminal fice on Drugs and Crime (UNO- laborating with non-government in Macau that is not allowed in Usually the drug control agen- charges will need to go through DC), commended Macau’s work organizations (NGOs) such as the many other jurisdictions. cies are situated in public security normal criminal procedures. in preventing and intervening in ARTM to operate a needle retrie- “[Other places] consider it en- [branches),” Peters commented. Presiding over the workshop drug addiction. val program. couraging drug use, but with the “The difference is how you ad- was Professor Victor Teixeira from The two-day workshop was Substance users who inject science behind that has never dress drugs: do you address drugs the university, who thanked both organized by The Association of narcotics with needles and syrin- been proven,” said Peters. “The [with] a social welfare and public UNODC and ARTM for helping Rehabilitation of Drug Abusers ges can dispose of their used program [provides] positive heal- health perspective or a public se- Macau to train future professio- of Macao (ARTM), with the su- apparatus with the help of the th benefits to the users and, when curity perspective.” nals. AL from the Chinese sovereign ce score of 4 for financial (A+/Stable) in the event of transparency risk due to un- Fitch Ratings assigns expected stress.” der-reporting of NPLs and With this in mind, “any risk-weighted assets stem- change to the proposed ming from the use of off-ba- ‘A/stable’ rating to Macau-issued notes notes’ rating will be correla- lance-sheet transactions. ted directly with changes in “This negatively affects ITCH Ratings has assig- Chinese yuan with fixed Fitch first rated BOC’s helped in part by the gua- BOC’s Issuer Default Rating, the bank’s credit profile and Fned an expected rating and floating rates, and the MTN program ‘A’/’F1’ on rantee underpinning the which will in turn reflect is relevant to the rating in of “A/stable” to the Bank of proposed notes will be tra- December 9, 2013, with the BOC by the Chinese go- any shift in the perceived conjunction with other fac- China’s (BOC) proposed se- ded on the Hong Kong Sto- most recent affirmation on vernment. As the Macau willingness or ability of the tors,” Fitch Ratings noted. nior unsecured notes to be ck Exchange. January 18, 2019. The pro- branch of the BOC is part of government to support the The bank is also given issued by its Macau branch According to a statement gram’s size was increased to the same legal entity as its bank in a full and timely an ESG relevance score of under its $40 billion me- issued yesterday by Fitch $40 billion, from $30 billion, mother company, Fitch Ra- manner.” 4 for governance structure dium-term note (MTN) Ratings, the final rating is in April 2018 to meet the tings said that the proposed Also in yesterday’s sta- risk, as there is potential for program. contingent upon the receipt bank’s funding needs, whi- notes have been rated with tement, Fitch Ratings said significant state influence The BOC plans to issue of final documents confor- ch will be used for commer- a view to the “agency’s ex- that Bank of China holds an given the lack of indepen- various notes denominated ming to information alrea- cial purposes. pectations of an extremely environmental, social and dence from the Chinese go- in U.S. dollars, euros and dy received. The strong rating was high probability of support governance (ESG) relevan- vernment. DB www.macaudailytimes.com.mo EDITOR-IN-CHIEF (DIRECTOR)_Paulo Coutinho [email protected] A MACAU TIMES PUBLICATIONS LTD PUBLICATION MANAGING EDITOR_Daniel Beitler [email protected] CONTRIBUTING EDITORS_Eric Sautedé, Leanda Lee, Severo Portela, Sheyla Zandonai ADMINISTRATOR AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER + 4 Million page views Kowie Geldenhuys [email protected] NEWSROOM AND CONTRIBUTORS_Albano Martins, Annabel Jackson, Anthony Lam, Emilie Tran, Irene Sam, OFFICE MANAGER Juliana Cheang [email protected] PER MONTH Ivo Carneiro de Sousa, Jacky I.F. Cheong, Jenny Lao-Phillips, João Palla Martins, Joseph Cheung, Julie Zhu, Juliet ADDRESS Av.