MACAU: HANDOVER TO CHINA APPROACHES

(16 Dec 1999) English/Nat

As the Portuguese prepare to handover Macau, the inhabitants of the enclave mull over their past as a colony and also what the future under Chinese rule will bring.

Macau is to be handed back to the Chinese at midnight on December 19th after having been governed by Portugal for 442 years.

Like Hong Kong to its west, Macau will have a great deal of autonomy in its local governance, with its set of rules known as the Basic Law serving its people.

Life in Macau has been busy in the past week as Portugal prepares to hand the enclave back to China on December 20th, 1999.

The outgoing Macau Governor Vasco Rocha Vieira bade farewell to Macau's Security Forces during a military parade which took place in the former Portuguese army barracks.

Troops from Public Security Police, Maritime and Fiscal Police and the Fire Department gave their final salute as they marched around the grounds.

It's impossible to ignore the changes taking place in Macau as the handover approaches.

The lotus leaf symbol that will represent Macau Special Administrative Region have been cropping up everywhere.

Portuguese traders discovered Macau over 500 years ago.

Jorge Alvares was the first Portuguese to set foot on Chinese soil in 1513.

A statue stands in the heart of Macau as a tribute to this trader who set the foundation for Sino-Portuguese trade relations which spanned through the centuries.

Macau was then a tiny Chinese fishing village set off the coast of China

By the 17th century it was Europe's most important port.

Quaint buildings reminiscent of those found in Europe serve as a reminder of Macau's rich cultural heritage.

These pink and yellow painted buildings, dating back from the 17 and 18th century, will provide a lasting legacy to Portugal's presence in Macau.

Many aspects of the city bear witness to the Portuguese presence in Macau.

Street names carry both Portuguese and Chinese names and are glazed in "Azulejos", the tiles so characteristic of Portugal.

SOUNDBITE: (English)
"We have a great unique cultural heritage, this being the land in which two different communities have peacefully co-existed harmoniously for over 400 years."
SUPERCAPTION: Professor Fok Kai-Cheong, Macau historian and scholar

Some believe that Portugal gave Macau away far too easily.

This is a view that Portugal's Vice President of the National Assembly Joao Amaral is quick to refute.

Amaral was Portugal's s highest ranking representative at the inauguration of Macau's New Legislative Assembly building.

SOUNDBITE: (English)
"We have done what is possible. We are a sovereign country and China is a sovereign country. And territory of Macau is China's territory."
SUPERCAPTION: Joao Amaral, Vice President of the National Assembly, Portugal

Ng Kuok Cheung, Macau's opposition leader, feels bitter towards the colonial leaders who have ruled Macau for over half a millennium.

SOUNDBITE: (English)
"They do not push human rights protection and do not push any political reform in Macau the democratic factor in Macau remain in the same level as 1976 when the Macau constitution was first time drafted."
SUPERCAPTION: Ng Kuok Cheung, Macau's opposition leader

Only time will tell how well Portugal has prepared its last remaining colony for the handover.

Portuguese officials in Macau defend themselves saying that their influence on Macau has turned it into a unique area and that it stands out in comparison to all other Asian cities.

For them, Macau is the only city in Asia that has such a European feel to it.


SOUNDBITE: (English)





Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork
Twitter:   / ap_archive  
Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​
Instagram:   / apnews  


You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...