CHINA: Macao Forms Task Forces For Senior Citizens Affairs

MACAO (Xinhua), November 13, 2007: The Senior Citizens Affairs Committee started operation here on Tuesday to handle the aged residents-related tasks. According to an order issued by Chief Executive (CE) Edmund Ho Hau Wah, the committee is to support the government in the study, conception, implementation and monitoring of social policies for senior citizens. The committee, under the charge of Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Fernando Chui Sai On, will publish an annual report on its activities, said the CE's order. The body comprises 10 government officials, 10 representatives of organizations and institutions concerning senior citizens, and five community representatives, said the order. It added that the Social Welfare Bureau will lend logistic, technical and administrative support to the committee. Residents aged 65 or above accounted for seven percent of the region's 528,000-strong population in 2006. Copyright ©2003 Xinhua News Agency.