Stiff penalties for disrespecting the national flag are to be put before the Legislative Assembly (AL) in the near future.
The proposal comes after the new versions of China’s National Flag Law and National Emblem Law – two of several national laws that are applied in Macao – came into effect at the beginning of this year.
Secretary for Administration and Justice André Cheong Weng Chon said that under the proposed local amendment bill anyone displaying the national flag upside down will face a fine of between MOP 2,000 and 10,000. This is in addition to the current regulation which similarly penalises anyone displaying or using a damaged, defiled, faded or substandard national flag.
The amendment bill also proposes that the national flag and national emblem are to be included in secondary and primary school education, and that the local government may request news media outlets to assist it in launching its promotional campaigns for the national flag and national emblem.
Cheong said that the government will submit the amendment bill to the AL for debate and vote in due course, The Macau Post Daily reported.
