Editor's note
SEX AND OUR CITY
Everything goes with sex. Even Nazi gold, can you believe it? One day, not long after the handover, I was visited at my office by a Macau filmmaker based in New York called Evans Chan. He wanted to interview me for his latest feature movie, in which he was going address the controversial issue of the gold trade operations that took place in Macau between the 40's and the 60's. It was an issue I had written extensively about after a Portuguese Navy officer claimed that he had seen swastika crosses engraved on some of the bullion that was passing through the local market. Mr. Chan was interested in this subject – he actually confessed to feeling quite disturbed about it – because his father had worked for the company that imported the gold to Macau, and he was afraid that the whole operation might have served to launder the treasures Hitler's armies had plundered in occupied countries during World War II. The movie, entitled "The Map of Sex and Love", turned out to be a torrid love story involving two young men from Hong Kong, who rather occasionally paid a visit to Macau trying to learn more
about the mysteries surrounding the gold trade operations of the past - which is where I came into the plot. The film was later shown at the Macau Cultural Centre. Only me, my then wife and a couple of visitors from Hong Kong attended one of the sessions. They probably left Macau thinking what a strange place this is, where the only people that go to the movies are those who play a role in them. Some other movies set in Macau also have sex as an important part of their scripts, among them: "Butterfly", starring Josie Ho (daughter of casino tycoon Stanley Ho), a movie that also deals with homosexuality; "Forbidden Tales Of Two Cities", Li Han-Hsiang's incursion into the universe of bondage sex; "City of Desire", Raymond Yip Wai-Man's portrait of the industry of prostitution disguised as a triad film; and "China Dolls", again about the world's oldest profession, starring Hong Kong porn star Amy Yip. In different ways, they all help us understand how our fellow citizens have regarded sex throughout the years – and some are really worth watching. But for those who prefer live experiences, Macau has plenty to offer, as we report in depth in this month's CLOSER LOOK. Unfortunately, it's still difficult to find ventures with the glamour
and class you would expect from a truly international entertainment centre, which brings us to the darker side of this subject. For many years now Macau has been accused by international organizations of being home to human trafficking, which can be described accurately as slavery in modern times. Criminal groups feed the local prostitution industry with young girls, some of them minors, from many different countries, after buying them from their families or simply by promising them decent jobs that never materialize. Macau citizens should not be accomplices to such criminal practices. People have to be aware that many of these girls are held captive and forced into sexual servitude. A Human Trafficking Deterrent Measures Concern Committee was recently established and is running a 24-hour Report Hotline (2888 9911) and a 24-hour Help Hotline (2888 9922). Use them whenever you come across these shameful acts. You will be helping human beings in need while contributing to improving Macau's international reputation. It's true: everything goes with sex. But let's make sure some things no longer.