Macao's concerned authorities have proposed a string of measures including house arrest in a bid to combat crimes committed by those aged between 12 and 16, local media reported Thursday.

The Macao Post Daily quoted Cheong Weng Chon, director of the Legal Affairs Bureau (LAB), as saying that the bureau is to present the package of measures to the Legislation Assembly for approval early next year.

Chon told the newspaper that the LAB had launched a consultation project between April and July, receiving over 351 suggestions concerning youth offense from 68 organizations in Macao and Hong Kong.

Many of the consulted groups also suggested the introduction of a police warning system and a mechanism to upgrade "reconciliation" between youth offenders and their victims, according to the newspaper.

Juvenile offenders are currently detained at a government-run reformatory in Macao, a region with a population of 480,000.

(Xinhua News Agency December 15, 2005)