The recent mass firing conducted by Sands Macao, one of the region's flagship casinos, was an isolated incident, said a local official.

 

The Macao Post Daily Wednesday quoted Tam Pak Yuen, Secretary for Economy and Finance, as saying that the incident did not involved import labor.

 

The import of casino croupiers is not allowed in Macao and none gaming operators applied for the import so far, the official told the newspaper.

 

He also described the firing as happening "quite frequently".

 

However, the labor Affairs Bureau was requested to follow up the case to ascertain that the dismissals were "legal and reasonable," it reported.

 

Sands Macao has recently fired 160 employees due to their failure to fulfill "the working standards."

 

(Xinhua News Agency November 9, 2006)