The Terminal

An American citizen resided in Macau International Airport for approximately two weeks in May last year due to passport complications before eventually being picked up by representatives from the United States Consulate, according to airport authorities.
The American citizen, surnamed Coleman, attempted to check in for his flight to Kaohsiung, Taiwan using an American passport, the detail page of which – including name, photograph and other information – was unreadable, due to water damage, noted an airport spokesman.
Coleman, according to the same authority, did not request help and set up residence in the airport terminal for a number of days before staff from the airport noticed the man’s presence and provided assistance. The two staff members who assisted Coleman – Ms. Carbel Choi and Mr. Michael Iun – paid for and provided the man with food and drink, and contacted the man’s alleged relative in Taiwan as well as the American consulate in Hong Kong, to provide assistance.
Due to the man’s location in the passenger terminal and not the area beyond the immigration counters, the airport authorities said they were unable to directly provide assistance themselves.

Waiting game
A number of days after Ms. Choi and Mr. Iun contacted the American Consulate, during which time Coleman continued living in the terminal, an airport representative alleges that the Consulate contacted the American Chamber of Commerce, who sent a representative to provide Mr. Coleman with money – amounting to MOP500. The American Chamber of Commerce declined to comment on the issue, advising Business Daily contact the United States Consulate.
When questioned on the issue, Kristin Haworth, spokesperson for the U.S. Consulate General for Hong Kong and Macau commented sparsely, noting that: “Due to privacy considerations, we are unable to share details about individual cases.” The spokesperson also assured Business Daily that with regard to cases such as these, “the safety and welfare of American citizens is the number one priority of all of our overseas missions.”
However, according to the airport spokesperson, another week passed – bringing the total time Coleman had resided in the airport to two weeks – before a representative from the U.S. Consulate arrived to escort Mr. Coleman to Hong Kong.
No further contact was received by the airport authorities regarding the status of Mr. Coleman until more than a year after the event, when the authorities received a call from the Consulate saying that Mr. Coleman wanted to thank Ms. Choi and Mr. Iun for their assistance and the two were invited to the Consul’s residence for an event.

Appreciation
At the event Ms. Choi and Mr. Iun were provided with Certificates of Appreciation for their ‘selfless and spontaneous acts of kindness when rendering assistance’ to Mr. Coleman, as written on the certificates. The event also welcomed “a number of private individuals, groups, and public servants who have helped the Consulate to assist Americans in need over the past two years,” notes the Consulate spokesperson. The certificates were presented by Consul General Clifford Hart, who retires after 34 years as a politician at the end of this month.
The Consulate chose not to respond to questions regarding the reason for Mr. Coleman’s lengthy stay in the airport before being assisted, how the Consulate assisted Coleman, the timing of awarding the certificates and whether Mr. Coleman expressed any positive or negative response to the Consulate regarding their assistance.