Protesters raise concerns over crematorium, other issues

Lynzy Valles

Hundreds of residents took the streets yesterday to express their opposition to the government’s suspended project – the establishment of a crematorium at Taipa’s Sa Kong Municipal Cemetery.

According to organizers, some 1,000 residents, mostly from Taipa, attended the rally, while police figures estimate 480 protesters.

The group rallied at Tap Seac Square, marching to the government’s headquarters to submit a petition letter featuring 1,300 signatures of local residents who are against such a project.

Although the project has been suspended following public criticism and complaints from residents, lawmakers Sulu Sou and José Pereira Coutinho believe that residents are not happy with how the government proposed such a project without much public consultation.

“Even though the government withdrew the project, residents cannot believe the attitude [of] the government because the [SAR] has no data to prove their point that the crematorium has no environmental pollution.” said Sou.

Such a proposal was previously made in 1998 but was also withdrawn, a fact which Sou argued showed the government should not repeat this particular proposal.

“I think the government should explain whether Macau has the conditions to build this facility and if cremation is the only option to handle dead bodies,” the lawmaker added.

Just last week, the New Macau Association proposed that the government explore additional ways of disposing of human remains.

It noted that since the government announced in 2016 it was time to build a crematorium, plans have not been properly communicated with residents for nearly two years.

Meanwhile, Coutinho said he and Sulu Sou would call for a debate over the crematorium project at the Legislative Assembly, criticizing the SAR’s public consultation system, saying that decisions about the subjects under consultation were made previously. The lawmaker also said that Sulu Sou is expected to resume his post as lawmaker today after some 200 days of suspension.

“People don’t want to have a crematorium close to their residence. It is as simple as that. If they want to built it, do it at Santa Sancha [where the Chief Executive official residence is located], or in the Penha area. The farther away it is [from people’s residences] the better,” Coutinho added.

Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau head José Tavares previously said that the idea of building a crematorium facility had been a request of many citizens in recent years and that it was related to both change in the society and its cultural roots, as well as the lack of space in the region.