Hundreds of residents living in Coloane’s Seac Pai Van public housing estate protested yesterday against the government’s plan to build warehouses for hazardous materials near their homes.
The protesters urged the government to simply build permanent warehouses for hazardous materials on the land reclamation zone known as Zone E1 outside Pac On in Taipa as it is currently planning, instead of insisting on pushing ahead with its plan to build temporary warehouses for hazardous materials in Coloane’s Concordia Industrial Park.
Land reclamation zone E1 is located between the Macau-Taipa Friendship Bridge and the Taipa Ferry Terminal.
The protestors started the demonstration in Praça do Tap Seac at around 3 p.m.
The demonstration ended peacefully outside Government Headquarters in Nam Van, where representatives of the protestors submitted their petition to an official.
Non-establishment lawmakers Sulu Sou Ka Hou, Jose Pereira Coutinho and Ng Kuok Cheong also took part in yesterday’s demonstration.
Representatives of the residents told reporters that about 500 people took part in the protest, while the police told the media that about 300 people participated in the demonstration.
Representatives of the protestors told reporters that their sole demand is that the government withdraw its plan to build temporary warehouses for hazardous materials in the Concordia Industrial Park which is near the Seac Pai Van public housing estate. They said that only the cancellation of the warehouse projects would pacify Seac Pai Van residents.
The representatives said that as the government has said that it plans to build permanent warehouses for hazardous materials on land reclamation zone E1, it should not build temporary ones expected to be only used for a short time – such as two or three years – near residential buildings.
Protestors march in Rua do Campo during yesterday’s demonstration against the government’s plan to build temporary hazardous materials warehouses in Coloane’s Concordia Industrial Park. Photos: Tony Wong
A representative of Seac Pai Van public housing estate residents (third from right) hands a petition against the government’s hazardous materials warehouses plans to an official (first from right) outside Government Headquarters yesterday as fellow demonstrators look on.
