Macau NPC deputies defend Portuguese pillbox on Macau
NPC deputies defend Portuguese structure amid calls to tear down colonial facilities
Two Macau deputies to the National People's Congress have called for better regulation by the local government to prevent land disputes.
They were speaking in response to a row over a private residential project on Coloane Island, which could lead to the demolition of an 80-year-old Portuguese pillbox.
Complications set in when a Beijing-linked group of academic and legal experts ran advertisements in Macau newspapers calling for the demolition of colonial military facilities in Macau.
Speaking on the sidelines of the annual session of the NPC in Beijing, deputy Ho Sut-heng, who is also an executive councillor in Macau, said she hoped the government would ensure its "gate-keeping" role on the issue.
"We have to strike a balance," Ho said. "We cannot only think of economic development … our history needs to be preserved."
We have to strike a balance," Ho said. "We cannot only think of economic development … our history needs to be preserved
Ho emphasised that she was not familiar with the project in Coloane, but said she believed the government had a duty because land was scarce in Macau.