Portuguese community holds mock funeral to protest Malacca Gateway project

Some 200 villagers from the Portuguese Settlement in Bandar Hilir, Malacca today staged a mock funeral to protest against the reclamation activities for the Melaka Gateway project.

The protesters carried coffins to the office of KAJ Development Sdn Bhd, the master developer of the RM43 billion seafront project, according to Guang Ming Daily.

The protesters later laid inside the coffins and sprinkled sand into them.

The move, they said, symbolised the developer throwing sand into their rice bowl through the reclamation activities.

Many villagers from the Portuguese Settlement have traditionally fished for a living, but claim that reclamation activities have adversely affected their livelihoods.

A smaller group of 80 fishermen had carried out a similar “coffin protest” against the project in 2015.

However, a KAJ Development general manager, who met with the press after the protest, said the company did not receive any formal protest from the villagers prior to today.

He also stressed that the project was being carried out in compliance with development standards.

KAJ Development had yesterday stressed that the Melaka Gateway project on track, brushing aside concerns that the project may be shelved amid a review by the new government.

KAJ Development had engaged various several Chinese giant firms to develop the project, which will among others, comprise a port, cruise ship terminal and marina. - Mkini