As a member of the Baha’i community — and therefore a believer in the divinity of Zoroaster — I am writing to you in the hope that at least some of your readers may be alerted to a sad fact regarding their departed brethren in this part of the world.
I reside in the city of Macau near Hong Kong and have been aware for some time of the existence of a valuable heritage site here, namely, a Parsi cemetery, which is located on a bucolic hillside opposite the public San Januario Hospital. I recently took my son to this historical gem in order for him to gain some insight into the past and to pay our respects to those people who helped bring prosperity to this region.
Unfortunately, I was much dismayed during this visit when my eyes witnessed a sad scene of negligence and disrepair. It is obvious that the cemetery has not been cleaned or maintained to any respectable standard befitting such a hallowed site.
It should be noted that one of the Parsis whose mortal remains are buried here is none other than the illustrious Pestonjee Cawasjee Darabsha Sethna (died August 13, 1842), the founder of the famous Cawasjee, Pallanjee and Company, who was considered a taipan of the region.
Dr ADRIAN J. DAVIS
Macau
ajdavis@ipm.edu.mo
Entrance to the Parsi cemetery in Macau, a heritage site
Neville Shroff, president of the Incorporated Trustees of the Zoroastrian Charity Funds of Hong Kong, Canton and Macau replies
The trustees of the Zoroastrian Charity Funds of Hong Kong, Canton and Macau (based in Hong Kong) are responsible for maintenance of the cemetery in Macau.
In recent years, during an exceptional typhoon, there occurred a large landslip and retaining wall failure at the lower end of the site which made entry into the cemetery potentially hazardous.
Action was taken in collaboration with the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macau Government, and we undertook extensive and costly engineering works to stabilize and make the area safe.
This was about the same time that Macau achieved a UNESCO World Heritage Listing and the Macau Parsi cemetery falls within the heritage sites being protected.
We will shortly be proceeding with the next stage, being the complete restoration of this historic site.
We currently have a Memorandum of Understanding in place with the Macau authorities to jointly carry this out and to facilitate future management/preservation of the cemetery.
We can reassure you that there is no neglect, but only a temporary delay in repairs and maintenance, partly due to the recent loss of a caretaker.
The cost of maintaining such properties is considerable and like most charitable organizations the financial implications need to be carefully considered and balanced with other equally important community needs.