Kg Buah Pala residents seek police protection as deadline passes

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GEORGE TOWN: While a few villagers stood guard at Kampung Buah Pala, their leader delivered a letter to the police, as another group tried to stage a hunger strike at Komtar.

These events unfolded on an otherwise quiet day at the village as the deadline for demolition – the third since last month – passed by without any untoward incident yesterday.

At 10.40am, Kampung Buah Pala Residents Association chairman M. Sugumaran presented a letter to Penang Deputy CPO Senior Asst Comm 1 Datuk Tun Hisan Tun Hamzah at the police contingent headquarters, urging the police to protect the residents.

“We want them to prevent the demolition of our houses and ensure our safety.

Plans foiled: Villagers being prevented from entering the state administration office at Komtar yesterday.

“The threat of losing our homes has been traumatic for all the families, especially our school-going children,” he said.

SAC 1 Tun Hisan denied the villagers’ allegation that the police were taking sides. He said their duty was to protect everyone, including the residents and the developer.

Sugumaran also chided the state government for washing its hands of the residents’ plight. “If Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng is really serious about helping us, he must come up with an acceptable solution for all.

“We want a detailed, concrete plan if he wants us to move out. We will not sign a blank piece of paper and end up sleeping by the roadside,” said Sugumaran.

Later at 11.20am, a group of about 15 people, who claimed to be villagers, including children tried to gather at Komtar for a hunger strike, but they were prevented by police from going into the state administrative centre on Level 3.

Despite repeated police advice, the group refused to budge, insisting that they had a right to be there.

“This is a public place, so why are we being chased away?,” asked S.H. Kumar, 47. The group later left the building.

Sugumaran said the police prevented the hunger strike as the group did not have a police permit.

Nusmetro Ventures (P) Sdn Bhd director Gary Ho, when contacted, said the police were neutral.

“They are not siding with anyone. The villagers have lost everything and (legally) there’s no more avenue for them. We’re merely acting on the court’s eviction order,” he said.

He said the villagers had signed the agreement to leave the village in front of the bailiff on Aug 13.