Villagers face eviction

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SUHAKAM wants the state government and relevant state agencies to address the problem of 14 families in Kampung Pinang B in Pusing who are facing eviction.

Its commissioner Muhammad Sha’ani Abdullah who visited the village that had been in existence for over 100 years said he would do the necessary to ensure the rights of the villagers were not violated.

“These villagers are not squatters as they have been residing here since the early times of the mining and dredging industry.

“They have also been paying quit rent all these years and it is unfair to relocate them in the name of development.

“Suhakam would like to stress that such action is irresponsible. One should not relocate a family from their original home to a far away place,” he told reporters at the site on Monday.

Defiant: The developer has piled up sand to block the access path to the houses in Kampung Pinang despite the court’s order for stay.

Relocating villagers, he said, was not a solution to solve a dispute.

Initially, the developer (NCC Development & Kredit Sdn Bhd), who is planning a residential project on the site, had piled a “mountain” of sand to block the access path to the houses in Kampung Pinang B.

The residents had to use a tractor to clear the pathway to get to their homes.

Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) stepped in to assist the residents and handed over a memorandum to Suhakam on behalf of the 14 affected families about two weeks ago.

PSM national deputy chairman M. Sarasvathy, who was present with Muhammad Sha’ani, said they had written many letters to the state government, the Batu Gajah land office and to the Batu Gajah district council but to no avail.

“The developer had taken three of the 14 families to court but a stay was granted last month.

“To get an eviction order, all the affected residents must be taken to court,” she said, adding that since 11 other families were left out, the developer cannot trespass.

“The developer did not respect the court order. On Oct 13, the residents had to stop a construction lorry from entering their premises,” she added.

Sarasvathy said the residents had also forwarded a plea to the Mentri Besar who had pledged to look into the matter.

Now the developer had piled up sand near their homes. which the residents believe could fall and bury their homes during a downpour.

Although the families were provided with an alternative land near a disused mining pond in Kampung Pinang A, she said they wanted to stay on their existing land and suggested the alternative land be given to the developer instead.

Muhammad Sha’ani suggested to the residents to place a sign at the entrance to their village to bar the developer from getting in until a decision was made.

Affected resident Wan Swee Ying, 62, said four generations of her family had been living in the village.

“This is just not right. We want what is due to us,” she said.

Wong Mee Yong, 65, said they had no intention to cause trouble but wanted the issue to be resolved amicably.