Six residents and NGO worker arrested for obstruction

Photo taken from Sin Chew Daily: A kneeling woman cried, her brother was arrested at their house gate while city hall enforcement moved in to demolish their house for 40 years.

Photo taken from ChinaPress: Futile attempt by a woman against the authority.

Above photos taken from www.chinapress.com.my

Photo taken from Sin Chew Daily: Another houseowner busted while trying to save his house.

Futile attempt: One of the residents standing on an excavator in the hope of dissuading the DBKL officers.

Source: http://thestar.com.my/metro (Tuesday June 16, 2009, by PRIYA MENON, photo by ABDUL RAHMAN SENIN)

THE Jinjang Selatan Tambahan residents’ greatest fear came true yesterday when the enforcement unit from the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) arrived to demolish their homes. Some 100 DBKL officers arrived in trucks and two excavators as early as 9am to tear down the remaining houses in the area after the deadline for the residents to shift out expired yesterday.

DBKL deputy director of operations Ab Salim Mansor said their orders were to demolish all houses as the residents had exhausted all avenues within the Federal Territories Ministry and the DBKL. “We have already had dialogues eight times and during the last one, they had agreed to it, so now they are only trying to buy time,” he said. He added that even though in the letter addressed to the residents, the place was listed as Kampung Benteng, it was still the same area. “This place was TOL land. The TOL was revoked in 1997, so it is a squatter now. We are doing our job to make way for the development of the road,” Salim added. He added that the residents were asked to move out for their own safety due to the high tension wires that ran above the homes. The residents, however, said during the last meeting, they had agreed under duress as they had no choice. They claimed that some residents who had received their keys to the Batu Muda flats had found other people living in their units. “How are we supposed to shift out then? If there are people in the units, where do we move our stuff into?” asked resident, S. Susil Raj.

Residents barricaded their houses and became angry when the DBKL team proceeded to with their task. At first, the DBKL officers tried talking to the residents but as the residents continued to buy time, the excavators were brought in. Witnesses at the scene claimed the DBKL officers were high-handed and both parties got riled up. Both parties suffered injuries in the ensuing scuffle and six residents and an NGO worker were arrested by the DBKL for obstruction. Police reinforcements were brought in from the Sentul police station and the Jinjang police beat. Among those arrested were M. Selvamani, 34, Chris Ng, 48, and Selangor and Federal Territory Community Association (Permas) secretary Julie Wong, 44, who were all trying to stop the demolition.

One female officer allegedly pulled the hair of an elderly woman who wished to be known only as Ng. when she tried to save some of her belongings. Ng added that she had not received her keys yet and thus had not shifted out although she was willing to. The residents were also displeased when the officers half-dragged, half-carried an elderly man who was trying to save his house. After the arrests, the DBKL personnel evacuated the other houses and transported the residents’ belongings to the Batu Muda flats. After ensuring that the houses were vacant, the enforcement team continued the demolish exercise. Ng’s brother Ng Say Yoke, 41, said they received the letter on Friday and went to meet the officer in charge at the DBKL on Saturday but were told that the officer was not in. “So we didn’t have enough time to pack and shift out,” he said. Permas president Tan Jo Hann said he had witnessed the rough handling by the DBKL officers. “The land may belong to the DBKL but the homes are the residents’ properties. There are many things that need to be sorted out before the demolition is carried out,” he said. He added that the people should have been given proper compensation and not treated harshly. “A young man who was trying to take a picture of his house was pushed and they stepped on his camera and broke it,” he added.

Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng and Kepong MP Dr Tan Seng Giaw, who were attending Parliament, arrived after 11am and tried to talk to the residents and DBKL officers. They spoke to the police to secure the release of those arrested on police bail. “I have spoken to the police officers and they will release the residents immediately after the DBKL lodges its report by this evening,” Lim said. “These people have been living here for more than 40 years so they are definitely emotionally attached to the place,” Tan said, adding that the Land and Mineral office should have played its part from the beginning and not let 40 years lapse. “This kind of action will affect the residents badly,” he added.
The Bar Council’s Human Rights lawyers were also present and their representative, Siti Z. Kasim, said they would try to file claims of property for the residents’ houses. “This is such a shame; so many issues need to be clarified by the people and the DBKL. They should have waited until everything has been settled,” she said, adding that the residents had filed a report against the DBKL yesterday for allegedly forcing them to sign the papers. “If we can prove that they were forced to sign, then we can claim,” she added. Susil added that they should have waited for a reply to the residents’ letter of appeal to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak. DBKL enforcement department director Rolan Abd Rahman, who arrived later, said the DBKL was only trying to do its job. “We are not cruel or inconsiderate. We even helped to move the things out before demolishing the homes,” said Ab Salim.