Peaceful demo held over eviction notices

Source: http://thestar.com.my/metro (By TAN KARR WEI, 26/2/2011)
Batu Estate residents want the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) to delay the demolition of their homes. A group of about 30 residents, led by Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng and several top PKR members including vice-president N. Surendran, Batu MP Tian Chua, Subang MP Sivarasa Rasiah and Kapar MP S. Manikavasagam, held a peaceful demonstration at the DBKL headquarters in Jalan Raja Laut.

The 38 families were issued eviction notices in January and DBKL enforcement officers and representatives from the developer Mayland Development Sdn Bhd arrived at the site on Feb 16. The residents had resisted the demolition and the DBKL said that it would delay the action for another two weeks.

Lim maintained that the DBKL should not have sent out the eviction notices because it was private land and, as a local authority, the DBKL should stay out of the dispute. Lim and Surendran were adamant that it was unlawful for DBKL to use the Emergency Ordinance to evict the residents.

“Why should the ordinance be used to evict these residents when the court has already ruled that they are not squatters?” asked Surendran.

“DBKL is using this to help private land owners and it will set a bad precedent,” added Lim.

The residents also prepared a memorandum to be handed over to Kuala Lumpur mayor Datuk Seri Ahmad Fuad Ismail and wanted an reassurance that their homes would not be demolished. (DBKL) deputy director-general (development) Zulkifli Ibrahim received the memorandum on behalf of the mayor but could not give an assurance to the residents before discussing it with the mayor. Sivarasa, who also represented the residents in one of the court cases, questioned why the DBKL should receive a three-acre plot of land as compensation for the DBKL flats that the residents would rent.

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