Some Jalan Sultan landowners quit DBKL briefing

A closed door meeting among Kuala Lumpur City Hall, MRT Corp and Jalan Sultan landowners today saw a group of the latter walking out in protest over the long disputed project issue.

The event was chaired by KL mayor Ahmad Phesal Talib and attended by MRT Corp CEO Azhar Abdul Hamid at DBKL office at about 9.30am today.

They walked out with their representatives after about an hour and a half  one, complaining to reporters later that the meeting did not keep to the original agenda, which was a briefing on the redevelopment plan for Jalan Sultan.

Instead, it was mostly confined to discussing matters pertaining to the signing of Points of Agreement (POA) and mutual agreement, they said.

According to an email conversation between a DBKL officer and Lok Ann Hotel owner Judy Lam, the meeting was not to discuss the issue of agreement signing nor land acquisition.

"We expected to listen to the KL plan but it turned out to be something different... In the end, the mayor and Azhar made it very clear that the meeting was to discuss the points of agreement (POA) and eventually leading to the signing of mutual agreement,

"So we found that the meeting was not for us who had not signed the POA," said Ngeow Chow Ying, Lam's lawyer.

MRT says 'very good outcome'

According to MRT Corp, as of today the owners of twenty properties had signed the POA, leaving only three who have yet to do so.

They are landowners of Lok Ann Hotel, KL Gospel Hall and Yan Keng Benevolent Dramatic Association.

As the group representing the three properties walked out, those who had endorsed the POA stayed put listening to the briefing from DBKL and MRT Corp.

Azhar (left) told reporters later that those who had signed the POA should complete the technical details with the company soon in order to discuss the signing of the mutual agreement.

He described it as a "very good outcome" for the authorities and landowners who have signed the POA but refused to comment on  the three landowners' protest.

Azhar had previously threatened to acquire the Jalan Sultan land for the MRT project if the landowners refuse to sign the mutual agreement.