The nine families in Kampung Buah Pala, who failed to obtain compensation from the developer after their houses were demolished in 2009, are seeking clarification from English daily The Star regarding its “misinformed” report yesterday.
The village residents association chairperson M Sugumaran said the newspaper had reported in an article headlined “Ex-Kampung Buah Pala residents finally get houses” that the village was demolished by Syarikat Perumahan Negara (SPN) Bhd.
In its report on Jan 3, The Star said the nine families have been allocated two double-storey houses each that cost more than RM220,000 in Teluk Air Tawar.
“The 18 houses in Taman Sejahtera Indah would be given to the families on ‘compassionate’ grounds by Syarikat Perumahan Negara Bhd, which tore down the old homes,” the newspaper reported.
SPNB, according to Sugumaran, is the developer helping the nine families obtain houses in Teluk Air Tawar, come the end of February.
“SPNB did not demolish Kampung Buah Pala, the Penang state government did that... the report is a lie,” he told Malaysiakini.
“We want clarification from The Star on why they reported the matter as such,” he added.
In its report on Jan 3, The Star said the nine families have been allocated two double-storey houses each that cost more than RM220,000 in Teluk Air Tawar.
“The 18 houses in Taman Sejahtera Indah would be given to the families on ‘compassionate’ grounds by Syarikat Perumahan Negara Bhd, which tore down the old homes,” the newspaper reported.SPNB, according to Sugumaran, is the developer helping the nine families obtain houses in Teluk Air Tawar, come the end of February.
“SPNB did not demolish Kampung Buah Pala, the Penang state government did that... the report is a lie,” he told Malaysiakini.
“We want clarification from The Star on why they reported the matter as such,” he added.
Sugumaran (left) and eight other villagers held a press conference after lodging a police report over the article in Bayan Baru yesterday. He does not rule out “sabotage by certain quarters to misinform the public” about the real situation.Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng continues toinsist that his administration had not driven out a single person from Kampung Buah Pala.
In this case, he said, the state government managed to get the developer, Nusmetro Venture Sdn Bhd, to agree to build 24 units of double-storey terrace houses for the families.
The villagers had moved into their new homes, which purportedly cost about RM500,000 each, in October last year, just before the Deepavali festival.
Lim had said the residents have all the while been depending on temporary occupied licences and the land was seized by the BN government for some private projects.
Meanwhile, Sugumaran admitted that it was true that the families would be receiving two double-storey houses each from the federal government in two months.
Tamil High Chapparal
He added that the developer was in the process of finalising the matter, and thanked Prime Minister Najib Razak for making the compensation possible.
He also complimented Bayan Baru (independent) MP Zahrain Mohd Hashim and Penang Indian Development Organisation chief M Nyanyasegaran for helping them get the homes.
“We feel really good about this. The one who demolished our homes did not give us anything, but the one who didn’t (evict us) gave us our homes,” Sugumaran said.
On the location of the homes, Sugumaran said the families did not mind that it was in Butterworth, away from their homeland in the island. “Anywhere in Malaysia will do as long as we get a home,” he added.
The daily also reported that Bukit Gelugor MIC branch chairman I. Muthusamy said that he had been pushing hard for double-storey houses for the nine families for the past two years. Sugumaran refuted the report, saying “MIC did not do anything for us”.
The villagers led by Sugumaran, had earlier refused to sign the agreement to obtain the houses, criticising the state government for not providing the villagers with proper compensation packages.
The villagers were evicted in 2009 to pave the way for a high-rise development project in Bukit Gelugor. The area nicknamed Tamil High Chapparal is fondly remembered by the Indian community.
It was demolished despite fierce protests by the residents after the Federal Court ruled that the land must be vacated to allow Nusmetro Sdn Bhd to redevelop the site.
He added that the developer was in the process of finalising the matter, and thanked Prime Minister Najib Razak for making the compensation possible.
He also complimented Bayan Baru (independent) MP Zahrain Mohd Hashim and Penang Indian Development Organisation chief M Nyanyasegaran for helping them get the homes.
“We feel really good about this. The one who demolished our homes did not give us anything, but the one who didn’t (evict us) gave us our homes,” Sugumaran said.
On the location of the homes, Sugumaran said the families did not mind that it was in Butterworth, away from their homeland in the island. “Anywhere in Malaysia will do as long as we get a home,” he added.
The daily also reported that Bukit Gelugor MIC branch chairman I. Muthusamy said that he had been pushing hard for double-storey houses for the nine families for the past two years. Sugumaran refuted the report, saying “MIC did not do anything for us”.
The villagers led by Sugumaran, had earlier refused to sign the agreement to obtain the houses, criticising the state government for not providing the villagers with proper compensation packages.The villagers were evicted in 2009 to pave the way for a high-rise development project in Bukit Gelugor. The area nicknamed Tamil High Chapparal is fondly remembered by the Indian community.
It was demolished despite fierce protests by the residents after the Federal Court ruled that the land must be vacated to allow Nusmetro Sdn Bhd to redevelop the site.
The star pun buat berita tipu ke?? Yang robohkan kampung tu bukan SPNB..saman aje the star ni
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