Tuesday February 27, 2007
Enforcement officers go down hard on protesters
By BAVANI M
ABOUT 12 enforcement officers from the Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ) burst into Taman Hijau Apartments in Ukay Heights recently and started tearing down banners and placards put up by the residents in protest against an development project in the neighbourhood.
An eyewitness to the incident who refused to be identified said the officers were dressed in their official uniforms and came storming into the apartment area at about 11am without proper documentation, shouting and behaving like hooligans.
“They did not gain permission but merely stormed in and refused to identify themselves,'' she said.
“It was shocking to see officers from the local authority behaving like that,'' she said.
Expatriate H. Berbar said the officers were rude and when he started taking pictures of the raid, they covered their nametags on the uniforms.
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Illegal entry: A photograph taken by one of the residents showing the enforcement officers leaving after the incident. |
“When we questioned one of the officers, he said we did not have a permit for the banners.
“My question is why did they not take down all the other signages in Ukay Heights, which obviously did not have permits as well?
“Where was their permit to enter private property and remove items?'' asked Berbar.
Datuk Mustapha Mahmud, who is a resident of Taman Hijau, said he was alarmed when he saw the way the officers were behaving.
“Technically, they do not have the right to come into the property as it is private owned yet they did so and when I questioned them about it, they ran away,'' he said.
Another resident who only wished to be identified as Tan said once the officers realised they were on private property they ran away.
“They were out before anyone knew what was happening,'' he said, adding that they behaved like thieves.
On Sunday, Ukay Heights, Taman Hijau, Dataran Ukay and Taman Tar residents held a press conference at Taman Hijau apartments in protest against the development.
About 200 residents from the area met to find out their legal standing as well as to discuss on their next course of action.
The residents are protesting the move by MPAJ in approving a project to build 149 bungalow units and 410 shop lots on four lots of a hill slope in Taman Hijau.
Taman Hijau Residents Association President Datuk Abdul Aziz Ibrahim said the residents have a legal basis based on the Structure Plan and the Land and Town Planning Act.
Retired Court of Appeal judge Datuk V.C. George, who is a Taman Hijau resident, said residents have the required legal ammunition to fight MPAJ and the developer.
“The real fight will be in the courts and we have a plausible case here,'' he said.
When contacted by StarMetro, an MPAJ spokesman said she was not aware of the incident.
“I will have to check. I did not hear anything at all,'' she said.
Meanwhile, in a faxed statement to The Star, MPAJ said they would take residents' views and objections on the proposed development into consideration.
The statement said the objections would be voiced at a meeting next month with the Town Planning and Development Committee.
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