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Wednesday January 16, 2008

Temiar villagers sue Kelantan for tearing down church

KUALA LUMPUR: Four Temiar are suing the Kelantan Government for demolishing their village church which they claimed was sited on ancestral land, a lawyer and activists said.

Lawyer N. Subramaniyan said authorities tore down the church in June last year, shortly after it was built by members of the tribe in their remote jungle village.

The village headman and three others challenged the state's PAS government in court, seeking a declaration that the land belonged to them and the demolishment was unlawful, he said.

The case was to be heard yesterday but the High Court postponed trial until May after ordering both sides to submit their arguments in writing, Subramaniyan added.

Azlan Abdul Halim, counsel representing the Kelantan government, said the church was illegally built on state land and villagers ignored notices to stop construction. – AP

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