Thursday July 12, 2012

Ex-Ladang Bukit Jalil employees assured they won’t be evicted

PUTRAJAYA: Former Ladang Bukit Jalil workers have been given the assurance that they will not be evicted from their houses after their land was taken over for development.

Ladang Bukit Jalil action committee treasurer K. Balakrishnan said the Prime Minister told them during a meeting on Tuesday that they would not have to move until a decision was reached on the issue.

However, he said Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak did not give a date for the decision.

Balakrishnan and two representatives attended the meeting with Najib at his office here.

Also present were Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam, Federal Territories and Urban Well-being Minister Datuk Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin, his deputy Datuk M Saravanan and a National Union of Plantation Workers representative.

A news portal quoted Balakrishnan as saying that the action committee had requested for 1.6ha land.

The Government acquired Ladang Bukit Jalil and had offered its workers low-cost flats as compensation.

They have faced multiple eviction threats after they refused the flats and demanded for low-cost terrace houses instead.

They have been evading the eviction notices from Kuala Lumpur City Hall since 2007 and reportedly began resorting to camping outside the Putra Perdana Building for two days in May to protest over the issue.

In KUANTAN, all the 31 detainees, including six children aged between four and 16, who were arrested for camping outside the Pahang Mentri Besar's office here have been released on police bail.

They were released at about 4.30pm yesterday after the 24-hour detention period expired.

The group of Cameron Highlands smallholders had tried to pitch tents outside the office of Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob and were arrested after a five-hour stand-off with the police.

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