Widow facing eviction dies after deadline expires

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When I first met her last week, she reminded me of my dear late grandmother. She did not say much but wore a worried frown on her face (see photo).

Tonight, I received news that she had passed away just after 8.00pm on the way to the hospital, after complaining of pain in her back and hand. She had not been feeling well for some time.

Widow Santhosa Mary @ Manimathu, 74, lived among the tenant-villagers at the St Francis Xavier’s Church along Penang Road. They had been given a 31 May deadline to sign an agreement to vacate their homes. The Church, through its lawyers, wanted the villagers to accept RM10,000 in compensation and leave by 31 May 2010. If they failed to accept these terms, they had to leave by yesterday, Pentecost Sunday.

As the deadline to accept the terms approached, Manimathu grew anxious, according to one of the villagers.

“What will happen to us after that?” she was heard telling several villagers. “Which house can I go to?”

In the midst of this controversy between the church and the villagers, it looks as if God has now intervened.

Manimathu was the wife of the late Mr Selva, a foreman at the now defunct Straits Echo. She had lived in the village since 1949.

See also: ‘Penang Church not selling land to hotel’ in The Star today.

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greg

June 21st, 2009 at 5.40pm · Reply

anne brella perhaps you should go investigate yourself and if your investigation does not serve you, go and take the church to court. I was laughing reading your post with all the questions. Just to inform you, the church existed in Tanah Melayu for the past almost 500 years solidly so perhaps your questions have been answered already. And also the church run on donations even Vatican. I am still laughing haha

Sudah

July 2nd, 2009 at 10.58pm · Reply

Everyone knows the church is rich. RM10,000 will get you nowhere in finding a new home. Especially since they are all retired. How heartless can the Church get. They should be practising what they preach – all that stuff about loving your neighbour and charity. What hypocrites.