Reprieve for Kg Buah Pala! (updates)

 Development issues, Housing  62 Responses »
Aug 042009
 

Photos by a kind soul

1600: The developer, Nusmetro, has held a press conference in George Town. It denies there was any legal agreement to hold back demolition, according to a reporter at the scene. Only a court order can hold it back, argues Thomas Chan of Nusmetro. The developer is giving the residents until Friday to vacate the land.

Tonight, during its meeting with the residents, the state government is expected to present a more detailed settlement proposal to the villagers, which would probably involve getting the villagers to co-exist next to the Oasis project.

This morning, about 150 residents formed a human barricade at the village when they heard that a demolition team was not far away. Eye-witnesses spotted about 30 white-helmeted workers wearing lime-green T-shirts with the words “SRE Ventures Contractor” and wielding sledge-hammers; some of them appeared to be foreign workers. But no bulldozers were seen and the demolition team failed to show up in the village.

About 100 police personnel observed the villagers forming the barricade.

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Scuffle breaks out at Komtar

 Housing, M'sian politics  29 Responses »
Jul 232009
 

A scuffle broke out between a group of people believed to be linked to MIC Youth and one of Penang Deputy Chief Minister P Ramasamy’s assistants at around 6.00pm today at Komtar, according to an eye-witness.

The MIC youth reps were there to hand over a memorandum to the state government offering to buy back the Kampung Buah Pala land for RM3.2 million.

After the handing over, which took place cordially, the MIC crowd were still gathered at the ground floor when the assistant allegedly shouted at them from the first floor.

This infuriated the MIC group, words were exchanged, and a few of them then raced towards the assistant. The assistant received a few punches, said the eye-witness, who was not sure if the assistant retaliated before fleeing with other aides to the government offices.

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Trump card that could save High Chaparral?

 Development issues, Housing, Marginalised groups  35 Responses »
Jul 092009
 

Could this be the lifeline that could save Kampong Buah Pala from demolition on 2 Aug? This adds to the uncertainty faced by the developer. Check out this excerpt from a Sun report:

The Kampung Buah Pala saga took a twist today when the state government revealed a trump card in its bid to protect villagers from an impending demolition after the Aug 2 eviction deadline.

Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng showed reporters a provision under section 116 of the National Land Code that stipulates a building on alienated land cannot be demolished, altered or extended without prior consent in writing of the appropriate authority.

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The sad tale of High Chaparral

 Accountability, Housing, Marginalised groups  45 Responses »
Jul 042009
 

old-well

The old well at Kampung Buah Pala where clear fresh water reaches ground level - Photo by Anil Netto

For those of you still unfamiliar with the background to the High Chaparral issue, here’s an excellent write-up by Himanshu Bhatt in today’s Sun:

Kampung Buah Pala holds its breath

THERE is an old well said to have been dug some 100 years ago in Penang’s Kampung Buah Pala, a charming settlement of cowherds and planters, which still provides fresh groundwater for many villagers. So remarkable is this well that during the national water crisis of the late 1990s, it became the lifeline for thousands of Penangites who made a bee-line to collect its water when all other supplies failed.

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