Developer in uncompromising mood
Athi VeerangganPublished: Jul 1, 2009 10:22 PM | Updated: Jul 1, 2009 10:33 PM
The one-month respite given by a developer to the Kampung Buah Pala villagers against eviction is the last concession to be offered to the embattled villagers.
The developer is determined to flatten Kampung Buah Pala at the end of the one-month grace period on Aug 2 to make way for a high-end residential estate.
The one-month respite given by a developer to the Kampung Buah Pala villagers against eviction is the last concession to be offered to the embattled villagers.
At the end of the one-month deadline on Aug 2, developer Nusmetro Venture (P) Sdn Bhd is determined to demolish the houses and flatten the village, replacing them with the high-end residential Oasis project.
The company's executive director Thomas Chan said the company would not compromise anymore on the issue given that it had suffered massive losses for the prolonged delay of the project.
In a press statement released today, he said the company will no longer offer any compensation to the villagers to move out from the village.
Tomorrow the company's representatives, accompanied by a court bailiff, will paste copies of writ of possession dated July 2 in the village to give the villagers two weeks to vacate the land.
However following negotiations by Deputy Chief Minister 1 Mansor Othman and DCM 2 Dr P Ramasamy with the developer, the company has agreed to extend the grace period by another two weeks.
Chan said the company had not breached any laws and has acted in accordance with the court's order.
"We have consulted with the police and sought their assistance. We will move in anytime after Aug 2," he said.
Nusmetro's stance would hammer a stunning blow to the embattled Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng who is under fire from the villagers and civil societies for failing to resolve the villagers' predicament.
Compensation given, losses suffered
Chan's intention to pursue the eviction of the villagers also went against the state government's earlier order to the company not to "bulldoze and bully out the villagers".
In the statement today - the first by the developer after the controversy over the eviction erupted in recent weeks - Chan claimed that the company had given out monetary compensation between RM140,000 and RM260,000 to each village household.
He said some 10 households have accepted the compensation, only leaving 21 households in the village that had refused to budge.
"The village does not have 41 households and 300 people as claimed," he said.
He added the negotiations begun three years ago with initial offer of RM90,000 per household but later was hiked up to RM200,000 following the residents' demand for higher compensation.
In regards to the compensation given, Chan's statement echoed the chief minister's (left) claim yesterday, which had already been rebutted by the villagers as "absolute lie".
Chan also said the company had suffered RM6 million losses and a 40 percent drop in sales due to the prolonged delay of the development project.
His advice for the villagers was to remain calm and obey the court order given that they were the ones who initiated the legal case.
But villagers are ready to fight
The villagers and civil societies have called on the state government to acquire and preserve the village as state living cultural heritage.
However Chan shot down such suggestions, pointing out that the company was in no mood to depart from the land either by agreeing to an alternate site or by way of state acquisition.
When contacted, the village residents' association assistant secretary C Tharmaraj (right) denied Chan's claims of exorbitant compensation, rubbishing it as "ridiculous and obscene".
He warned that villager were prepared to ‘give a war' in protecting their village.
"We will not surrender our homes of 200 years," he said.
At the end of the one-month deadline on Aug 2, developer Nusmetro Venture (P) Sdn Bhd is determined to demolish the houses and flatten the village, replacing them with the high-end residential Oasis project.The company's executive director Thomas Chan said the company would not compromise anymore on the issue given that it had suffered massive losses for the prolonged delay of the project.
In a press statement released today, he said the company will no longer offer any compensation to the villagers to move out from the village.
Tomorrow the company's representatives, accompanied by a court bailiff, will paste copies of writ of possession dated July 2 in the village to give the villagers two weeks to vacate the land.
However following negotiations by Deputy Chief Minister 1 Mansor Othman and DCM 2 Dr P Ramasamy with the developer, the company has agreed to extend the grace period by another two weeks.Chan said the company had not breached any laws and has acted in accordance with the court's order.
"We have consulted with the police and sought their assistance. We will move in anytime after Aug 2," he said.
Nusmetro's stance would hammer a stunning blow to the embattled Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng who is under fire from the villagers and civil societies for failing to resolve the villagers' predicament.
Compensation given, losses suffered
Chan's intention to pursue the eviction of the villagers also went against the state government's earlier order to the company not to "bulldoze and bully out the villagers".
In the statement today - the first by the developer after the controversy over the eviction erupted in recent weeks - Chan claimed that the company had given out monetary compensation between RM140,000 and RM260,000 to each village household.
He said some 10 households have accepted the compensation, only leaving 21 households in the village that had refused to budge.
"The village does not have 41 households and 300 people as claimed," he said.
He added the negotiations begun three years ago with initial offer of RM90,000 per household but later was hiked up to RM200,000 following the residents' demand for higher compensation.
In regards to the compensation given, Chan's statement echoed the chief minister's (left) claim yesterday, which had already been rebutted by the villagers as "absolute lie".Chan also said the company had suffered RM6 million losses and a 40 percent drop in sales due to the prolonged delay of the development project.
His advice for the villagers was to remain calm and obey the court order given that they were the ones who initiated the legal case.
But villagers are ready to fight
The villagers and civil societies have called on the state government to acquire and preserve the village as state living cultural heritage.
However Chan shot down such suggestions, pointing out that the company was in no mood to depart from the land either by agreeing to an alternate site or by way of state acquisition.When contacted, the village residents' association assistant secretary C Tharmaraj (right) denied Chan's claims of exorbitant compensation, rubbishing it as "ridiculous and obscene".
He warned that villager were prepared to ‘give a war' in protecting their village.
"We will not surrender our homes of 200 years," he said.
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