Citizen Journalist Video Over 100 house owners of RPR Bandar Baru Samariang in Kuching, Sarawak, face eviction as they have failed to pay their monthly housing installments for over six months.

NONEThe residents received a court writ from the Housing Development Corporation (HDC), stating that they have to move out of their homes if they are unable to pay the monthly installments.

The area, which consists of single storey terrace houses, is a property project owned by Cahya Mata Sarawak (CMS).

The chairman of the resident's association, identified, only as Azahari, told a Malaysiakini citizen journalist report, that the residents were unable to make the payments as they were too poor.

"A house owner has to fork out RM 214 (a month) in monthly installments, RM 248 if their house is a corner lot," he said.

"This eviction order is inhumane. It is not that easy to find a new place to stay in." Azahari added.

In the video, Azahari reads out the resident's requests to the HDC the residents made several proposals that will help them to repay the monthly installments.

The requests includes a call for lower interest rates, more time to pay off the installments and for the court writ to be retracted.

Plea for more time

A spokesperson for the residents, Wan Zainal Abidin, 58, agreed that the repayments should be rescheduled, as evicting them from their own homes would not solve anything.

"They cannot go back to their families, they are too poor. They cannot go back to the squatter areas as that will not solve the government's problems.

"The best way would be reschedule payments and this is what they are asking for," said the resident's spokesperson.

Click here to watch the video

Video contributed by Malaysiakini-ICFJ Citizen Journalist Pairin Boka.