Village comes to heroes' rescue
The 500 Chinese families living in Kuala Kuang New Village near Chemor, Perak are sponsoring the legal fees of the four environment activist jailed for two weeks and fined RM5,000 each last Friday by a Ipoh Magistrate 's court.
The 500 Chinese families living in Kuala Kuang New Village near Chemor, Perak are sponsoring the legal fees of the four environment activist jailed for two weeks and fined RM5,000 each last Friday by a Ipoh Magistrate 's court.
However, magistrate Shah Wira Abdul Halim allowed stay of execution pending their appeals to the High Court and set bail of RM1,500 each.
The four accused are Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) national coordinator K Kunasekaran, 46, Kuala Kuang Anti-Stench Action Committee chairman Chai Sing Chong, 71, and his two committee members Tan Kin Siah, 48, and Chong Min Tow, 67.
According to Kunasekaran, the Kuala Kuang villagers had assured him of financial backing for the four to win their court cases even if it goes as far as the Federal Court.
These four activists were fighting for the health of about 500 families of New Village, located next to a rubber factory that emitted foul and health hazard fumes.
The families were reportedly living in hell from the toxic air caused by the pollution from the rubber factory.
After failing to get the attention of the then-BN menteri besar Tajol Rosli Mohd Ghazali , the villagers approached Kunasekaran who was then in Alaigal (a branch of PSM) to solve their problem.
Eventually the matter was settled out-of-court with the rubber factory management agreeing to shift operations to an industrial zone.
Battling for years to clear names
The four had been engaged in a seven-year-long legal battle to clear their names of the charge that they did not disperse when ordered police.
However, they maintain that the police gave neither order nor warning.
The four were charged under the Police Act 1967, for failing to disperse in front of the Kuala Kuang Police Station on the morning of April 1, 2001.
The Act provides for a punishment of not more than a year's jail and a fine of not less than RM2,000 and not more than RM10,000 for those found guilty.
Yesterday at 10am, the four represented by their lawyer M Vengetraman, filed the notice of appeal at the Registrar of Lower Courts in Ipoh.
According to Venetraman, magistrate Shah Wira has been given six weeks for his written grounds for the conviction and sentencing of the four accused.
Once that is in their hands, the case will be taken to the Ipoh High Court on the grounds that the punishment meted out to the first time offenders was too harsh.
