No order to move out yet, says dog lover Pak Mie
Susan LoonePublished: Jan 1, 2014 6:46 PM | Updated: Jan 2, 2014 10:31 AM
Muhammad Azmi Ismail said that he has not been asked to move out yet and is still caring for his dogs in a shelter in Tanjong Bendahara, Kedah.
Pak Mie also reveals that he is in the process of upgrading his shelter to make it more hygienic and liveable for the dogs.
Muhammad Azmi Ismail said that he has not been asked to move out yet and is still caring for his dogs in a shelter in Tanjong Bendahara, Kedah.
Azmi, known as Pak Mie, who runs a shelter for 800 dogs with his wife, Halijah Idris @ Mak Intan, revealed that he is in the process of upgrading the place to make it more hygienic and liveable for the animals under his care.
Commenting on a report in The Star today stating that he was given a final warning to move out yesterday, Pak Mie said: "No comment. We are still here.”
The Alor Setar City Council, according to Pak Mie, had met with him and told him what he needs to do for the place.
"I have got a plan ready to install a septic tank, to fence up the area properly, to cement the floor, and it will cost me some RM150,000," he told Malaysiakini.
"We cannot do this in one or two days, it takes time. It had been raining a lot in Kedah and now the rain has stopped so we have started putting our plans in place," he added.
If the Alor Setar City Council is adamant in evicting him, Pak Mie said he would question the need for them to do it so soon.
"Do they need this land? Are they planning to build a food court here or have other development plans?" he asked.
"If they do not have immediate plans, why not let the shelter continue. We are after all doing the council's job in keeping the strays within our fences.
"Give me some time, I am a one-man show here," he pleaded.
Questioned on what he would do if he had to shift, Pak Mie said he would rely on the public to raise his plight again.
According to The Star, the Council's environmental control department director Halim Mat Akhir said it was Pak Mie's "duty to find a new site for his animals".
It is learnt that the council did not give Pak Mie permission to stay on the reserve land belonging to Indah Water Konsortium but merely adviced him to upgrade the shelter according to the Health and Veterinary Department’s requirements.
Pak Mie has been running the makeshift shelter on the land, which is situated along a river in Tanjung Bendahara, and has been relying on public donations - in cash and kind.
In September, Pak Mie managed to extend his stay on the land after several animal rights NGOs, concerned individuals and PKR Alor Setar MP Gooi Hsiao Leung rallied in support of his work.
Azmi, known as Pak Mie, who runs a shelter for 800 dogs with his wife, Halijah Idris @ Mak Intan, revealed that he is in the process of upgrading the place to make it more hygienic and liveable for the animals under his care.
Commenting on a report in The Star today stating that he was given a final warning to move out yesterday, Pak Mie said: "No comment. We are still here.”
The Alor Setar City Council, according to Pak Mie, had met with him and told him what he needs to do for the place.
"I have got a plan ready to install a septic tank, to fence up the area properly, to cement the floor, and it will cost me some RM150,000," he told Malaysiakini.
"We cannot do this in one or two days, it takes time. It had been raining a lot in Kedah and now the rain has stopped so we have started putting our plans in place," he added.
If the Alor Setar City Council is adamant in evicting him, Pak Mie said he would question the need for them to do it so soon.
"Do they need this land? Are they planning to build a food court here or have other development plans?" he asked.
"If they do not have immediate plans, why not let the shelter continue. We are after all doing the council's job in keeping the strays within our fences.
"Give me some time, I am a one-man show here," he pleaded.
Questioned on what he would do if he had to shift, Pak Mie said he would rely on the public to raise his plight again.
According to The Star, the Council's environmental control department director Halim Mat Akhir said it was Pak Mie's "duty to find a new site for his animals".
It is learnt that the council did not give Pak Mie permission to stay on the reserve land belonging to Indah Water Konsortium but merely adviced him to upgrade the shelter according to the Health and Veterinary Department’s requirements.
Pak Mie has been running the makeshift shelter on the land, which is situated along a river in Tanjung Bendahara, and has been relying on public donations - in cash and kind.
In September, Pak Mie managed to extend his stay on the land after several animal rights NGOs, concerned individuals and PKR Alor Setar MP Gooi Hsiao Leung rallied in support of his work.
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