S'gor MB calls security meet, sets guidelines after temple demolition
Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari called for an urgent state security council meeting yesterday following the incident in Rawang, where an activist campaigning against unauthorised places of worship demolished a Hindu temple.
Selangor police chief Shazeli Kahar, the presidents of the various local councils and district officers attended the meeting.
“The incident in Rawang has caused unease and concern among the public.
“This must be addressed immediately to prevent any incident that could undermine the state’s harmony along racial and religious lines,” said Amirudin in a statement.
The menteri besar stressed that for places of worship built on privately owned land, the existing process requires the landowner to appoint a lawyer and obtain a court order before any eviction or demolition can take place.
“No party may take action on their own without going through the court process. This is in accordance with the National Land Code and related land laws,” he added.
Dealing with encroachment
Taking security considerations into account, Amirudin said the Selangor security council decided that landowners who discover encroachment, including the construction of a place of worship without approval, must lodge a police report.
“This will enable the police to investigate and, if proven, initiate prosecution proceedings for the offence of trespass,” he added.
Amirudin said the landowner must also issue a notice to the encroaching party and formally notify the district office.
“The district security committee, chaired by the district officer, has been activated in all districts in Selangor.
“The committee, acting as a mediator, will call all parties - including the landowner, the management of the place of worship, police, and the local authority - to reach a reasonable resolution,” he added.
Amirudin said that if the mediation process fails to resolve the matter, then the committee will advise the landowner to proceed with court action.
“This approach ensures that the entire process involves the authorities and prevents any incident that could trigger unrest,” he added.
As for unauthorised places of worship occupying state government land, Amirudin said he has directed existing procedures at the state level be tightened, with immediate enforcement at the local authority level.
He also ordered clearer enforcement of the standard operating procedures of the special committee on Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Sikh and Taoist religions in Selangor, known as Limas.
On Wednesday, police detained activist Tamim Dahri and three others over the demolition of the temple in Rawang.
They claimed the act was carried out in response to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s call for local councils to “clean up” unauthorised places of worship.
Yesterday, the Shah Alam High Court set aside the two-day remand order against the three individuals.
