Estate workers from 13 plantations in Negri Sembilan, Selangor, Perak and Kedah who were not given housing compensation by their companies are sending in a protest memorandum tomorrow.

Acting for the estate workers, the Housing Coalition of Golden Hope Plantation Workers will deliver the memorandum to the office of Golden Hope Plantation at Menara PNB in Jalan Tun Razak, Kuala Lumpur, at 10.30am.

"Golden Hope is among the largest groups of plantations in Malaysia and has the highest share ownership. Nonetheless it has a bad record in resolving housing problems for estate workers," said Community Development Centre (CDC) coordinator Y Kohila in a press release today.

She added that many of the estate workers faced forced evictions, stalled negotiations and were made homeless.

K Raviechandran, another coordinator at CDC, told malaysiakini that estate workers from Braemar estate in Kajang were promised housing but never got any.

"In 1993, the estate was sold to the developer Maluri to be developed into a golf course and it promised to give us housing."

Raviechandran also related that workers in estates owned by Golden Hope in Kedah were facing marginalisation due to replanting.

"They rubber trees would be replaced with oil palms. The estate workers who were rubber tappers before cannot cope with working on palm trees.

On Jan 19, malaysiakini had reported on similar grievances by another group of Selangor estate workers who protested in front of Selangor Mentri Besar Mohd Khir Toyo's office in Shah Alam.

The group protested the ineffective implementation of the housing policy which has resulted in many of them being left homeless or living in inadequate conditions. ([#1]Estate workers protest at MB's office[/#], Jan 19)