No one was injured during the Kampung Gatco fracas last week and police did not assault the villagers who were defending their rubber plantation, Negri Sembilan police chief Jaafar Mohd Yusof said.

Police arrested 30 people – including three Pakatan Rakyat assemblypersons – when about 200 workers gathered on March 4 to prevent the demolition of their rubber plantation.

“There is no such thing (as beating up residents), but they (the residents) did not want to listen.

We just wanted everything to go on properly but there were some who tried to take advantage of the situation (namely) the politicians,” Jaafar said when contacted today.

More than 100 anti-riot police and other security personnel descended onto the village that morning to break up the sit-in which started the night before.

Photographs of the incident show residents being carried away and thrown onto the back of police trucks.

The heavy police presence led to acccusations that the authorities were in cahoots with developer Thamarai Holdings Sdn Bhd.

However, Jaafar said the personnel were there merely to ensure public order.

“Don’t aggravate this issue. Police were only there to ensure that the court order (in Thamarai’s favour) was upheld,” he said.

Lawsuit pending but trees chopped down

Villagers said they resorted to the sit-in after Thamarai refused to stop the developers from chopping down their rubber trees, pending a court decision on March 26.

A total of 140 settlers have sued The Great Alonioners Trading Corporation Bhd (Gatco) and Thamarai over the sale of the land and the case is pending before the Federal Court.

The disputed land, approximately 4,700 acres in size, was leased to Gatco in 1977 by the Negri Sembilan State Economic Development Corporation.

Gatco was incorporated by the National Union of Plantation Workers for the purpose of a land development scheme for its members.

The current settlers paid RM7,600 each as deposit to settle on allocated plots of the land as part of the development scheme.

The scheme eventually failed and the land was charged to two financial institutions.

Despite Gatco winding up, its liquidators did not sell the land to Thamarai until 2006.

Gatco settlers robbed of their land?