There is no clear evidence to show that the landslide in Bukit Antarabangsa was a result of human negligence, said Housing and Local Government Minister Ong Ka Chuan today.

ong ka chuan parliament pc 101208 03 The minister, who visited the area this morning, said that natural causes were a probable factor.

"If it was human negligence, the landslide would have occurred a year or two after the houses were built but the houses here were built since 15 years ago," he was quoted as saying by Bernama .

However, Ong said a meeting would be held this evening involving government agencies such as the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry, the Public Works Department and the local council to determine the real reason behind the landslip.

bukit anatarabangsa landslide pdrm aerial photographs 101208 03 "We have to study the matter, we are saddened by this tragedy and cannot allow it to recur as it affects public safety. We have to carry out a definitive probe," he added.

In the incident, four people were killed and 14 bungalows in Taman Bukit Utama and Taman Bukit Mewah were damaged

Search-and-rescue operations were still underway for a Sri Lankan maid believed to be trapped in the rubble.

Detailed study required

Meanwhile, Ong said the state and local governments must study in detail every project proposed in Bukit Antarabangsa as it is an high-risk area.

ong ka chuan parliament pc 101208 04 "Due to the population density, there cannot be any new development projects there. We will discuss with the state and local governments that every project proposed for the area be studied in detail," he added.

Yesterday, Bukit Antarabangsa residents said that they would sue the government for compensation.

"We have set up a legal team which is collecting concrete evidence for us look at before we decide to take any legal action," said N Muneandy, chairperson of the residents' association.

landslide bukit antarabangsa car "If we have concrete evidence then we will go against the authorities concerned. It is not our fault at all. We are the victims," he told AFP .

"This landslide occured because of the residents erecting houses on the slopes. The authorities had ignored signs that appeared over several years."

‘Don’t be a second Samy Vellu’

Meanwhile, in an immediate response, DAP leader Lim Kit Siang ticked Ong off for going “missing” in the past four days only to “surface today” to blame the deadly landslide on natural causes.

“Ong should not be a second S Samy Vellu with excuses of ‘acts of God’,” said Lim, referring to the former works minister in explaining away such disasters.

highland tower collapse 091208 02 The opposition leader lamented that nothing has apparently changed after the Highland Towers tragedy when a landslide toppled 12-storey condominium in 1993 which killed 48 people.

“The five who perished last Saturday would have died in vain as nothing would have been learnt from these man-made disasters with future hillslope disasters waiting to happen with more victims.”

Lim added that affected Bukit Antarabangsa residents are entitled to ask why several tell-tale signs of impending landslides had not been taken seriously by the authorities.

This was despite that a geological firm had been awarded a RM1.6 million contract to "solely monitor the geological conditions" in Bukit Antarabangsa area, including earth movements, he said.

“Residents refer to a landslide which cut off a portion of the Jalan Bukit Antarabangsa main road just six days earlier, while a landslide victim, businessman Hassan Saad, 49, claimed that he had notified the relevant authorities about fallen trees and earth movements close to his home in Taman Bukit Mewah in October but his complaints were not taken seriously by the Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ).”

bukit antarabangsa landslide 091208