Be impartial, Kg Buah Pala villagers urge police

Embattled Kampung Buah Pala villagers submitted a memorandum to the Penang police today urging the law enforcement agency to protect them from any danger posed by the developer if an eviction takes place in the village

Kampung Buah Pala Residents Association chairperson M Sugumaran said the villagers want the police to be fair and impartial during attempts by the Oasis project developer, Nusmetro Venture (P) Sdn, Bhd to evict the villagers.

Sugumaran and association secretary Joseph Stephen Draviam submitted the memorandum to state police management division chief Zakri Kamaruddin, who received it on the behalf of CPO Ayob Yaacob, at the state police headquarters in George Town at 10.30am.

Earlier, the situation was tense when about 20 residents arrived at the police headquarters, to find a light-strike force squad armed with batons and shields awaiting them.

"We just want to hnd over a memorandum to the CPO. But the police have overreacted as if there would be a riot," said Sugumaran ( left ).

However, police did not stop the villagers from displaying banners highlighting their plight, or prevent Sugumaran and Stephen from handing over the memorandum.

In the document, the villagers claimed that several police personnel were seen taking instructions from the developer's company directors such as Thomas Chan and Gary Ho when they attempted unsuccessfully to demolish the village on Aug 3 and 13.

Demolition this Thursday?

The deadline for eviction expired on Aug 31 and the developer warned that its demolition team would move in any time from today to demolish the houses and flatten the village.

Sugumaran claimed the villagers were informed by official sources that the demolition would be carried out on Sept 3.

The villagers will file an application in court later today to obtain an injunction to stop the demolition.

In an immediate response, state deputy police chief Tun Hisan Tun Hamzah said the police have always been impartial in carrying out their task and do not practise double standards.

He refuted the villagers' accusation that several police personnel aided the developer and had entered the village to evict the residents.

"The accusation is not true. Neither any villager nor their belongings were removed from the village," said Tun Hisan ( right ).

He said police had not taken instructions from anyone on those dates and had only carried out their tasks according to the law.

Sugumaran, Stephen and association assistant secretary C Tharmaraj were arrested and later released following the protest by villagers last Saturday night.

When asked why the arrests were timed so close to the eviction deadline, Tun Hisan replied that it was a coincidence.

He said the police needed to record the trio's statements in the course of investigations into three police reports lodged against them.

Two police reports were lodged by villagers Saravanan and M Shanta in July, while another was lodged by a Bangladeshi worker of the developer, only known as Nordin, on Aug 4.

All three alleged they were intimidated by the trio in separate incidents.

CM should stop passing the buck

The police have completed their investigations under Section 506 of the Penal Code for criminal intimidation and the investigating papers have been submitted to the deputy public prosecutor's office for action.

Despite Shanta subsequently withdrawing her report, Tun Hisan said the police continued their probe because an offence is considered a crime against the nation, not against the individual.

When asked about the note written on a board at the Jelutong police station that stated: 'Kampung Buah Pala suspects must be arrested on Aug 30', Tun Hisan said it could be on the instructions of the George Town OCPD Azam Abd Hamid.

Earlier Sugumaran called on Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng to act swiftly to end the villagers' predicament and stop playing the blame game, and pointing the finger at the previous administration.

"The CM should stop passing the buck ... he is responsible for our problem today. He accepted the balance of the land premium from the civil servants' cooperative on March 14 and transferred the land title on March 27. He cannot run away or hide his blunder," he said.

He said that Lim ( right ) transferred the land to the cooperative despite there being conditions clearly stating that the villagers' settlement issue shall be resolved first.

He said the minutes of executive council meetings, which Lim released two months ago, had stipulated these details.

Sugumaran said it was wrong of Lim to say the state government has washed its hands off the crisis it created just because the villagers sought the BN's help.

He said it was because of Lim's indifferent attitude that the villagers decided to seek BN's assistance to end their predicament.

"But that does not mean, Lim can wash his hands. He created the crisis ... he has to resolve it. He is responsible for our predicament," said Sugumaran.

The villagers then proceeded to Komtar, where the CM's office is located and held a brief demonstration, before dispersing peacefully and returned to what can they can still call their village.