The Human Rights Party (HRP) has given an ultimatum to the Selangor government over the demolition of a temple in Shah Alam - it wants an explanation from Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim or face a protest outside his office.

"We have no other choice," HRP central exco member S Thiagarajan told Malaysiakini yesterday outside the temple's wreckage. "None of them considers our plight."

NONE He also demanded that the state government grant a one-acre title to the land on which the temple is located and to all other Hindu temples in the state to ensure such incidents do not happen in the future.

Thiagarajan asserted that the state's action contravened the federal constitution's guarantee of religious freedom under Article 11, and equality before the law under Article 8.

According to Sri Muneswarar Temple committee member A Manamohan who witnessed the demolition, about 10 vehicles brought a team of around 30 police and enforcement personnel at about noon.

NONE He claimed the officers then spent the next two hours wrecking the 25-year-old temple with sledgehammers and chainsaws, without any prior notice.

‘They broke all our statues, all the frames, throwing them away," said Manomohan.

Xavier: Notice was issued

Taman Glenmarie resident's association chairperson P Muthphukamaran claimed that the temple located along Persiaran Kerjaya had served over 100 devotees during functions.

NONE However, Selangor exco member Xavier Jayakumar refuted the claims that no notice had been issued.

Instead, he said numerous notices had been given to the temple's owners.

"We had given notice to the owners and they understood that they had to remove the temple because it was a hindrance to traffic," he told Malaysiakini when contacted yesterday.

"I can assure you multiple notices were given, and we have already held discussions with them."

He claimed that the temple was located at a road reserve, and as such was illegal.

Xavier blamed the temple's founders for not checking the status of the land before beginning construction, and so the temple ended up on road reserve when development started.

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