A contractor for the Matang Pagar housing project in Sungai Buloh has offered RM4,000 each to ex-squatters evicted 14 years ago. In return they would have to drop a court case and agree to buy a house on the developed land.

The head of the 72-squatters, S Muniandy (photo at right) said the offer was made to eight of them, who were seen as 'weak' in spirit. The eight had accepted it.

The 54-year-old taxi driver claimed that the contractor's offer was aimed at splitting up the group.

"Why they want to offer? They are trying to split us and undermine the case?" he said, adding that the eight had accepted it out of fear and ignorance.

"They had accepted the offer quietly without informing the group's leader. Why the developer did not come to see the leaders? Why they had targeted the 'normal' residents?" he asked when met recently.

He claimed that the 'die-hard' members in the group did not receive a similar offer.

In 1992, Muniandy was among 292 residents evicted from their squatter homes along the Sungai Buloh railway line. They were promised a plot of land in Matang Pagar to build their houses.

Four years later, they discovered that a developer was clearing the Matang Pagar site to build low-cost houses, which were to be sold to them at RM17,000 per unit.

The squatters protested to then Selangor Menteri Besar Abu Hassan Omar in 1998. It was later agreed that the land would be given to those who wanted it, while low-cost houses would be built for those who chose to buy them.

However, the project came to a standstill.

PKNS takes over

In 2000, the squatters were surprised when state-owned Perbadanan Kemajuan Negeri Selangor (PKNS) began building low-cost houses on the same site.

This time around, they were asked to pay RM28,000 for a unit. The majority agreed to take up the offer, while 72 continued to demand for land.

In the same year, the group filed a claim against the Selangor state government, Selangor land and mines office director and administrator of the Gombak land and mines office. The case is still pending.

The offer letter given to one of the eight squatters stated that they will be allocated one unit each of the PKNS-built low cost house and be given RM4,000 to help them in forking out the RM28,000 for the house.

The letter, a copy of which was obtained by malaysiakini, stated that the developer/contractor Tinta Anggun & VTS Engineering JV Sdn Bhd will pay RM2,000 when the letter is signed and the remainder when the lawsuit is withdrawn.

According to the terms in the letter, the squatter would irrevocably agree to forgo any claims, actions, proceedings, rights and demands against the defendants.

By inking the letter, the said squatter also agreed that the settlement shall not be construed as an admission of guilt or liability of the defendants and if required, he would assist in respect of the suit.

Contacted today, PKNS press officer Mohd Wazir Abdul Gani said the sate-owned body was in the dark over the matter.

"PKNS did not ask Tinta Anggun to give such an offer. We were not informed too," he added.

Tita Anggun general manager Muhammed Ibrahim said the company has assigned an agent to persuade the 72 to accept the offer.

"We offered to all of them, but only eight of them accepted the offer," he said.

'Struggle will continue'

Meanwhile, an unrelenting Muniandy said the group will not be deterred by this latest development and will continue with its struggle.

" Even if I am the only one left in the group. I will still fight for my land," vowed the father of five.

Last month, the group lodged a police report against current Selangor Menteri Besar Dr Mohd Khir Toyo to protest the state government's failure to allocate them the land.

Mohd Khir later responded that it is impossible to allocate land to the 72 as the state government has done its best to offer each resident a house at a special price of RM28,000.

The group also handed a memorandum to Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam), asking it to intervene to secure the land