Residents of Kampung Bakar Batu in Johor Baru, near the upmarket Danga Bay project, have been given until May 9 to vacate their homes to make way for property development.

The villagers, many of whom have lived there for decades but are now treated as squatters, received their eviction notice from landowners Nodedua Sdn Bhd recently.

The land, once home to 73 families, is located near the confluence of Sungai Skudai and Sungai Danga.

It is uncertain what the developers intend to do with the land, but it is likely to be similar to many high-end waterfront properties currently being built in that vicinity. 

Residents complain that they were offered a mere RM15,000 in compensation per family.

"Last year, 30 families gave in and took the RM15,000 and moved away. They rented low-cost flats at Sungai Melana.

"There are 43 other villagers who remain and are seeking a fairer treatment," said Norman Abdul Hamid (photo), a spokesperson for the remaining villagers.

"It is not that we don't want to vacate the land, but we want to be treated fairly. Some of us have invested heavily in improving our homes."

State intervention sought

Most of the villagers are coastal fishermen who depend on the rivers for their livelihood, Norman said.

He said the prospect of having to relocate away from the coast - now highly sought-after by developers - would render their only skills obsolete.

The villagers have since submitted applications for Johor's affordable housing programme. The housing project they have in mind is located near the Eastern Dispersal Link and Sungai Pandan.

Although the applications were submitted in January, there has been no response yet from the Menteri Besar's Office and time was running out, said Norman.

According to the lawyer for the villagers, Hassan Karim, his clients had taken the landowners to court, with a hearing in the Court of Appeal scheduled for July 17.

An application for a stay on the eviction order has been made, but a hearing date has not been set.

Norman said the villagers have appealed to Menteri Besar Mohamed Khaled Nordin and the Johor Palace for intervention, but to no avail. They are scheduled to meet Mohamed Khaled on April 30.