Teachers and students of the controversial SJK (C) Damansara, who had hoped to start the new academic year in the old school today were frustrated yet again when they found police guarding the premises.

School headmaster Ong See Yong vowed to press on with efforts to re-open the school in Section 17, Petaling Jaya, which has been sealed since Jan 12 last year.

"We will not give up our struggle to re-open the school," he told the morning assembly held outside the school after failing to persuade the police to open the gate.

After the one-hour assembly, some 70 students, between seven and 12 years of age, and their teachers returned to the air-conditioned containers at a temple nearby which had been their 'temporary' classrooms for almost the whole of last year.

The schoolchildren started to gather at the main entrance with their parents since 7am in the presence of some 10 police officers four at the gate with the rest patrolling across the road in front of the school.

The crowd later swelled to some 150 people, many of whom were supporters of the Save Our School Committee (SOS), an action group by local residents to plea for the re-opening of the old school.

By-election issue

Despite waiting for three hours in vain, SOS secretary Tommy Chin told reporters that over the next few days the residents would gather outside the school and press for its re-opening.

"If the authorities still ignore our request, we will then take the issue to Perlis and ask the people there to vote for whoever supports us," he said.

Perlis will hold a by-election in Indera Kayangan on Jan 19 after its state assembly representative from the ruling Barisan Nasional died of colon cancer last month.

Half of the voters in the constituency are Chinese. MCA has named former headmistress Oui Ah Lan as the BN candidate while Keadilan is expected to announce a Chinese candidate soon.

Prominent Chinese leaders, educationists and oppositionists were present in support of the SOS this morning.

They included Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall president Ngan Ching Wen, vice-chairperson of United Chinese School Teachers Association of Malaysia (Jiao Zong) Loot Ting Yee, chief executive director of United Chinese School Committees Association of Malaysia (Dong Zong) Bock Tai Hee, and DAP member of parliament for Taman Seputeh, Teresa Kok .

Commotion

There was a commotion between the crowd and the police by the school gate when many of the local residents ran out of patience and accused the government and their local representatives of incompetency.

A police officer, who wanted to be identified only as Ismail, insisted that he could not open the school gate until officials from the education ministry, who were "on their way", gave such an order.

A visibly upset Ismail told the crowd, "Who do you have to blame? Why must you defy the instruction (to move) and be so intolerant of the relocation?"

The new SJK Damansara in Tropicana, Selangor, the only fully-financed Chinese primary school, was completed last September in a record time of seven months.

At 9.50am, three officers from the Selangor education department arrived.

When confronted by the local residents, registration officer Mohamad Tamyis Sujak said he was unable to entertain their demand to open the school immediately.

"I am just a dispatch person as instructed by my superior... I am only here to see (what is happening)," he said, referring to state education director Rusli Rashikim.

Mohamad left with his assistant 15 minutes later after taking photographs of the crowd and banners written in Chinese.

Rusli, who was said to be attending a seminar, could not be reached for comments.

No justifiable reason

Th controversy started early last year when a request for an additional new campus by the board of governors was turned to a relocation by the education ministry.

This was met with strong protests from members of the Chinese community who claimed that there was no justifiable reason for the closure.

The 71-year-old SJK (C) Damansara has also upgraded its facilities in the past three years with funds raised by local residents and alumni.

The local community near SJK(C) Damansara has recently been given two awards, by Jiao Zong and human rights group Suaram, for its efforts to defend the old school.