10 detained in march to hand Kg Buah Pala memo to CM
(The Star) GEORGE TOWN: Police detained 10 people, including MIC Youth coordinator T. Mohan, when about 50 people were about to march towards Komtar to hand over a memorandum to the Chief Minister’s office on the Kampung Buah Pala issue.
Police moved in after the group ignored OCPD Asst Comm Azam Abdul Hamid’s orders to disperse from the illegal gathering outside the Sivan Temple in Datuk Keramat.
They had planned to bring in several bullock carts tethered to bulls from the village to join the 200m march to the state secretariat building.
Following the arrests more people gathered outside the George Town district police headquarters located nearby and demanded the release of those detained.
A scuffle between the police and the crowd at the George Town police district headquarters’ compound after the 10 men were arrested here Thursday A scuffle broke out and the light strike force personnel moved in to control the crowd as they tried to force themselves into the station. The villagers, however, managed to bring two bullock carts near the station to protest against the police actions.
State police chief Deputy Comm Datuk Wira Ayub Yaakob said 10 people aged between 18 and 49 were arrested but none of them were from Kampung Buah Pala. He said all of them were released after their statements were recorded.
DCP Ayub said they were forced to move in when some of them behaved aggressively towards the policemen.
He said those detained would be investigated under Section 27 of the Police Act 1967 for taking part in an illegal gathering.
After the release, Mohan presented a memorandum on Kampung Buah Pala to Lim’s political secretary Ng Wei Aik.
Mohan claimed that the MIC is prepared to buy the land from Koperasi Pegawai Kerajaan Pulau Pinang Bhd for RM3.2mil.
Meanwhile, Kampung Buah Pala villagers were dealt with another blow when the High Court here dismissed with costs their appeal against the Deputy Registrar’s decision to dismiss their application to set aside the writ of possession and bailiff’s notice.
High Court judge Datuk John Louis O’Hara said he found that the plaintiff had failed to satisfy the court that there were cogent and compelling reasons to allow the appeal.
