Cops claim outside interference in Kg Buah Pala demolition

(The Star) GEORGE TOWN: Outsiders should not have interfered with the Kampung Buah Pala demolition, said George Town police chief Asst Comm Azam Abd Hamid.

“The commotion should not have happened,” he said. “People who had no business being there were there and they stirred up the situation so the residents would object to the demolition.”

ACP Azam said, of the 18 detained, only five were Kampung Buah Pala residents. The others, he said, were members of MIC Youth, Hindraf and Makkal Sakti.

He said they also detained three women, all of whom were residents of the village.

“Court officials have gone into the village several times to serve notices. The villagers appealed for extensions and these were granted on humanitarian grounds.

“However, they didn’t keep their word after they promised to vacate the area after the court ruled against them.,” he said. “What they did is wrong. They cannot go against the law,” ACP Azam told reporters at the Patani Road police station.

He said those arrested would be investigated for rioting and obstructing public servants from discharging their duties.

ACP Azam said at least four police reports had been lodged over the incident by different parties and “more reports are coming in”.

He said a constable and a detective received outpatient treatment at the Penang Hospital after one of them was punched in the eye and the other throttled.

Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, said the state was not involved in forcing the villagers to move.

“Like it or not, the eviction is in pursuant of a court order obtained by the developer and the cooperative,” he said.

Deputy Chief Minister II Dr P. Ramasamy said the 12 families that had agreed to the double-storey package would receive RM8,000 as moving costs.

“The state would also negotiate for compensation to lessen the burden of their rental while waiting for the houses to be completed.”