Developer’s Malay guards blamed for temple fracas

(FMT) – An investigation by police into Monday’s attack on the Sri Maha Mariamman Temple in Subang Jaya has zeroed in on a group of Malays hired by the company which owned the temple land, the government revealed today.

Home Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said police discovered that the lawyer for One City Development, who was to take back its land following a consent judgment in 2014, had paid the guards RM150,000 to “control” the situation at the temple on Monday, the day an attack by an unknown mob led to follow-up violence the next day.

“Around 50 people were hired for this and they were each paid between around RM150 and RM300”.

Describing the move as an “illegal and irresponsible act of intrusion”, he said this provoked the Hindus in the area, leading to chaos and destruction of property.

Muhyiddin said the authorities had yet to determine if the lawyer was acting on the instruction of the developer or on his own volition.

“Our assumption is that he is a lawyer representing One City and he was given the money. I don’t believe the lawyer is so generous to give money to these people.

“There has to be a connection to the efforts to take control of the land. But the action of the lawyer was what caused all this. It is not right.”

He said two lawyers representing the developer are among 21 individuals detained by police to assist in investigations linked to the incident.

Muhyiddin again repeated the statements by government leaders who said the scuffle at the temple was not racial in nature.

He called for calm, adding that Malaysians should also not share fake news on social media.

“We have to focus on issues affecting the people like economic issues.”

He said the dispute over the temple land should not ruin race relations in the country.