Kg Berembang
Nov 21st, 2006 by Tian
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| Kg Berembang is located in the prime commercial center of KL |
I heard about the demolition attempt in Kampung Berembang last week. Last Friday, Majlis Perbandaran Ampang Jaya (MPAJ) tried to bulldoze through the kampung but was stopped by the residents. Over the weekend, sms had been circulated warning that a large scale demolition was on its way on Monday (20 November).
Unfortunately I was tied up with so many things: press conference for Suara Keadilan, workshop with NDI, etc. At noon, I got news that several activists had been arrested as the MPAJ enforcers forced their way in.
At about 14:00hr, I received phone calls from KeADILan activists on the ground saying that the situation was getting more tense as FRU and other uniform units were ready to make another assault. At the time I was at the Sheraton Hotel, about to join the NDI workshop. So I dragged Ginie along and rushed to Kg Berembang.
When we arrived, the atmosphere was very tense. Things were quite chaotic and one immediately sensed the outburst of anger. I walked around the kampung, where houses were being evacuated, and crying and angry families were everywhere.
In one corner I saw an infuriated mother crying with her two children. She held their hands and lightly stroked their heads, telling them:
“Look at this, sons, don’t forget this when you grow up. If you ever grow up to be someone, you should always remember this. This is the fate of us poor people.
“Open your eyes, look at what they have done to us poor people, remember this till the end…â€
This scene was vividly displayed in front of me. I was very moved, and sad. I wished I had a video-cam to capture this moment. I watched all of them helplessly.
Within minutes, excavators got into action. 5 or 6 excavators worked in chorus. Escorted by the contingents of urban councils, the machines advanced to all the houses. It was a scene of battlefield, the conquerors marching in, ready to quash any resistance.
Having cleared the earlier human barricade, the troops of urban council enforcers and police now took control. The residents were threatened with arrest if they disobeyed the order to evacuate their belongings from their houses.
It didn’t take long for their meager property to be moved out. Soon the machine’s iron claw swiftly crushed through the roof, knocked down walls and squashed everything standing. Demolition is a form of violence. I felt as if I was trapped in a cinema watching a horror movie—the acts of destruction seemed to run in slow motion, while the machines screamed loud heavy metal tunes, and bricks, wood and cement all crumbled into piles of rubble.
As the houses fell one after another, the poor cried helplessly. Their homes for 30-40 years were erased in front of their eyes; but these images were chiseled in the memory of the children.
I heard someone said, “Lebih kejam dari Israel…â€
For this operation, many uniformed forces were called in. Besides the ordinary police force and SB, there were FRU, light forces, even the fire brigade. MPAJ had also called in other enforcement units from Subang Jaya, Sepang and Selayang. Although the area is within the jurisdiction of Ampang Jaya Council, others came to aid in ’solidarity’. There were probably 300 to 400 personnel, taking on some 60 over houses. No doubt it was a war: the conquest of the poor by the rich.
On my way home, heavy rain started pouring. My heart sunk deep.
On the radio, the DJ announced that today was the first day of exams and wished the school children well.
That reminded me, one of the families has a girl who is taking her exam this year. She was out sitting for her paper while the bulldozer was razing her home.
Tonight, she and hundreds of others will be sheltered under a piece of broken zinc or a small tent. They will have to endure many more cold and wet nights without a roof. The monsoon season has been unusually cruel this year.
very descriptive, and very sad….
i hope people don’t forget the developers and their associates who are behind all this…
[...] Dua buah rumah juga terbakar ’secara misteri’, menurut Bernama. Semalam seorang rakan menghantar SMS bertanya lanjut insiden tersebut kerana salah seorang pemandu di syarikatnya tinggal di sana. Lebih 20 aktivis yang cuba membantu penduduk Kg. Berembang ditahan polis. Menurut Star, seorang penduduk kehilangan 10,000 cucuk sate yang disediakan untuk sebuah rumah terbuka ketika Kg. Berambang dimusnahkan. Yang lebih menarik lagi, surat daripada Pejabat PM meminta agar tindakan MPAJ tersebut dihentikan tidak dihiraukan, kerana kerajaan negeri memberikan kebenaran. SUHAKAM juga telah meminta agar MB Selangor menjelaskan tindakan tersebut. Ketua Penerangan Keadilan, Tian Chua, merakamkan catatan peribadinya ketika peristiwa tersebut. Seperti kata kenalan saya, Tony Pua, tiada siapa mempersoalkan hak pemilik tanah untuk meminta mereka berpindah. Tetapi penduduk Kg. Berembang sudah tinggal di sana selama 30 tahun, dan perumahan alternatif mereka belum siap. Di mana perikemanusiaan pemaju dan PBT? [...]
Hello! Wow! It is so shocking to read that those four houses were going to be build-dozed! and the worst part is that those people living there never got any advanced notice. Quite frankly I am very disppointed of the attitude of people nowadays in dealing with these kinds of matters! I mean c’mon what is wrong with you people? Are you so heartless and selfish that societies needs don’t have anything to do with you? *(sigh)* Anyway. It’s good that the peope fought back and tried to negotiate instead of fighting constantly. I am support the arguement of the villagers and the people living in those very houses. My heart goes out to them and urge them for fight for their rights. Even if the must, they’ll have to challange the constitution. I write in cordial with the need to make more sense of this case. As for the police and other people involved. Well! All I can say is that you’re never there for the people. Let alone protect, not even the innocence. Foreigners have a very bad of point of view of the Malaysian Police anyway. Please so something about this case because I am concerned. I am a Malaysian but has been travelling overseas for the past 16 years. And been to nearly 24 countries. And I am very disappointed at the attitude… I really am… Thank God there are people who are concerned enough to write about these things! *(PHEW)*!
bukan x kesian. tapi mereka yang cari pasal. dah la duduk tanah haram. diarah pindah, diberi lagi duit pindah rm1500, rumah disediakan, duduk free 3 tahun, pindah je la.
[...] In the case of Indian temples which have been standing for more than 100 years, the government was quick to label it as “squatters†despite clear objection from the many people and numerous appeals to gazette the land. There is little compensation or in most situations, the temple committee is left high and dry. In case of Kampung Berembang, it is sitting on prime land – so is there a reasonable cause to evict the people to develop the land? [...]
But what do you all think of this..anyway we got to be fair.Can you please justify this news :
Ampang, 2 Nov 2007 — Menteri Besar Selangor menganggap isu penempatan semula setinggan kampung berembang telah selesai walaupun menghadapi jalan yang sukar dan berliku.
Menurut Datuk Seri Dr. Mohamad Khir bin Toyo, Kerajaan negeri membelanjakan hampir RM 30 juta untuk penempatan semula setinggan Kempung Berembang.
Ini termasuk bayaran pampasan kepada pemilik tanah, suibsidi penghuni setinggan sebanyak RM7,000bagi seunit rumah kos rendah yang berharga RM42,000 dan juga elaun perpindahan ke penempatan antara RM800 hingga RM1,200 bagi satu keluarga
“Ia jalan terbaik, bukan saja menguntungkan setinggan malah memberi faedah kepada tuan tanah.â€
Dr. Mohamad Khir berkata demikian ketika menyempurnakan Majlis Pelancaran Projek Berembang Indah dan Penyampaian Perjanjian Pemilikan Penempatan Semula Kampung Berembang, dekat sini.
Projek Berembgang Indah akan dikendalikan oleh anak syarikat kerajaan negeri Selangor, Permodalan Negeri Selangor Berhad (PNSB) dan Perspektif Masa Sdn Bhd itu dijangka siap Disember tahun depan, dengan pembinaan 694 unit rumah kos rendah.
Turut sama pada majlis itu Pengerusi Jawatankuasa Tetap Perumahan, Pengurusan Bangunan dan Setinggan, Dato’ Mohd Mokhar Ahmad Dahlan dan Pemangku Ketua Eksekutif PNSB, Datin Khairiyah Abu Hassan.
Dalam ucapannya juga Dr. Mohamad Khir menyifatkan penyelesaian masalah setinggan di kampung itu membabitkan tempoh paling lama, beliau berkata ia juga menjadi satu sejarah dalam usaha Selangor menyelesaikan masalah setinggan.
“Saya ingat ia yang paling susah sekali, dan isu Kampung Berembang ini sudah jadi isu sebelum saya lahir lagi,†katanya pada Menurut beliau, sekitar tahun 1964 hingga 1966, setinggan mula mendirikan penempatan di kampung itu sedangkan tanah berkenaan adalah milik orang lain.”
“Pemilik tanah pula terpaksa membayar cukai premium setiap tahun walaupun tanahmereka dihuni penduduk setinggan.”
Dr. Mohamad Khir turut mengulas mengenai kritikan dan tohmahan beberapa pihak mengenai usaha kerajaan negeri menempatkan semula setinggan Kampung Berembang.
“Kerajaan tetap meneruskan kerana ia merupakan jalan terbaik, yang bukan saja menguntungkan setinggan malah memberi faedah kepada tuan tanah. Ini merupakan usaha mewujudkan situsai yang menguntungkan kedua-dua belah pihak.â€
Dalam sidang media selepasnya Dr. Mohamad Khir berharap para setinggan kampung berembang dapat menumpukan kepada pendidikan anak-anak.
Untuk rekod, Kampung Berembang dihuni oleh 1070 keluarga, terdiri daripada majoritinya masyarakat Melayu, selebihnya Cina, India dan bukan bumiputera. Tanah asal adalah milik 111 individu seluas 60 ekar.
Proses pemindahan setinggan Kampung Berembang dalam kawasan Selangor sudah diselesaikan, sementara bakinya melibatkan pihak berkuasa Kuala Lumpur dan sebahagian lagi terlibat dengan Projek Smart yang dibangunkan kerajaan Persekutuan.
Antara kemudahan yang bakal dinikmati penduduk pangsapuri itu nanti ialah sekolah, surau, tadika, dewan orang ramai, gerai dan taman permainan.
Selain pembinaan rumah kos rendah berkenaan, baki tanah akan dibangunkan dengan pangsapuri kos tinggi sebanyak 2,347 unit bagi menampung subsidi perlaksanaan penyelesaian setinggan.
- SUARA SELANGOR MAJU/MBSelangor.net.my
[...] reminded the folks that in PKR, they defend the rakyat without looking at the races. He mentioned Kampung Berembang in Ampang and people started clapping. He said this method is not BN method because in BN, you will need to [...]