BMC access: Grand Saga played with fire


Police fire tear gas at Cheras residents
Malaysiakini - Andrew Ong & Syed Jaymal Zahiid | May 8, 08 1:48pm
It appears that no end is in sight in the stand-off between the determined Bandar Mahkota Cheras (BMC) residents and an equally determined toll operator Grand Saga Sdn Bhd.Police fired tear gas at about 11pm today to disperse 500 residents who had tried to dismantle a new concrete barrier erected by Grand Saga across a toll-free road near the township.The crowd was attempting to demolish by hand the partly-completed barricades of made-shift steel cables.

About 50 riot police fired at least three rounds of tear gas - each time unleashing about 10 canisters - after water cannons failed to disperse the residents.

mahkota cheras road barricade problem location of barricade 300408During the stand-off, BMC committee chairperson Tan Boon Hwa was arrested by the police.

Two others were also arrested earlier this evening.

According to eyewitnesses, Tan and Segambut member of parliament Lim Lip Eng - who had joined the protestors - were both roughed up by the police during the fracas.

The crowd eventually dispersed by 11.30pm and Grand Saga workers returned under heavy police presence to resume their task to completing the barricades.

The tear gas and water cannon marked the end of yet another ugly day in the face-off between the residents and Grand Saga.

Late last night, just hours after concrete barricades were re-erected by Grand Saga, angry residents had dismantled them for the second time.

However, at 5pm today workers from Grand Saga arrived at the scene backed by a team of 100 riot police to erect the barrier for the third time.   

The police kept a group of outraged residents at bay as the workers dug trenches across the toll-free road.

Instead of putting in concrete blocks which could be easily dismantled, this time Grand Saga is building a permanent wall using pre-mixed concrete. 

mahkota cheras road blockade protest pc 080508 05Yesterday at 9pm, two residents were arrested when some 1,000 people tried to block the Grand Saga staff from placing the three-feet high concrete barriers on an alternate toll-free road.

Grand Saga was successful in rebuilding the concrete barrier, which forced residents in the area to use its tolled highway.

This resulted in commuters having to travel an additional six kilometre and pay Grand Saga 90 sen toll for every trip [see Google map below].

The residents, who first removed the barricades on April 21, have claimed that the land belongs to the developer.

Some 100 policemen, including members of the Federal Reserve Unit (FRU), were present when the barricades were being re-erected yesterday.

Also present was Selangor police chief Khalid Abu Bakar.

mahkota cheras road blockade protest pc 080508 07By the time Malaysiakini visited the site at around 10.30pm, the freshly-erected barricades were already removed by the residents and traffic flow was normal.

The residents resolved to remove the concrete slabs following the Pakatan Rakyat-led Selangor government’s declaration that the barriers are an “illegal edifice”.

DAP state executive councillor Ronnie Liu, who visited the site this morning, said no matter how many times Grand Saga puts up the barricades, the residents will remove them.

“What happened yesterday should not have taken place. The state government via the surveillance services of the Department of Survey and Mapping Malaysia (Jupem) have complete jurisdiction over the road and Grand Saga has no authority to place the barricades there,” he said.

Police should be neutral

mahkota cheras road blockade protest pc 080508 11Liu said the police should have taken a neutral stand and not be seen as acting on behalf of Grand Saga and the federal government.

He also advised residents to exercise restraint and not behave in a provocative manner in response to future actions by Grand Saga.

“But Grand Saga and the police must also be mindful of the feelings of the residents here as they have every right to feel upset,” he stressed.

mahkota cheras road blockade protest pc 080508 03Liu also welcomed the residents’s move to file for a court injunction against Grand Saga.

Demands for compensation must be made in court, he said, adding that the injunction will most likely be filed today or tomorrow.

As for the survey report that was supposed to be released by Jupem last week, Liu said that no report has been produced so far and he is upset about this.

mahkota cheras road blockade protest pc 080508 10“But Jupem has done its work nevertheless. They marked the borders which indicate that the road belongs to the state government with red paint only to be removed by some irresponsible people,” he said.

As for the two residents who were arrested yesterday, they are expected to be charged with assaulting police personnel.

The men were part of a 1,000-strong crowd attempting to stop Grand Saga workers from rebuilding the concrete barrier last night.

The duo are being detained at the Cheras police station.

Watch 10-min video of stand-off between residents and police

bandar mahkota cheras access road aerial view 080508

建议载石墩到大道公司
刘天球:放一个拆一个
■日期/May 08, 2008   ■时间/01:38:41 pm
■新闻/家国风云   ■作者/Merdekareview- 林宏祥
           
【本刊林宏祥撰述】雪兰莪州行政议员刘天球重申,土地局已鉴定蕉赖皇冠镇(Bandar Mahkota Cheras)设置石墩地段属于雪州政府,促首相与工程部长不要坐视不理,任由Grand Saga大道公司胡作非为。刘天球也挑战中央政府委派该方的测量师前来现场鉴定,否则等于默认居民与州政府所委测量师的报告。

刘天球(右图)说:“应该是时候(中央政府)出来讲话了。因为如果不出来讲话,不主持公道,也就是说他们放弃他们作为中央政府的权力。我们州政府讲了很多次,我们的州务大臣也公开讲了,这条路是我们的,我们站在人民这边,有没有?”

刘天球也是民主行动党巴生班达马兰(Pandamaran)州议员,他今早11时左右巡视当地,向居民与媒体发表言论。他表示,州政府不满测量局迟迟未交出“白纸黑字”报告书,怀疑中央政府介入。他因此放话,若调查结果发现中央政府介入证据,雪州政府将考虑采取法律行动。

有记者询问假设Grand Saga大道特许经营公司再用石墩封路时,他直接回答:“我们会继续拆!放一个、拆一个!因为他(Grand Saga)没有权力这样做!”

此言一出,获得现场近百名居民的欢呼与喝彩。刘天球接着建议居民用罗里将Grand Saga大道公司封路的石墩载到该公司,让他们接收。此外,刘天球也建议居民起诉Grand Saga,并对过去两年因无理封路而蒙受的损失索取赔偿。

会后,刘天球也与皇冠镇开路行动委员会主席陈文华共同以红漆在地上划线,证明该地段属于雪州政府。

皇冠镇居民委托的测量师邱良福在4月29日证实设置路墩之处,是属于皇冠镇发展商Narajaya有限公司。蕉赖区(Cheras)国会议员陈国伟昨日在现场对记者说,Narajaya目前已经将上述路段移交给加影市议会,因此Grand Saga无权在州政府土地上重设路墩。

昨日,特许经营公司由加影警方辅助,强行重新安置新石墩堵路;上千名当地居民倾巢而出捍卫道路使用权,与警方及大道公司职员僵持了近七个小时,最后在警方收队后,再次移走没有以洋灰封死的石墩。【点击:大道公司获警方辅助强行封路 蕉赖皇冠镇千人阻挡两人被捕】

挑战出示大道合约

刘天球解释,“蕉赖-加影大道”属于“开放式”大道,居民可以自由进出某些地段,不像“封闭式”的大道如南北大道,因此认为Grand Saga没有封路的权力。他挑战Grand Saga出示大道合约,以证明本身有权在当地设石墩。

另外,一名民主行动党元老黄铂雄自掏腰包,聘请测量师鉴定该地段,结果发现该地属于雪州政府。

当地居民昨日力阻设置石墩工作,并与警方发生口角。刘天球今日安抚居民的情绪,劝告居民勿向警方甚至Grand Saga公司代表动粗或恶言相对;他也透露,他本身昨日与雪州总警长卡立通电,向对方表达了“警方应该保持中立,其任务是保护人民”的立场。

刘天球也补充,自己接获投诉,Grand Saga大道公司主席再纳阿比丁(Zainal Abidin)在场指挥警员做事,居民当场大声附和。他透露,再纳阿比丁曾是金马区(Dang Wangi)警区主任,如今已经退休,希望后者别再指挥警察。

陈文华:公路使用权是基本权益

皇冠镇开路行动委员会主席陈文华(右图)告诉记者,该委员会将会考虑刘天球上述建议,并咨询律师意见后才行事。他也说:“我希望中央政府来插手,但是插手不是支持大道公司来封路,而是来帮人民。请中央政府以人民的利益为前提,不要单单只是顾着大道公司的利益。”

他接着说:“昨天他们一大群人来,对于我们的居民,可以讲是对中央政府很失望。他们是不关心,还是根本不理会我们这些居民的心声的感受?封回这个路段,我们觉得很残忍,很不人道,根本没有人权;其实路是使用权根本就是人民的基本权益。所以,希望政府不要再做那些让人民对他们没有信心的工作!”

他叙述,大道公司早在2005年10月已在此处设置石墩。当时居民并不晓得是谁封路,后来才发现是大道公司。

曾文赋:内政部长下台!

另外,皇冠镇开路行动委员会委员曾文赋也对警方介入,辅助大道公司设石墩的行为不满,促内政部长下台。他说:“红头兵(镇暴队)是为人民的!比如昨天叫红头兵过来,红头兵应该是保护人民,而不是保护大道公司。大道公司只是一个私人公司,就利用政府的权限……政府是不是替他们背书?这个是很严重的。内政部长,叫他们(镇暴队)来的,下台!大家支持吗?”

群众大声附和,接着,另一名马来居民占占(Zam Zam Ismail,右图),也在现场向媒体发言,获得居民的掌声。他说:“这是人民的路,不是他们(大道公司)的路。理性一点,我们必须确保他们觉醒(buka mata),下来这里巡视,不要在上面睡觉。他们是部长,他们很舒适。吃……全部被赞助。我们没有,我们自付!他们全部免费,吃也免费、电话也免费,我们全部都要换钱!现在物价涨了,他们把路封了,我们更辛苦!”

他呼吁政府在思想上必须开通,不要像首相般只是睡觉。他语重心长道:“(请)聆听民声。我们是人民,这是我们的国家。不要胡乱指责,这无关种族,这是我们的心声。”

镇暴队又来皇冠镇
居民激愤一人被捕
■日期/May 08, 2008   ■时间/07:06:10 pm
■新闻/家国风云   ■作者/Merdekareview 林宏祥
           

【本刊林宏祥撰述】雪兰莪州蕉赖皇冠镇路墩拆建没完没了,“蕉赖-加影大道”经营公司Grand Saga昨晚重新设置石墩后遭居民再次拆除,今天下午又到设置石墩处,沿着雪州行政议员刘天球今早所划的红线挖了一道小沟,并将石墩逐个推进沟里。

掌管地方政府与研发事务的雪兰莪州行政议员刘天球今天上午到场巡视,并与皇冠镇开路行动委员会主席陈文华共同以红漆在地上划线,证明该地段属于雪州政府。Grand Saga如今则沿着这道红线挖沟。【点击:建议载石墩到大道公司刘天球:放一个拆一个】

据当地居民透露,警方今天再次派出镇暴队及普通警察协助Grand Saga,镇暴队在下午四时左右到场,至少有七辆卡车及一辆水炮车,估计动员警力至少一百人。当地居民也已集聚围观,至截稿时没有发生任何事故。

加影副警区主任多哈(Toha)在场回答记者提问时证实警方派出50名普通警察及63名镇暴队员,至于是谁下指示动员这些警力,他说“不可以讲”,跟着还提醒记者:“不可以写我说不能讲”。

有记者问他,如果Grand Saga重新设置路墩后,居民也再次拆毁路墩,警方会怎么做;他答说这是假设性问题,跟着再次告诫记者不可以写他这么讲。

再纳阿比丁:这是我的指示

此外,据驻守现场的记者透露,昨天频遭居民喝倒彩的Grand Saga主席再纳阿比丁(Zainal Abidin)今天再次来到现场;回答记者提问谁下的指示时,他说:“这是我再纳阿比丁下的指示,无需信件、无需白纸黑字,这是Grand Saga的范围。”

尽管土地测量报告证实遭设置路墩堵截出路的雪兰莪州蕉赖皇冠镇出口的地段归雪州政府所有,但Saga由加影警方辅助强行重新安置新石墩堵路;上千名当地居民倾巢而出捍卫道路使用权,与警方及大道公司职员僵持了近七个小时,最后在警方收队后,再次移走没有以洋灰封死的石墩。期间有两名居民被捕。【点击:大道公司获警方辅助强行封路 蕉赖皇冠镇千人阻挡两人被捕】

今天傍晚7时15分左右,大约15名Grand Saga工友将石墩逐个推进较早前挖掘的沟里,准备重建路墩;现场约有五百名居民围观,并报以嘘声。

晚上8时15分,Grand Saga派来的神手抵达现场,将摆在地面的石墩推入小沟里,此时居民纷纷对着神手叫骂。

大约半小时后,神手完成任务要离开时,一些居民再度以粗口对着神手叫骂;此时,镇暴队员开始动手捉人,至少逮捕了一人。

不过,据目击者说,该名被捕者乃受池鱼之殃,他当时骑着电单车从神手旁边经过,不知何故失去平衡跌倒,无意间拉扯到警察,结果被误当闹事而被捕。

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