Police Nab Two Activists Defending Evicted Residents

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Two activists were detained by police while expressing their solidarity with residents who were evicted from their homes at Tanah Wakaf Abdul Cauder at Jalan Mengkuang in Seberang Perai today
The duo - Bersatu national youth exco Ashraff Mustaqim and Zikri Zulkifli, coordinator for Penggerak Komuniti Muda or Peka - are currently being held at the district police headquarters in Kepala Batas
There were detained at around 11am and brought to the Bukit Mertajam district police headquarters in Taman Perda
Photos of FRU personnel at the eviction site went viral on social media today
When contacted, state Bersatu youth information chief Izhar Shah Arif Shah said the wing will issue a press statement later tonight
"We were there to lend support to our friends but our leaders were taken by the police," Izhar told Malaysiakini
He declined to comment further about the events leading to the arrest of the two and saying they were trying to verify various sources of information
Those evicted were nineteen families who refused to accept an offer by the Penang Islamic Affairs Council with the courts ordering the land to be vacated today. Thirty-two families had moved out earlier
According to PSM housing network coordinator R Karthiges, after an eight-year tussle, the 19 families wanted additional compensation in addition to the original which was:free replacement units (1,000 sq ft) when the development project at their site is completed;
a monthly RM500 rental allowance to families which relocate until the project is ready;
a relocation allowance of RM4,000 and RM3,500 when they move to the new units.The 19 families asked for the rental allowance to be increased to RM700 and for five other families to be allocated units at the completed development. They refused to move out until the additional conditions were met. Yesterday, council president Abdul Malik Kassim said they have negotiated the matter with the residents and spent close to RM3 million in legal fees to resolve the matter
He said the council will go ahead with its plan to claim possession of the land earmarked for a mixed development project to generate income for the Islamic council
The RM50 million project comprises a 22-storey block of 470 units of low and medium cost apartments. -Mkini

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