4 Men Arrested After Trying To Stop Land Office From Evicting Farmers In Perak
The police said the four men were detained for obstructing public servants from carrying out their duties.
By May Vin Ang β 25 Oct 2023, 12:24 PM
Three Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) members and a farmer were arrested yesterday, 24 October, when they attempted to stop the eviction of farmers in Kanthan, Chemor in Perak
According to New Straits Times, Ipoh police chief ACP Yahaya Hassan said the four men were detained for obstructing public servants from carrying out their duties at the Silver Valley Technology Park project site.
"At about 10am, an integrated operation under Section 425 of the National Land Code 1965 (for unlawful occupation of government land) was carried out at the site," he said in a statement yesterday.
"The operation was led by the Perak Land and Mines Office (PTG) and joined by other state government agencies, while policemen were there to maintain security throughout the operation," he added.
During the operation at 2.30pm, a group of farmers and members of PSM obstructed the officers from carrying out their duties, which led to the arrests under Section 186 of the Penal Code.
PSM chairman Dr Michael Jeyakumar was one of the four individuals arrested in the commotion yesterday, 24 October.
Image via Parti Sosialis Malaysia (Facebook)Meanwhile, PSM said the farmers faced forceful eviction despite ongoing negotiations between them and the state government regarding the land issue
In a statement yesterday, PSM secretary-general Sivarajan Arumugam said party chairman Dr Michael Jeyakumar, two party members β Karthiges Manickam and Kesavan Parvathy β and a farmer, Ho Pon Tien, were arrested for resisting the eviction and the demolition of the crops.
He claimed that one of the PTG officers had aggressively pushed a PSM member, Chong Yee Shan, causing her to fall down and break her teeth.
"In Kanthan area, there are nearly 200 farmers growing various food crops serving the local market and residents.
"Since 2012, these farmers were promised lease agreements by the Perak State Development Corporation (PKNP) at an alternative location named Perak Hi-Tech Park. They were offered replacement land of two acres to be leased for a period of 30 years," he said.
Sivarajan claimed that the Perak government failed to fulfil its promise and decided to forcefully evict the farmers under Section 425 of the National Land Code.
"Why evict productive farmers, when they have applied for the land and waited patiently to comply with the state government's offer for alternative land?" he asked.
Police said the eviction was carried out successfully, and the four individuals were later released on bail
Yahaya added that the police also received a report from PTG against a woman for obstructing the office's vehicle during the operation. She will be investigated under Section 186 of the Penal Code.
PSM has urged Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to intervene immediately, saying the plight of the farmers in Kanthan falls within his parliamentary constituency of Tambun in Perak.
