theSun | TUESDAY JULY 28 2009 5

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Solution to Kampung Buah Pala impasse may be in sight

by Himanshu Bhatt
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
PENANG: The Kampung Buah Pala
issue may finally find a resolution – the
developer of the condominium project
on the disputed land is considering a
state government proposal to allocate
an adjacent plot for the villagers there
who are facing eviction.
Penang Deputy Chief Minister (II)
Prof Dr P. Ramasamy said yesterday,
the state government had met up
with developer Nusmetro Ventures
(P) Sdn Bhd to discuss this latest
proposal.
He said the new settlement for
the villagers would include a double-
storey terraced house for each of the
24 households.
He also stressed that upon receiv-
ing feedback from Nusmetro, the state
would revert to the villagers before
pursuing the matter further.
It is understood that Nusmetro is
now engaged in technical consulta-
tions to assess the proposal.
The meeting on Saturday with
the developer was attended by Chief
Minister Lim Guan Eng, Ramasamy and
state executive councillor Abdul Malik
Kassim.
Meanwhile, the chief minister
took to task MIC leaders for using the
Penang government and the Kampung
Buah Pala issue for personal leverage
as the party’s elections approach in
September.
At a press conference at his office
yesterday, Lim expressed apprehen-
sion at having the state dragged into
the MIC’s internal politics.
MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy
Vellu had announced at the Penang
MIC’s 63rd convention on Sunday that
he had called Lim and was willing to
meet with him in a bid to resolve the
Kampung Buah Pala issue.
Lim, however, said Samy Vellu had
spoken to him on Sunday morning but
that it was an “unusual conversation”
as the former works minister had used
the mobile phone of a journalist.
“He did not call me using his phone.
I got a call from a reporter who sud-
denly said that Samy Vellu wanted to
talk to me,” Lim said.
He said Samy Vellu did not seem to
be aware of Kampung Buah Pala’s sta-
tus and legal position as he had asked
about filing an appeal with the courts,
when in fact the Court of Appeal had
already rejected the residents’ ap-
plication.
“I was surprised that this conversa-
tion was then used by him at the MIC
state assembly,” the chief minister
said.
On a claim by MIC Youth coordina-
tor T. Mohan the party could provide
RM3.2 million to help the state acquire
the land, Lim said the sum was not
workable as the current owner and
developer would ask for a much
higher sum.
Lim had announced over the
weekend that the Penang government
was revoking approval for the project
based on its powers under the Town
and Country Planning Act 1976.
The decision was made ahead of
an Aug 2 deadline set by Nusmetro
for the eviction of Kampung Buah Pala
residents following the service of a
writ of possession on July 2.

Police complete probe

into Teoh’s death
by Charles Ramendran
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
PETALING JAYA: Police have
wrapped up an investigation
into the death of 30-year-old
political secretary Teoh Beng
Hock and will submit their
report to an inquest into the case
BERNAMAPIX
16. He said 74 people including
25 Malaysian Anti-Corruption
Commission (MACC) person-
nel were questioned or had their
statements recorded.
He told theSun the probe
had been completed, but police
would continue investigations if
fresh information or testimony
an investigation into the alleged
misappropriation by two as-
semblymen of allocations meant
for their constituencies. He was
found dead on the level five bal-
cony of Plaza Masalam, whose
14th floor houses the MACC
offices, at 1.35pm the next day.
Although almost two weeks

tomorrow. of new witnesses came to light. have passed, the Selangor

Construction workers place a plastic covering over the caved-in stretch.
Collapsed road to be repaired within weeks
KUALA LUMPUR: The road that col-
lapsed near the project site of a wholesale
mall on Saturday will be repaired within
three to four weeks, the project’s devel-
safe following repairs.
The spokesman said work to recon-
truct the road had started on Sunday and
that the decades-old burst pipes which had
Selangor police chief DCP
Datuk Khalid Abu Bakar said
investigators were “tying up
loose ends” before finalising
their report.
He said investigation papers
would be submitted to the
inquest ordered by Prime Min-
ister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul
Razak after Teoh’s death on July
“We will not cease to carry
on with the probe if anything
new crops up and so we urge
anyone with more information
to come forward,” Khalid said,
declining to disclose the find-
ings of the probe.
Teoh had on July 15 been
summoned by the Selangor
MACC as a witness to assist in
MACC has yet to lodge a police
report on incident.
On July 22, the cabinet agreed
to hold an inquest into Teoh’s
death and establish a Royal
Commission of Inquiry to look
into the interrogation methods of
the MACC. Najib said the inquest
would be headed by a magistrate
as dictated by law.

Selangor orders internal audit

oper, Kenanga Wholesale City Sdn Bhd, caused the collapse were being repaired.
said.
A spokesman for the company who was providing the 18 families which
declined to be named said the site on were evacuated from the area with
Jalan San Peng had been stabilised and is accommodation and food.
Ng explains why fresh
tender was called
by Tim Leonard
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
KUALA LUMPUR: Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr
Ng Yen Yen yesterday said the decision to cancel
the first tender and call for a fresh tender for the
construction of a Malaysia pavilion at the 2010 World
Expo in Shanghai, China was due to an error by the
ministry in briefing the bidding companies.
“Was there a slight error? Yes … the first brief
given (to bidding companies) was on eco-tourism,”
said Ng, when asked to comment on the controver-
sial awarding of a RM19.99 million contract to drug
firm Venturepharm Asia Sdn Bhd.
“There was a first brief on ‘adventure, discovery
and explore’ but the theme for Shanghai was ‘Better
city, better living’.
“You can say your design is good, but the Shang-
hai expo (organisers) must accept the design. The
design has to be consistent with the theme.”
Ng said based on proposals in the first tender,
there were elements of forest and mangrove
swamps and it did not reflect the country well.
“So we gave a new brief,” she said, referring to
the process of calling of a fresh tender.
On another note, Ng said she was not aware Ven-
turepharm Asia was probed by the MACC for a bio-
feed project and its grant from the Ministry of Science,
Technology and Innovation was frozen recently.
“As far as I am concerned, the tender was through
an open process and the company (Venturepharm
Asia) complied with MoF rulings.
Venturepharm Asia’s name was first raised in
Parliament by Wangsa Maju MP Wee Choo Keong
and the company’s multi-million grant by Mosti was
frozen recently following a probe by MACC.
Wee claimed Venturepharm Asia received lucrative
contracts from the government due to strong political
links despite having no experience in the field.
The spokesman said the company
Ean Yong’s aides give
statements
SHAH ALAM: Two personal as-
sistants to Selangor New Village
Development and Illegal Factories
Task Force Committee chairman
Ean Yong Hian Wah gave their state-
ments to the police over the death
of political aide Teoh Beng Hock.
Evonne Lee, 40, and Thong Kim
Fatt, 53, were accompanied by
lawyer Teoh Weng Keng, when their
statements were taken at the Shah
Alam police district headquarters
yesterday afternoon. – Bernama
Futsal players lose
to thief
KUALA LUMPUR: Two foreigners
who were enjoying a game at
a futsal centre on Jalan Segam-
but lost their valuables worth
about RM15,000 to a thief late
on Sunday.
The victims, a 36-year-old Ni-
gerian who works as a general
manager for a company here
and an Indonesian business-
man in his 20s were playing the
game when a lone thief entered
the XL Futsal centre at about
11.30pm and grabbed two bags
belonging to them.
The thief then fled in a car.
The foreigners lost their hand-
phones, luxury watches and
cash.
It is learnt that Umno Youth
chief Khairy Jamalludin was also
a player in the match when the
thief struck.
on spending of state allocations
by Tan Yi Liang
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
SHAH ALAM: The Selan-
gor government has directed a
state-wide internal audit on the
spending of state allocations by
members of legislative assem-
bly.
The internal audit will
among others ensure that the
spending of allocations comply
with the procedures set by the
state government.
“This is our way to assure
the public that the accounting of
the state coffers is continuously
monitored,” said Mentri Besar
Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim
in a statement yesterday.
The internal audit team
will also study the procedures
involved, with the intention for
improvement.
The auditing will begin as
soon as possible at the Petaling
District. A report by the internal
audit team will be presented to
the state within a month, after
which, it will be made available
to the public.
On another issue, the state
has also appointed leading
human rights lawyer Malik
Imtiaz Sarwar to act for the state
government in the inquest of
Teoh Beng Hock, the political
aide who was found dead on
July 16 at Plaza Masalam, which
houses the Selangor Malaysian
Anti-Corruption Commission
(MACC) offices. Malik will also
be representing the state in the
Royal Commission of Inquiry to
look into MACC’s interrogation
methods.
Meanwhile, Selangor state
assembly Backbenchers Club
(BBC) deputy chairman Abdul
Rani Osman said there are
clear procedures for the release
of the allocations given to as-
semblymen to spend on their
constituents.
Any thorough investigation
into alleged misappropriation
of this fund by the MACC will
reveal that all regulations have
been followed, he said at a press
conference after a meeting of
the BBC at the state assembly
complex yesterday.
The assemblymen are given
the RM5,000 outright grant to
spend on their constituents
The money is placed at the
district office, and before it can be
released, there must be convinc-
ing evidence of its need, he said.
“It is clear that the allocation
can be used at the assembly-
man’s discretion, but the regula-
tions are clear that the money
must reach the public regardless
of race or political background,”
the Meru assemblyman said.
Abdul Rani told reporters that
there were also instances where
assemblymen had been denied
access to the grant for not meet-
ing the requirements, adding that
a circular was available stating
the regulations in detail.
In a recent incident, the
MACC conducted an investiga-
tion into Seri Kembangan as-
semblyman Ean Yong Hian Wah
for allegedly misappropriating
RM2,400 from this fund in con-
junction with a Hari Merdeka
flag purchase last year.
Abdul Rani also called on the
MACC to respect the assembly-
men and stop treating them as
“criminals”. He added that the
MACC should also give the ass-
meblymen being investigated
time to call their lawyers.
“We will name 10 lawyers
to help assemblymen. Don’t in-
vestigate us spontaneously. Give
us two or three days to contact
the lawyers so that they can be
present,” he said.
Meanwhile, Sekinchan as-
semblyman Ng Suee Lim said
that the investigation into Ean
Yong by the MACC was part of a
concerted “conspiracy” to topple
the Pakatan Rakyat government
of Selangor.
“This is the fifth incident. The
first was when Teresa Kok was
arrested under the Internal Se-
curity Act, the second was when
Ronnie Liu was arrested under
a charge of obstructing a police
investigation that had happened
a year ago in a Puchong hotel,”
said Ng.
“The third was the cars and
cows issue of Tan Sri Khalid Ibra-
him, and the fourth incident was
that of Elizabeth Wong, who had
intimate photos of her distributed.
And the fifth, now is the investiga-
tion of Ean Yong, which led to the
death of his political secretary,
Teoh at the MACC,” he added.