By IVAN LOH
Wednesday July 29, 2009
A GROUP of farmers in Jelapang Tambahan in Ipoh had the shock of their lives when part of the crops they were growing on state land was allegedly flattened by a deve-loper.
Spokesman Chai Kok Chuen, 64, claimed that workers of the deve-loper had used tractors to destroy their crops and tool sheds without warning about two weeks ago.
“We have not received any eviction notices from the state authorities or the Land Office.
“Neither were there any verbal warning that the piece of land was to be developed,” he claimed at a press conference at the Jelapang DAP ser-vice centre in Ipoh on Saturday.
Chai noted that he and the other 15 other farmers affected had been growing vegetables and fruits as well as raising poultry and livestock on the 14.6ha piece of land for almost 20 years.
He, however, admitted that the farmers had not applied for the piece of land.
“We have not applied for the land as we know we will not get it. We want the developer to compensate us for the damage.
“We are willing to vacate the land if it does so and show us the eviction notices,” he added.
Their lawyer, Augustine Anthony, said the farmers would be submitting a memorandum to the state government this week in the hopes of having a discussion to resolve the problem.