High Chaparral: CM Wants To Meet Kampung Buah Pala Residents Without Their Lawyer Present

PENANG, July 14 (Bernama) -- Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng has stood firm that the residents of Kampung Buah Pala, Bukit Gelugor do not include their lawyer Darshan Singh Khaira for their meeting with him this Thursday over the village land issue.

He said the state government did not want "outsiders" to be in the meeting which would be held at Komtar about 8pm on that day.

"It's up to them, but if they still want their lawyer to come along, he will have to wait outside as the discussion will only be held with the residents," he told a news conference at his office, here, Tuesday.

He said he did not want the discussion to be manipulated by "outsiders" and asked that the residents make a firm decision on the matter.

"The thing is, the state government is prepared to meet the 23 families concerned to resolve the issue. I ask that they make the right decision," added Lim who also handed the invitation letter for the meeting to the residents' representatives, K. Santha and S. Saravanan.

The Kampung Buah Pala land issue became heated up after the Federal Court issued an order for the 23 families living on the 2.6ha village land, dubbed High Chapparal, to vacate the land by Aug 2.

However, the residents refused to move out, claiming that the village land was given by the previous state government to Koperasi Pegawai Kerajaan Pulau Pinang without their agreement.

The residents also claimed that some opposition leaders had promised to resolve the issue during their campaign in the last general election if they could take over the state administration.

However, when the residents were ordered to vacate the land, the current state government said it would not be able to acquire back the land as it would be too costly and blamed the previous state government for the problem.

Meanwhile, Seri Delima assemblyman R.S.N. Rayer who was present at Lim's news conference, said he would hand out 20,000 copies of the VCD bearing the recording of the signing of the land sale agreement by the previous state government leader.

Rayer also said that a police report had been lodged on threats issued by a few of the villagers for Santha and Saravanan not to attend the meeting with the chief minister.