Demolition work at Kg Perpaduan in Menggatal.
KOTA KINABALU (Aug 2): Two hundred and fifty-one squatter houses at Kampung Perpaduan in Menggatal were demolished by the authorities on Tuesday.
The demolition work began following a court ruling on October 25, 2021 ordering all the residents to vacate their homes within 30 days.
Among the authorities present at the demolition work were the real estate developer, accompanied by the police, City Hall, the court officials, Sabah Water Department, Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd.
The land developer, Prima Land and Development, was declared the legal landowner by the Kota Kinabalu High Court last year, while the 251 families who occupied the land were ordered to vacate the area within a month.
It was also learned that each family will receive a compensation of RM700 per household and a nominal damage amount of RM5,000 collectively.
The residents were also ordered to bear all related demolition costs, such as building demolition and water and electricity disconnection work.
Meanwhile, Prima Land and Development VP-site operations Desmond Hon said Kg Perpaduan, which borders Kg Muhibah, was named by the residents and was not gazetted.
He said the residents were victims as they had paid a middleman several thousand to buy a piece of land for them to build their houses, only to realise later that they had been deceived.
He said the kampong folks were also issued with some documents to make the deal look genuine.
“We went up there to post the court notice, some of them had since moved out when they knew about it, and some are still here,” he said.
According to court documents, of the 251 respondents, only one held a foreign document, while the others held NRIC numbers issued by the authorities. The youngest is age 18, while the oldest is 81 years old.
Kg Perpaduan is located on the slope behind the Jesselton Driving School with its back to Kokol Hill and not far from the under construction Pan Borneo Highway.
Many of the houses there look newly completed. Most of them are made of concrete structures with water and electricity supply, while a surau has also been built nearby.
Most of the homes have already been vacant when authorities arrived for the demolition work, as they have complied with the court order to vacate the property, but some are still being occupied.
A family who claimed to have only moved in for about nine months was seen pleading with court officials, but was told that they had to move immediately without further delay.
This family’s house is a two-storey building, complete with water, electricity, and air-conditioning.