'No more tragedies' plead Tmn Sri Ukay residents

About 50 residents of Taman Sri Ukay, Bukit Antarabangsa in Ampang vented their frustration against the construction of condominiums near the Highland Towers.

The group gathered at a nearby restaurant around 10am before proceeding to a bus stop along the highway that runs near their neighbourhood, hoping their voices will be heard by other residents and members of the public.

The residents carried banners that read; 'KAMI BANTAH PEMBANGUNAN KONDO DI SEKITAR HIGHLAND TOWERS' (We are protesting the construction of condos near Highland Towers), 'Say no Highland Towers Part 2!! Once is enough', "Highland Towers - Graveyard without a stone", "No more tragedies", "Horn to support" and 'Kami bantah Highland Towers v.2' (We are against Highland Towers 2.0).

They also donned white T-shirts with the messages protesting the new development in the landslide prone area.

The residents then proceeded to another area to present their petition against the construction.

According to Special Action Committee spokesperson Lee Joo Khim, the gathering was to highlight the need for the government to be consistent, transparent and accountable in the application of development rules.

“It is our sincere hope in our united stand today, our local council MPAJ will take heed of our concerns and demands for information,” Joo Khim said.

She added that the Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ) holds the responsibility to assess the project and expects MPAJ and perform their duty diligently to ensure the Highland Towers nightmare in 1993 does not occur again.

Meanwhile, Hulu Kelang state assemblyman Saari Sungip has agreed to bring the matter up at the next Selangor State Assembly sitting on Nov 19.

“The responsibility of the state government is to safeguard the people’s lives and belongings and the local council must also be more sensitive towards the people’s voices and needs,” said Saari after receiving a petition by one of the residents’ representative.

Saari supported the protest as according to him, the proposed area is clearly unsafe. He urged the state government and the Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ) to look into the grouses.

The matter has also been highlighted to Ampang MP Zuraida Kamaruddin who conducted a dialogue with the residents last week.

“They had the dialogue with YB Zuraida and she has agreed to facilitate on this matter,” explained Zuraida's Parliamentary secretary Azura Aziz.

Many in the area are still haunted by the Highland Towers tragedy after an apartment block collapsed, killing 48 people. The clearing of land around the area caused massive soil errosion which later resulted the deadly landslide.