Potential illegal leasing of units to migrants raises concerns, says resident council membe
PETALING JAYA: Questions over an alleged “foreigner flat” in Hulu Langat have widened beyond the multi-storey building, with focus shifting to its ownership and rental trail.
Kajang Municipal Council Zone 2 Residents’ Representative Council member Ahmad Fuad Abdul Rahman told theSun that the matter should not be viewed as confined to the building.
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Ahmad Fuad, whose zone area under the municipal council includes Kampung Baru Sungai Makau and Kampung Sungai Tekali, said the matter had been known locally for years, with complaints raised by residents before the issue gained traction on social media.
“The issue is actually not just about that building.
“It also involves the settlement behind it. It is quite a wide area,” he said, but could not confirm the scale of the said settlement.
“Complaints were made, and the government also took action. But usually, after they (migrants) were removed from the area, they would come back.
“The cycle continued until the authorities eventually took further action against them.”
He added that the building was now largely empty, with only the landowner and one other family believed to remain there, based on his current understanding.
He also said the Hulu Langat District and Land Office’s remark that the building had “previously been occupied” was accurate, as it was no longer occupied in the manner suggested by claims circulating online.
However, he said the wider concern was whether private owners had facilitated the issue by renting out land or premises without proper approval.
“In my personal view, the landowner should be punished if he rented out the place to migrants.
“If possible, the building should be demolished, and the landowner should be barred from building rental houses, especially rental houses for migrants.”
Ahmad Fuad said he could not confirm details of the 2017 demolition operation cited by the district and land office, including whether it involved the main building or other structures in the vicinity.
The municipal council, when asked by theSun to clarify whether previous action targeted the registered landowner, structure owner, rental operators or occupants, declined to provide specific details.
It was also asked whether the structure and the settlement behind it were on the same lot or involved several lots, and whether planning or building approvals had been sought.
However, a council spokesperson referred theSun to the state government’s earlier statement as the only information available at this stage.
The officer also said any operation would be led by the district and land office, while further queries would be forwarded internally.
Selangor Housing and Culture exco Datuk Borhan Aman Shah had not responded to theSun’s request for comment at press time.
On June 10, Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari placed the Sungai Makau controversy within a years-long enforcement trail, saying state and enforcement agencies had acted since 2016 through notices, compounds, integrated operations, investigations and enforcement.
The district and land office later clarified that illegal occupation notices were issued in 2017, 2020, 2021 and March 13 this year, while the municipal council issued notices and compound offers in 2016, 2017, 2019 and 2021 over construction without written approval.
The office also said the structure was largely on private land, with a small portion on road reserve land, while several illegal residential structures had also been found on river reserve land.
It added that further demolition action on the structure would be carried out according to existing laws.
Separately, Hulu Langat MP Mohd Sany Hamzan told an online news portal (The Rakyat Post) that demolition of the structure had been approved but was awaiting funding allocation from the Selangor government, with the cost estimated at nearly RM600,000.
He said the matter had been raised at several levels, including district, state and federal channels, as well as the police and National Security Council.
