Chinese temple management deny encroaching govt property

KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 4, 2014): The top management of two Chinese temples which are due to be demolished denied that they are encroaching on government property and say they have the documents to prove it.
Choo Sing Tong Temple Committee secretary-general Yap Eng Hoe said the temple was relocated from Jalan Pekeliling in 1975 and the government granted three pieces of land for the relocation.
The documents have been framed in the temple committee's office and it shows that the structures that will be demolished by the Kuala Lumpur Land and Mines Department are well within boundaries.
Shan Ling Gong Temple caretaker Chan Yuh Peng said there had been no consultation from government authorities before the notice to demolish was issued on Jan 21 and letters of inquiry, as far as Chan and Yap knows, went unanswered.
She said today, the fifth day of Chinese New Year, is the day spring begins and marks the beginning of a new year, and that the insensitivity towards the celebration shows a clear disrespect by the authorities.
KL Welfare Association Public Complaints Bureau chief Datuk Chan Kim Leong, who is a former civil servant, said he will assist the temple to investigate what prompted the Land and Mines Department to issue such a notice.
He said the notice is usually the first warning and he speculates that the move was triggered by a complaint.