The state government will hold further discussions over the relocation of the fire victims who were made homeless during a fire at Kampung Hidayat, to a suitable place.

State Secretary Tan Sri Sukarti Wakiman said all aspects will be looked into and appropriate options would be considered during the discussions later.

Sukarti said a temporary site for relocation is available for the fire victims but they preferred to stay with their relatives at the current site of the fire incident.

He said this to the media following an assessment visit to the fire incident site at Kampung Hidayat, Mile 4, Apas Road, yesterday.

Sukarti disclosed that it may be necessary to relocate the fire victims to a new appropriate location. The Tawau disaster committee will further deliberate on this and may consider two or three other options as most of the victims are Malaysians, IMM13 holders, or holders of a Task Force Census Certificate or a Chief Minister’s Department Resettlement Census Unit Certificate.

In all, 261 houses were destroyed in the huge fire last Saturday and caused 1,960 victims to be made homeless, comprising 1,141 Malaysians and 819 non-Malaysians.

Meanwhile, Sri Tanjong assemblyman Chan Foong Hin concurred with the Tawau Municipal Council (TMC) that no rebuilding of houses is allowed at Kampung Hidayat.

Instead of rebuilding, Chan has called for a relocation of the refugee settlement schemes to inland for better security monitoring and management by the authorities concerned.

The DAP Sabah secretary said what had happened at Kampung Hidayat today is the consequences of no planning and monitoring by the government on how to handle the complicated refugee settlement issues.

“I still remember what has been said by the Special Functions Minister Datuk Teo Chee Kang in the state assembly sitting last November that the state government would propose to the federal government to relocate the refugee settlement schemes to other better suitable location. What is the status now? Before any relocation done, part of Kampung Hidayat was burnt down,” he said yesterday.

There are five refugee settlement schemes in Sabah, including in Telipok, Kinarut, Kampung Bahagia Sandakan, Kampung Selamat Semporna and Kampung Hidayat Tawau.

Chan said he could not understand how Malaysians could be living in Kampung Hidayat which is a 14-hectare Filipino refugee settlement, and 6.5 hectares were razed by fire last Saturday. From the latest registration completed, it was found that from the total number of victims, 1,141 were Malaysians and 819  were foreigners.

According to TMC president Alijus Sipil, more than 30 per cent of the villagers involved in the incident were foreigners, and the houses were not legally registered under Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd for electrical connection, and similarly, only 30 houses were registered under the Water Department for water supply.

“I don’t understand why there are Malaysians living in a Filipino refugee settlement, not paying for any utilities but yet they can enjoy free utilities. How can it happen? Don’t we have enforcement all these years? Or is this proof that there were no enforcement?” he asked.

He said the victims who are Malaysians surely came from somewhere and at least have their own kampongs or parents’ kampongs and the matter must be studied by the government or else in future Sabah will have locals staying as ‘refugees’ at refugees’ settlements in Sabah

Source:

by BORNEO POST

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