One Week After Deepavali, The Century-Old Hindu Temple Demolition Resumes
The 101-year-old Sri Muneswarar Kaliayaman Hindu temple was further demolished Sunday morning despite a meeting pending with the deputy minister of the Federal Territories Ministry later this month.
By Judith Yeoh — 01 Sep 2013, 05:50 PM — Updated about 11 years ago
Demolition Of Century-Old Temple In Golden Triangle Resumes, Only Prayer Hall, Shrine Left
Just a week after Deepavali, demolition works at the 101-year-old Golden Triangle Muneswarar temple at Jalan P Ramlee in Kuala Lumpur was reported to have resumed this morning.
thestar.com.my
Workers seen still carrying out demolition works at the site of the Sri Muneswarar Kaliyaman temple, this morning. - The Malaysian Insider pic by Nazir Sufari, November 10, 2013.
Image via themalaysianinsider.comTemple president R.A. Balasubramaniam said the officers from Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) along with several policemen came to the temple as early as 7.30am.
"They made those inside leave without any explanation and proceeded to demolish the temple," he said.
Members of the temple committee talking to City Hall officers as the demolition is carried out. Starpix by CHOONG MEK ZHIN
Image via imgur.com"Nobody will talk to us and they have not allowed us to go inside to salvage what we can. No notice has been served," he said.
By 12.30pm, all structures around the prayer hall had been torn down and removed. Only the hall and a shrine, one of two shrines at the temple, have yet to be demolished.
themalaysianinsider.com
It is learnt that the hall and shrine would not be removed as they conformed to DBKL plans, which include the building of a walkway by a developer of a 30-storey building adjacent to the temple.
themalaymailonline.com
The building that is also the prayer hall waiting to be demolished. Picture by DINA MURAD
Image via imgur.com
Temple devotees protest outside the state secretariat building in Ipoh
Temple devotees protest outside the state secretariat building in Ipoh
Image via malaysiaedition.netDevotees of a demolished Hindu temple demonstrated outside the state secretariat building here with a life-size statue of deity Lord Muniandy.
malaysiandigest.comThe angry group of about 30 people and committee members of the Om Sri Arulmigu Veera Marathadi Muniandy temple were there to protest the demolition of the 103-year-old temple in Meru Raya here on Sept 5 by Perak Corporation Bhd.
thestar.com.my“And after years of delaying the settlement, they have come to demolish the temple without notifying the temple committee,” Sivasubramaniam, who led the group, added that there were no devotees or committee members at the temple during the demolition.
thestar.com.myHe claimed the company had promised the temple committee a RM200,000 compensation but had been dragging its feet over the matter.
malaysiaedition.net
V. Elango, who is adviser to Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir, met the group and gave his assurance that the state government would send its representatives to meet the temple committee as soon as possible.
thestar.com.myHindu politicians and Malaysia Hindu Sangam says Datuk Tengku Adnan's comment is ridiculous
Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor stepped into a minefield when he "downgraded" a century-old Hindu temple into a shrine and then pointedly asked why the authorities "always had problems with temples and not churches, mosques or Chinese temples".
themalaysianinsider.com
The attitude of the Federal Territories minister to a sacred Hindu spot hit a raw nerve among other politicians and the head of the Malaysia Hindu Sangam, who responded strongly today.
They questioned if Tengku Adnan knew enough about Hinduism to make comments on what is a shrine or a temple and on the Sri Muneswarar Kaliyaman Temple, in particular.
asianews.coOn Tengku Adnan's suggestion that only Hindu temples were problematic, Malaysia Hindu Sangam president Datuk R.S. Mohan Shan shot back that it was because the government did not provide Hindus a proper site to build their temples.
themalaysianinsider.com
"This is a ridiculous statement by the minister. We are the victims here. We are not the trouble-causers," Mohan responded. He said, "If Hindus were given the proper avenue to fulfill their spiritual obligations in peace, issues such as this would have never occured," MIC Youth chief T. Mohan.
Federal Territories Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor says the Sri Muneswarar Kaliyaman Temple is a mere shrine and not a temple
The Sri Muneswarar Kaliamman Hindu temple should be identified as a shrine rather than a temple, according to Federal Territories Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor.
thestar.com.myHe said he understood the difference between the two and the one currently embroiled in a struggle over 2.43m of land between it and an ongoing project construction located in the Golden Triangle area here, is a shrine.
"I know what a temple and shrine is all about. I am also a pious man. I pray. I would not want to break something which people pray to,” he said. "This country has laws so please abide by it," Tengku Adnan told reporters in KL.
themalaysianinsider.com
The temple, located at the corner of Jalan P. Ramlee and Jalan Tengah, is said to have been built in 1911 and has been fighting the demolition order that was first issued on June 13 by the Federal Territories Land Office.
thestar.com.myAfter a temple cleansing, devotees tore down the zinc fence separating temple and construction site for a 30-storey office building
Angry devotees tore down the zinc fence separating the 101-year-old Sri Muneswarar Kaliamman Hindu temple and a construction site for a 30-storey office building by Hap Seng Land after prayers here Thurs, 5 Sept 2013.
thestar.com.my"We hope the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak takes note that the sentiments of the Hindus have been gravely hurt by the demolition works carried out on the temple," PKR leader R Sivarasa.
"All we want now is for the government to gazette this land including the eight feet plot which was taken in the temple's name."
themalaysianinsider.com
Demolition of 101-year-old temple involves taking 2.43m of space for a buffer as part of a project by Hap Seng Consolidated Bhd.
Federal Territories Minister Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor said that DBKL (City Hall) will look into beautifying the rest of the temple, adding that there was no intention to desecrate the place.
thestar.com.myMIC Youth chairman T Mohan said Tengku Adnan had promised to allocate funds to beautify the temple before, "But yesterday, he broke his promise by demolishing part of the temple."
nst.com.my
PKR vice-president N. Surendran said the removal of the statues was not done in a proper manner, "The proper way is to first carry out a special 48-day ritual before removing them."
thestar.com.myIt was pavement repairs, not demolition of Hindu temple, say police
Police have denied reports that a 101-year-old Hindu temple in Jalan P. Ramlee here is being demolished. Instead, they said, several statues were temporarily shifted to enable a pavement next to it to be repaired.
Dang Wangi police chief ACP Zainuddin Ahmad said Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL), which was carrying out the repair work, would put back the statues of the deities once the repair work was completed.
themalaysianinsider.com
He said seven men, including MIC Youth chief T. Mohan, were arrested for allegedly hindering the repair work near the temple at about 11am today. They were released this afternoon after statements were taken, he said in a statement.
DBKL demolishes 101-year-old Hindu temple
The Sri Muneswarar Kaliyaman Hindu temple situated in Kuala Lumpur was a site of chaos on Sunday with Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) members barging into destroy the century-old holy shrine and led to subsequent arrest of temple officials.
ibtimes.co.in
Surendran, the temple lawyer and a People's Justice Party (PKR) member who rushed to the temple site along with others, was roughly purshed around along with the others.
thestar.com.myThe temple built in 1911 has been in a tussle with DBKL authorities since it stands on the latter's sanctioned area. Over the year there has been several talks between the two parties to reach a solution.
ibtimes.co.inMIC's T. Mohan, PKR's Jayathas detained
The chaos in the temple as police break through the gate and try to enter, while devotees and their supporters try to block the passage. The Malaysian Insider pic by Afif Abd Halim, September 1, 2013.
Image via themalaysianinsider.comMIC Youth chief T. Mohan, PKR's S. Jayathas and six others, who tried to stop the demolition were detained and taken to the Dang Wangi police station for obstructing DBKL officers from carrying out their duties, said Dang Wangi OCPD Asst Comm Zainuddin Ahmad.
themalaymailonline.com
The PKR deputy human rights chief was taken to Dang Wangi district police headquarters for obstructing civil servants from carrying out their duty under Section 186 of the Penal Code.
themalaysianinsider.com
"They came and started to remove the deities and wanted to demolish the temple without any warning," said Latheefa. Surendran, who is also the temple's lawyer, said more than 100 City Hall officers came this morning to demolish the temple.
themalaysianinsider.com
"These DBKL officers smashed three deities and took them out. We confronted them and asked for a negotiation but they continued to work until 10.30am until the cops came in and asked them to leave," Surendran told The Malay Mail Online
ibtimes.co.in"There was no notice, it was a demolition by ambush... they just came in a day after Merdeka and began breaking it down. Negotiation was supposed to be still on-going... and there was no court order permitting it. It is illegal - that is my position as the temple's lawyer," he said.
themalaymailonline.com
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