PKR man gets death threats

Lembah Pantai PKR vice-chairman S Pathavachalam claims it was for opposing a high-rise project at the former Brickfields district police headquarters land.

PETALING JAYA: A PKR leader lodged two police reports over death threats he received supposedly for opposing the high-rise project at the former Brickfields district police headquarters (IPD) land.

S Pathavachalam, the Lembah Pantai PKR vice-chairman, lodged first report on Aug 16 with the Travers police station and the second at the Brickfields IPD located in Sri Petaling on Aug 22.

“I have endured many things in my life. I won’t be intimidated by this,” he told a press conference at the party headquarters today.

Also present were PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar and Subang MP R Sivarasa.

The former Brickfields IPD land in Jalan Tun Sambanthan was said to have been transferred to developer Primamuda Holdings Sdn Bhd in a land swap to start a high-rise project in the area.

Bukit Bintang Umno Wanita division chief Mariany Mohamad Yit is believed to be a director in the company.

Several Brickfields based-NGOs voiced their objections to the project. They want the government to build a police station there, in view of the soaring crime rate in the area after the IPD was transferred to Sri Petaling in 2010.

‘Offered a settlement’

Pathavachalam said his ordeal started when he attended a gathering at the former Brickfields IPD land on Aug 14, which was also attended by Federal Territories and Urban Well-Being Minister Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin and a representative from the developer.

He said the meeting was arranged so that residents could raise their concerns on the developer’s plan to build commercial premises on the land.

“Instead of having talks with the residents, Nong Chik went on a tirade against the opposition saying Pakatan Rakyat only knows how to complain while the government moots projects for the benefit of the people,” alleged Pathavachalam, who is also the Little India action committee chairman.

He said that he rebuked Nong Chik for his statement and insisted that the government build a police station at the place instead.

“But he sidestepped my questions and passed the buck to the developer,” said Pathavachalam.
On Aug 16, the PKR leader said he received a call from a man known as “Sudukattu” Ravi, in the wee hours of the morning, who started scolding him using profanities.

“He said that I should not have gone against Nong Chik by opposing the project. Ravi also threatened to kill me and my family,” alleged Pathavachalam.

After lodging a report on the matter, Pathavachalam said he received another call from Ravi on the same day who claimed that there was a bounty on the PKR leader’s life.

“Ravi told me not to go to the police and tried to persuade me to negotiate a settlement but I rejected his offer.

“When I told him that a report had been lodged, Ravi scolded me and said I could be killed anytime now,” claimed Pathavachalam, who subsequently lodged the second report.

‘Elements of corruption’

Commenting on the matter, Nurul said she was concerned on the rise of political gangsterism in the country.

She also said that Pathavachalam was merely raising the concerns of the Brickfields’ residents who wanted a police station to be built at the former Brickfields IPD land.

“But all we get is condemnation and threats. The government must understand that the residents and the business owners in Brickfields want a police station there, not a beat post,” said Nurul.

Sivarasa, on the other hand, claimed that there were elements of corruption in the land swap deal.

“The developer is getting a land worth hundreds of millions while the people get deprived of their police station,” he said.

Nurul and Sivarasa were scheduled to lodge a report with the MACC with regard to the land deal next week.