IPOH: Despite getting an interim stay of all eviction proceedings against the Kinta district land office and the Perak State Development Corporation (PSDC) on Thursday, crops are missing as the farmland in Kanthan, Perak, has been cleared.

The eviction started on Tuesday when the police arrested four people, including Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) chairman Dr. Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj, in relation to a protest held over the eviction notice and clearing of the farmland.

Two days later, the Ipoh High Court granted an interim stay of all eviction proceedings taken by the Kinta district land office and the PSDC against a group of farmers in Kanthan.

The High Court is scheduled to hear the application on January 12.

Six farmers, issued with eviction notices, filed the proceedings this Tuesday, naming the state land and mines department director and the Perak state government as respondents.

The farmers wanted the court to quash eviction notices issued under Section 425 of the National Land Code.

They also sought a declaration that the respondents had breached their duty to act fairly.

The farmers alleged that various representations were made to the respondents in a bid to secure alternative farming land.

They said they had a right to remain on their farming land until they were issued leases to the promised plots of land and sought an order that the respondents be prohibited from displacing them until their legitimate expectations were fulfilled.

The state government has denied forceful eviction as claimed by the farmers.

To resolve the issue which has been going on for more than 11 years, the state government, through PSDC, provided an alternative site in Changkat Kinding, said the Perak Menteri Besar office in a statement.

“The state government is always committed to taking a prudent approach in resolving the issue of the claim by the group of agricultural squatters carrying out illegal agricultural activities at the site of PSDC’s Silver Valley Technology Park,” it said.

According to the statement, a visit to the Changkat Kinding site was held in May 2021 with the farmers involved, but only a few of them accepted the offer.

The Menteri Besar’s Office said the issue could be resolved amicably with all parties taking responsibility and respecting the principles and supremacy of the law.

The state government, it said, always appreciates the role of farmers in ensuring that the availability of food resources is prioritized.