600 Indian farmers face eviction from Malaysia's Cameron Highlands

Kuala Lumpur, Jan 8 (ANI): Six hundred Indian families, who have been involved in agriculture for the past 50 years in Cameron Highlands, about 214 km north of Kuala Lumpur, are now facing eviction.

Cameron Highlands Indian Farmers Association president P. Viswanathan said that most of the farmers were on temporary occupancy licence (TOL) land.

He said the Government had received reports that their agricultural waste products were being emptied into the rivers resulting in drinking water being contaminated.

They were issued eviction notices by the Land Office, The Star reports.

Viswanathan said the Land Office had said that although the TOL licences were valid until 2015, the Government could take back the land for development if the need arose.

He said many of the farmers had taken agricultural loans, and added that the Land Office should at least allocate alternative plots of land to those who had been involved in farming for more than 40 years.

Previously, the Government had given alternative land to TOL landowners whose agricultural land was taken up for a road-widening project.

He said the Government should consider that most of the affected farmers depended solely on the income from their agricultural business ventures. (ANI)