Seafield Temple Incident/Adib's Death - What is happening to the 'puppet masters', companies, lawyers involved?

Seafield Temple issue forgotten - What is in focus is only the inquest on the cause of death of fireman Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim. Sadly, many are wanting to see some Indian Malaysians being held responsible...but alas, are we forgetting the real culprits...

But let us not forget the persons or corporations that started this whole problem that led to hurt, property damage and also death of of Adib. Who hired Malay 'thugs' to take over the Temple...the very action that led to many Hindus coming out to defend an invasion and later destruction of their place of worship?

It allegedly started because a developer's agent decided to use 'thugs' to take over the temple ...well, this is very wrong. No one can use 'self help' by hiring hoodlums to take over the temple and destroy it even if that is their right pursuant to a Court order - you cannot take the law into your own hands. You get the Court Bailiff to assist to enforce court orders... and they will come in the 'day time' usually, with the police and relevant enforcement officers to make sure that the hand-over happens without problems..that is the right and legal way of doing this..

According to our Home Minister, it was the 'lawyer of the developer', an agent of the developer that allegedly 'hired' thugs - MALAY thugs

The lawyers to the developer involved in the Seafield Sri Maha Mariamman temple issue hired thugs that led to the riots, says Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin ...The Home Minister said police investigations revealed that the leader of the group which instigated the conflict was handed RM150,000 by the lawyers, which was used to pay the thugs involved from RM150 to RM300 each.

"Because they hired Malays to 'take care of things' at a Hindu temple, you can imagine the reaction it would trigger. ..."As an example, imagine what would happen if you send Hindus to take care of a mosque?" said Muhyiddin at a press conference here on Wednesday (Nov 28).

A lawyer would not act on his/her own unless instructed by his/her client - so was it the Developer? So who exactly is the developer, the land owner, the corporations involved? It is always easy for companies to turn around and deny responsibility - or to claim that their agents were acting on their own? Now, in the SRC case, the company and/or their Directors cannot say they did not know....

What is worth noting is that the land that the temple occupies belongs to One City Development Sdn Bhd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of MCT Bhd. The latter, in turn, is controlled by Ayala Land Inc, the property arm of Ayala Corp, the oldest and largest conglomerate in the Philippines.

As our Home Minister had stated, what made it worse was the employing of Malays to do the 'dirty work' to the temple...that inevitably will raise race/religious tensions - these culprits must be secerely punished, even if it be foreigners or foreign companies.

No use just punishing those who were involved in the fracas....but it is the puppet masters that ought to be punished...

Lawyers - well, what they did if they hired 'thugs' was wrong - they know that... What action has been taken against them? Have they been charged? Have all the partners been charged? Has the Bar Council or the lawyer's disciplinary board taken any actions against them...these Malaysian lawyers should have known what a great evil they did - and that their actions may case religious tensions...and it did, causing fireman Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim to die.

MEDIA is not doing their work by not following up on what is happening with the investigations about these 'puppet masters', the lawyer who apparently hired 'thugs', ...so many crimes here...but alas attention has primarily been on the inquest of Adib? Why?

Do we need a special Commission of Inquiry to look into the matter? If any company was involved in causing this problem resulting in a death of a fireman, then all the Directors and CEO should be in jail, and maybe even the company deregistered? So, what has happened..

Do the 'puppet masters', connected or big companies get away ...whilst a few 'small people' get charged and tried? 

"Because they hired Malays to 'take care of things' at a Hindu temple, you can imagine the reaction it would trigger. ..."As an example, imagine what would happen if you send Hindus to take care of a mosque?" said Muhyiddin

Maybe some good Media should tell us what really is happening to the investigations...have puppet masters been charged? Has the lawyers been disbarred?  Has the company been de-registered? Using race/religion in the way they did is a MAJOR CRIME in Malaysia..

In any event, when it comes to relocation or demolition of places of worship, this really should be avoided at all cost...and it certainly, should be done after all Temple users were consulted - relying on committees is dangerous. In fact, State governments should really ensure that old places of worships...should never be demolished or re-located? 

Muhyiddin: Developer's lawyers hired thugs behind temple riots
 
Nation
Wednesday, 28 Nov 2018 1:12 PM MYT





PUTRAJAYA: The lawyers to the developer involved in the Seafield Sri Maha Mariamman temple issue hired thugs that led to the riots, says Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin (pic).

The Home Minister said police investigations revealed that the leader of the group which instigated the conflict was handed RM150,000 by the lawyers, which was used to pay the thugs involved from RM150 to RM300 each.

"Because they hired Malays to 'take care of things' at a Hindu temple, you can imagine the reaction it would trigger.

"As an example, imagine what would happen if you send Hindus to take care of a mosque?" said Muhyiddin at a press conference here on Wednesday (Nov 28).


Muhyiddin said the two lawyers who paid the thugs were among the 21 arrested by the police.

In a statement Monday (Nov 26), One City refuted allegations that it was behind the temple scuffle.

It said allegations that it had orchestrated the incident were malicious lies, and that the company condemned both acts of violence and insinuations that it would resort to "such despicable acts".

"Most importantly, One City is committed to adhering to the rule of law in addressing the temple which is sitting on its land," the developer said in its statement. - Star, 28/11/2018

Related stories:

Cops zeroing in on riot mastermind

Those involved in temple clash will face stern action, warns Dr M

Police set up special task force over temple riots

 

Muhyiddin: Developer's lawyers hired men to secure Seafield temple

Lu Wei Hoong  |  Published: 28 Nov 2018, 1:12 pm  |  Modified: 28 Nov 2018, 1:12 pm

   

Police have determined that the group who accosted devotees at a Hindu temple in Subang Jaya were hired by lawyers who work for the developer that owns the land, Home Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said today.

"Those linked to the developer have not followed legal processes to take over the temple land as planned, in accordance with the law.

"Police investigations found that the lawyers of the developer had hired a group of Malay men to barge into the temple and take control of it before developers and police can arrive (to facilitate the land transfer) on the morning of Nov 26.

"Based on investigations, RM150,000 was handed to the group leader to carry out the intrusion and take over of the temple.

"Around 50 people were hired to do this work, and each received a payment of between RM150 and RM300," Muhyiddin said at a press conference in Putrajaya today.

It is understood that two lawyers working for One City Development Bhd were among the 21 individuals remanded by the police yesterday. 

The intrusion in the early hours of Monday had sparked a riot after devotees who had gathered to protect the Sri Maha Mariamman temple in Subang Jaya clashed with the intruders.

Tensions from the initial riot boiled over to the next night, when rioters, who had gathered again on the pretext of defending the temple, attacked and seriously injured a firefighter.

Last night, a group of Malay youths had also gathered near the temple. According to one of the group members, who identified himself as Shahrizat Sahak, they had gathered to send a message that "Malays should not be trampled on". 

At least nine of the youths were later arrested for failing to disperse when ordered to do so by police.

'Hasty and careless'

Muhyiddin said the "hasty and careless" actions of those linked to the developer were regrettable and illegal.

He said that without such actions, there would not have been any clashes between the group of Malays and temple devotees.

"I wish to stress that the incident at the Sri Maha Mariamman temple is not at all linked to race.

"Malaysians of all races have lived in peace and harmony for so long. It is not possible for one isolated incident involving a temple committee and a developer to be made a reason to sully race and religious relations in our country," Muhyddin said.

The home minister has called on police to take stern action against all who have broken the law in relation to the incident.

"This includes those who make provocative racial statements, spread false news that is slanderous and seditious, and organising any rally to stoke racial sentiments," he added.

He also urged those involved in the tussle over the temple land to work things out amicably and through legal means.

Plans to relocate the temple have been ongoing since 2007, after the land it was located on was purchased by One City.

In 2014, a consent judgment was entered in court, where One City and two rival camps vying for control of the temple agreed to relocate it to a plot of land three kilometres away.

One City had also donated RM1.5 million to the temple as part of the settlement agreement.

However, devotees have continued to resist efforts to relocate the temple, which has been a Hindu prayer site since 1891. - Malaysiakini, 28/11/2018


Those involved in temple clash will face stern action, warns Dr M

Nation
Wednesday, 28 Nov 2018
by farik zulkepli, m. kumar, jo timbuong, rashvinjeet s. bedi, gurmeet kaur, vincent tan, tarrence tan, and liew jia xian
KUALA LUMPUR: Criminals and “puppet masters” (dalang) involved in the Seafield Sri Maha Mariamman Temple riots will not escape punishment, said Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad in a statement yesterday.

“The criminals who tried to create disturbances and injured security and rescue personnel, as well as destroying public property will face stern action according to existing laws.

“If there are puppet masters behind this incident, they too will not escape the punishment.”

Dr Mahathir said he had been following the development of the temple riots since Monday and being updated on its status by the police from time to time.

“It’s clear from initial investigations, the incidents contained criminal elements which resulted in property damage and injuries to police personnel.

“There are no racial or religious issues, although it is connected to the temple’s relocation,” Dr Mahathir said.

He said the police have been ordered to take further action to manage and control the situation with all speed.

Dr Mahathir said the government regretted the irresponsible actions of the criminals who had disturbed the temple grounds and injured both security and rescue personnel.

“Once more, I stress that this incident was a criminal one, and not connected at all to other elements,” the Prime Minister said.

The temple was supposed to have been relocated on Nov 22, and plans to do so have been going on since 2007 after the land the temple was located on was purchased by One City Development Sdn Bhd.

In 2014, a consent judgment was entered into in court, where One City and two rival camps vying for control of the temple agreed to relocate it to a plot of land 3km away.

One City had also donated RM1.5mil to the temple as part of the settlement agreement.

However, devotees have continued to resist efforts to relocate the temple, which was built in 1891. - Star, 28/11/2018

Seafield temple riot drags MCT into limelight

Esther Lee

/

The Edge Malaysia

December 12, 2018 14:00 pm +08

This article first appeared in The Edge Malaysia Weekly, on December 3, 2018 - December 09, 2018.

^-

MCT Bhd found itself in the limelight for the wrong reasons when riots broke out last week at the Seafield Sri Maha Mariamman Temple in Subang Jaya over its relocation from its current site in USJ25.

The early morning fracas that took place last Monday and Tuesday ended with several injured people and a fair number of cars set ablaze, as seen in photos and videos that went viral on social media.

The simmering tensions arising from the incident prompted Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to say in Parliament on Thursday that the government would not tolerate attempts to disrupt national harmony and will act against those who provoke racial conflict.

What is worth noting is that the land that the temple occupies belongs to One City Development Sdn Bhd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of MCT Bhd. The latter, in turn, is controlled by Ayala Land Inc, the property arm of Ayala Corp, the oldest and largest conglomerate in the Philippines.

Based on MCT’s annual report, Ayala’s 66.25% stake in MCT is held through Regent Wise Investments Ltd, a Hong Kong-incorporated company that is wholly owned by Ayala.

The Philippine company first emerged as a substantial shareholder in MCT with a 9.17% stake in April 2015. Subsequently, it raised its interest to 32.95% in October 2015, cementing its position as the company’s single largest shareholder.

In January this year, Ayala Land announced a plan to raise its stake in MCT to 50.19%, triggering a mandatory general offer as its shareholding passed the 33% threshold.

Its additional 17.24% stake in MCT was purchased from one of the latter’s co-founders, Tan Sri Barry Goh Ming Choon, for RM202.5 million cash or 88 sen per share.

Following the transaction, Goh’s stake in the company fell to 10.46%, making him the second largest shareholder. He had founded MCT with Datuk Seri Tong Seech Wi.

Another significant shareholder of MCT is government-linked pilgrim fund Lembaga Tabung Haji with a 9.16% stake while life insurer AIA Bhd and pension fund Kumpulan Wang Persaraan (Diperbadankan) own 3.33% and 2.53% equity interest respectively in the company.

MCT was listed on Bursa Malaysia in April 2015 in a reverse takeover of GW Plastics Holdings Bhd, whose core business was sold to industrial packaging maker Scientex Bhd.

News reports say Ayala Land had initially been interested in investing directly in Malaysia but MCT’s co-founders had managed to persuade it to take up a stake in their company instead.

With regard to the temple incident, rumours were rife that One City had authorised the hiring of the troublemakers. However, this was quickly denied by the company in announcements to Bursa.

In one announcement,  it reiterated that it was not involved in the riots at the temple, adding that it has always followed the rule of law and due process.

“Our compensation of land for a new site for the temple and its devotees and RM1.5 million, as well as our willingness to delay the relocation of the temple to accommodate the relevant rituals tied to the relocation, is further evidence of our commitment to a peaceful resolution to this matter. We abhor the violence that took place and would never even think of being involved in such acts.

“Furthermore, pursuant to the 2014 consent judgment, we would have no reason to engage in mobs as the authorities are already bound by the court order to assist in the process with the ultimate goal of ensuring a peaceful relocation,” says the statement.

According to news reports, the 2014 consent judgment recorded in the Shah Alam High Court saw agreement between four parties — the temple committee, One City, the Selangor government and the temple’s opposing committee — to relocate the temple to USJ23. One City agreed to provide RM1.5 million in compensation for the construction of a new temple.

The temple relocation issue aside, MCT’s annual report for its financial year ended June 30, 2018, saw its net profit rise 23.8% year on year to RM78.81 million. This was despite revenue falling 26% to RM436.43 million.

For the quarter ended Sept 30, the property developer raked in a net profit of RM20.3 million on revenue of RM125.79 million. There were no comparative figures because the company is changing its financial year end from June 30 to Dec 31.

At its last trade of 67 sen on Thursday, MCT had a market capitalisation of RM976.2 million.- The Edge, 12/12/2018

‘A thousand ways fireman Adib could have fallen’
Nation
Friday, 17 May 2019
by hanis zainal

SHAH ALAM: There are “a thousand ways” that fireman Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim could have fallen, hit the kerb and sustained his injuries, forensic expert Dr Ahmad Hafizam Hasmi said.

He said this under questioning by lawyer Syazlin Mansor who is representing the Housing and Local Government Ministry, Fire and Rescue Department as well as the family of the deceased at the inquest into the death of Muhammad Adib at the coroner’s court yesterday.

Syazlin, who showed him photos from the reconstruction conducted by the Fire and Rescue Department, which showed several patterns of injuries that did not match the ones found on Muhammad Adib, asked whether Dr Ahmad Hafizam could rule out falling on the kerb as one of the causes for his injuries.

To this, Dr Ahmad Hafizam replied in the negative.


“I can only rule out that he fell on the kerb in the positions that were suggested in the photos.”

Syazlin also questioned why Dr Ahmad Hafizam did not carry out experiments to see how Muhammad Adib could have fallen on the kerb and on injuries that different ways of falling could produce.

Dr Ahmad Hafizam explained that it was not normal practice for forensic pathologists to carry out experiments to explain how a victim could have sustained his injuries unless there were concrete clues on what transpired when the victim sustained the injuries and on what could have caused the injuries. “For example, if someone was murdered with a claw hammer and the police showed us the hammer, then we can conduct an experiment to see whether the pattern on the hammer matches the injuries on the victim.

“And in that case, we can’t say that the hammer is the murder weapon, we can only say that the hammer matches the pattern of injuries. “So in this case, we can’t say for sure that it was definitely the kerb that caused injuries to the victim.

“And as there are 1,001 ways how someone can fall, that is why a reconstruction is not suitable. The findings (of the reconstruction) can be debatable, and it is a waste of time,” he said.

Earlier, Dr Ahmad Hafizam said that without any eyewitness who could testify what happened to Muhammad Adib on Nov 27 last year, the most probable explanation on why the fireman was out of the EMRS van was that he went out on his own.

Under questioning by Syazlin, Dr Ahmad Hafizam said there was no corroborating testimony to suggest Muhammad Adib was forcefully pulled out of the van. The likely explanation was that he exited the van on his own due to the lack of defensive injuries on his body as seen from the clinical forensic examination and autopsy, said Dr Ahmad Hafizam

Judge Rofiah Mohamad sits as coroner for the inquest.

Muhammad Adib, 24, was critically injured after he and his team from the Subang Jaya fire station responded to an emergency call at the Seafield Sri Maha Mariamman Temple where a riot was taking place. He died on Dec 17.

The inquest continues today. - Star, 17/5/2019