PETALING JAYA: About 20 residents living in Kampung Baru Ampang were shocked when they found out that the land they have been legally occupying for decades had been claimed by third parties.
MCA Public Services and Complaints Department head Datuk Seri Michael Chong said they had been occupying the land on leasehold titles or temporary occupation licence (TOL).
"Many of them have been staying there for years, with some living there for up to 100 years. However, now, third parties have stepped forward to claim the land," he said at a press conference at Wisma MCA on Monday (May 16).
Chong said he had heard of similar woes over the years but the situation seemed to be getting more rampant today.
He said that in one case, an individual who had bought the land with a leasehold title in 1993 was informed by his tenant that two people had claimed they were the new owners of the land.
The victim, Datuk Seri Song Teik Sun, 58, who was also present at the press conference, said he was shocked when his tenant received an eviction notice about six months ago.
The land, which he bought for RM130,000, is now worth about RM3,000,000, he claimed.
"I purchased the land in 1993 and I have been occupying and using it without any challenges from third parties since.
"I even extended the lease to 99 years and last year, I demolished the old building and built a two-story warehouse (on the site).
"I also managed to get the Certificate of Fitness from Ampang Jaya Municipal Council. Then I pledged it as collateral with a bank, which conducted its due diligence prior to releasing the loan to me.
"All of a sudden, about six months ago, my tenant received an eviction notice from a lawyer representing two people who have a grant with different lot numbers but for the same piece of land," the retiree said.
Song said he had brought the matter to the Land Office, which is still verifying his report.
Meanwhile, Chong said his family members were also among those who had lost the right to use their house.
"My mother-in-law's house in Kampung Baru Kundang is also affected.
"My in-laws have been staying there under a TOL since I was courting my wife back in 1992, but we learnt that the land was recently given to three new owners," he said.
His brother-in-law Lim Teck Seng, 63, who was also present, said the family had asked every year about acquiring the land but were told to wait as the government might want to claim it in order to expand a road next to the property.
However, the family recently learned that the land had been acquired by a third party.