Hindu temple to sue Kajang council over promised land

The Malaysian Insider, 20 January 2016

BY LOW HAN SHAUN

The Sri Maha Mariamman Ladang Baemar temple in Kajang, Selangor is going to court in hopes of a resolution to its 10-year struggle for land– The Malaysian Insider pic by Low Han Shaun, January 12, 2016.

The Sri Maha Mariamman Ladang Baemar temple in Kajang, Selangor is suing the Kajang Municipal Council (MPKj) over its refusal to allow it to move into a larger plot of land.

Alagendra Ramani, legal advisor to the temple committee, said the temple had no choice but to go to court to make sure that it received the 1.08 acre plot of land that it was promised.

MPKj had refused to allow the temple to move into a plot of land because its size exceeded the 10,000sq ft size limit for non-Muslim places of worship.

"MPKj has now offered us 12,000sq ft, which is still unacceptable. We will be taking this to court to see that we get the 1.08 acre plot of land which was promised us," he said in an interview with The Malaysian Insider.

Alagendra said Bandar Subang Sdn Bhd, the developer that had offered the land to the temple so that it could move out to make way for its project, had started work at the temple site.

"The developer is already developing the land near the temple. We see them clearing the land. If this is not settled soon, where are we to go?" he said.

He said the suit, which would be filed next week pending the approval of the temple committee, would fight for the temple to remain where it was, among others.

"We are looking for the temple to stay at its current location, for the 1.08 acres to be reduced to one acre to be secured, RM300,000 in compensation and for the developer to build an eight feet high wall to to demarcate the one acre of land that is secured.

Alagendra said the temple would also seek a restraining order for the developer to stop all ongoing work near the temple until the temple had been compensated.

"At the same time, the committee has also instructed the lawyer to issue a notice to the developer to fulfil the terms, which is a separate legal suit which will be filed against the developer," he said.

He said all these could be avoided if the council had approved the 1.08 acres of land, which the developer was more than happy to give to the temple.

The Malaysian Insider previously reported that the Kajang council had stopped the temple from moving into the 1.08 acre plot of land because council guidelines did not allow land for non-Muslim places of worship to exceed 10,000sq ft.

The temple’s battle to obtain land started in 2007 and remains unresolved to the satisfaction of MBKj, the developer and the temple committee to this day.

The Hindu temple sits on land in the former Braemar rubber estate owned by Harrison & Crossfield (M) Bhd.

Sometime in the 1980s, the owner sold the property spanning about 10,000 acres to several developers.

The buyer of the portion of land on which the temple stands was not allowed to proceed with its plan to build double-storey homes there until the temple was relocated. – January 20, 2016.

Temple turns 100 in style

The Star, Sunday, 17 January 2016

by joash ee de silva

KAJANG: Old is indeed gold and that proverb rings true of the Sri Subramaniya Swami Temple in Kajang as more than a thousand devotees celebrated its 100th anniversary celebration.

The highlight was marked with Lord Murugan adorned in gold-plated armour. 

During the prayers, 1,008 pots were filled with holy water and herbs, and passed via a human chain into the temple. 

Inside the temple, the water was poured over Lord Murugan before it was poured in little bottles or plastic bags to be distributed to the devotees to drink. 

Temple management committee president Datuk K. Kirubakaran said “the beauty of the event is to see the crowd coming to worship, as in Hinduism, vibrations are also created by devotees thronging the temple”. 

“We are gifted that Lord Murugan has chosen this place and we hope that he will continue to bless our community,” he added. 

Memorabilia gold coins were made to mark the occasion.

The temple is the oldest Hindu place of worship in Selangor. In fact, a shrine was already placed at the site even before 1916, but the century mark is counted from when a group of Hindu pioneers bought the land in Jalan Reko here. 

Land office records indicate that in 1916, the five pioneers – Thambipillay Sinnathamby, Thamboo Valupillai, R. Karuppiah Pillay, Saminathan Muthiah and N. Letchumanan Chettiar – bought Lot 624 in the district of Kajang to begin the construction of a proper temple. It measured about 1.2ha. 

Family friend of Kirubakaran, Tan Sri Teo Chiang Kok, who frequented the temple for 35 years, said the centenary celebration was an important and unique milestone. 

“I am very fortunate to have seen the transformation, modernisation and extension of the temple,” said the businessman. 

“I have been to many celebrations at this temple. Today’s is one of the biggest.” 

Joyous day: Devotees throng the Sri Subramaniya Swami temple at Jalan Reko, Kajang.

Century-old Kajang temple to hold grand celebration

The Star, Wednesday, 13 January 2016

by vijenthi nair

The temple has been renovated many times over the years. 2 A photo of the side of the temple taken in the 1950s.

ONE of the main landmarks in Kajang is turning a century old and its management is putting the final touches to celebrate the auspicious day on a grand scale.

About 3,000 devotees are expected to throng Sri Subramaniya Swami Temple in Jalan Reko on Saturday to participate and witness the centennial celebration.

Sri Subramaniya Swami Temple Kajang honorary secretary Amara Karan Karthigasu said although some claimed that the temple had existed for more than 100 years, the century mark was derived from the first record of the temple’s existence.

“We are still trying to trace the roots of the temple, which was started by five men in the early 1900s identified as Thambipillay Sinnathamby, Thamboo Valupillai, Karuppiah Pillay Ramasamy Pillai, Saminathan Muthiah and Letchumanan Chettiar Narayanan Chettiar.

“These men played a big role in securing the temple grounds. We have prospered not only as a temple but also as a base for social and community activities for the people in Kajang,” he said.

Amaran said the celebration would kick off on Thursday leading up to the main event on Saturday at 7am.

The temple has been renovated many times over the years.

 

“A temporary structure for the main pooja (prayer) is being constructed at the temple’s entrance where the kalasam (pots) will be arranged and the homam (ritual in which offerings are made into a consecrated fire) is done.

“During the pooja, a human chain will be formed from the pooja area, where the kalasam filled with holy water infused with herbs will be passed into the temple where it will be poured on Lord Murugan.

“We are inviting donors to give any amount as contribution to the expenses on the day. Those who donate RM25 will be entitled to take home one of the 1,008 kalasam, while those who donate RM500 will be given a gold coin. The kalasam and gold coin are engraved with the name of the temple and its 100-year anniversary.

“We only get to witness a temple turning 100 years old once in a lifetime. It is a privilege and I hope many will take this opportunity to visit the temple on the day. The ceremony will end by noon and there will be a vegetarian lunch served to all,” he said.

Apart from religious activities, the temple also conducts cultural and educational programmes.

“We collaborate with Educational, Welfare, and Research Foundation Malaysia (EWRF) to organise two youth camps a year during the school holidays.

“The mid-year camp is more exam-oriented while the year-end camp emphasises faith and motivation.

“We also started a preschool for children aged between four and six inside our temple grounds with support from the Malaysian Hindu Sangam.

“We have two classrooms, with three teachers teaching 38 students. We can take in 10 more students and the fee is RM50 per month. The less privileged will be subsidised,” he said.

For details about prayers and services, call 03-8733 1793.

Century-old Kajang temple wins land and cash from developer

 

The Malaysian Insider, 10 November 2014
BY V. ANBALAGAN, ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

A decade-long battle for a Hindu temple in Kajang to obtain a piece of land has ended on a happy note through an out-of-court settlement. 

Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim at the Sri Maha Mariamman temple in Kajang, whose management today managed to obtain a piece of land from a developer as part of a relocation deal. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, November 10, 2014.

The Sri Maha Mariamman Ladang Baemar (Saujana Impian) temple was given 0.44ha of land, about 300m from its current location by land owner Bandar Subang Sdn Bhd. 

 

Besides the land, the company also contributed RM600,000 to the temple for the relocation exercise as part of the settlement. 

It also agreed to provide the infrastructure like water and electricity to the new site. 

 

The terms and condition of the settlement also stated that the company would provide another alternative site if the authorities were unable to gazette the current proposed plot as a place of worship for Hindus.

Temple committee legal adviser Alagendra Ramani said there was now certainty for 500 devotees who worshipped at the temple. 

 

"We are glad that the matter has come to an amicable solution without having to fight it in court," he told The Malaysian Insider. 

The committee and the company have spent nearly 10 years negotiating on an alternative site to locate the temple, which is believed to have been established 100 years ago. 

In April this year, the company ordered the temple management committee to surrender the land. 

Met with their refusal, the company went to court. 

Alagendra said both parties finalised the terms and conditions after four court mediation meetings. 

Today, the consent judgment was recorded before judicial commissioner Choo Kah Sing in the Shah Alam High Court. 

Lawyer Vignesh Perumal appeared for the temple committee while the company was represented by K. Santhrasegaran. 

 

The temple was part of the Hindu community in the former Braemar rubber estate which was owned by Harrison & Crossfield (M) Bhd. 

Sometime in the 1980s, the estate owner sold the property, spanning about 400ha to several developers. 

However, the Kajang local authorities did not approve Bandar Subang's plan to build double-storey homes until the temple was relocated. – November 10, 2014.

A decade-long battle for a Hindu temple in Kajang to obtain a piece of land has ended on a happy note through an out-of-court settlement.
The Sri Maha Mariamman Ladang Baemar (Saujana Impian) temple was given 0.44ha of land, about 300m from its current location by land owner Bandar Subang Sdn Bhd.
Besides the land, the company also contributed RM600,000 to the temple for the relocation exercise as part of the settlement.
- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/century-old-kajang-temple-wins-land-and-cash-from-developer#sthash.Gx7MzdTt.dpuf

Missionary returns home after 57 years

The Star, Thursday June 12, 2014

by noel foo

Long service: Bretaudeau will be returning to his parish in Vendée, France to re-evangelise the French people.

ONE of Malaysia’s longest serving foreign priests, 83-year old Reverend Father Peter Bretaudeau will be closing a chapter of his life to return to his homeland after 57 years.

“Having spent so many years in Malaysia, I regret very much having to leave this beautiful country, but I know France needs me more now,” said Bretaudeau.

When he first arrived in the then Malaya, one month after independence in August 1957, there were only about 37,000 Catholics in the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur. To-date, that figure has grown to 300,000.

Conversely, Bretaudeau said French Catholics had become alarmingly complacent about their religion.

“In the parish that I am returning to in La Roche-sur-Yon, Vendée, less than 10% of Catholics regularly attend Mass, so I will spend the rest of my days trying to bring more French people back to the church,” he added.

Born in 1931 as the third of five children in the village of Le Poiré-sur-Vie in Vendée, Bretaudeau found his calling to join the priesthood at the age of 25.

“At that time, there were hardly any Catholics in Asia and I wanted to join the Paris Foreign Missions Society or Societe des Missions Etrangeres de Paris (MEP) so I could come here.

“The MEP decided to send me to Malaysia.

“When I first arrived, I could not speak a word of English so I learnt the language here before going to India for two years to learn Tamil,” said Bretaudeau, who has retained his French accent but incorporates “lah” in his conversation.

One of his fondest memories is the 10 years he spent as the main parish priest in Seremban, Negri Sembilan in the 1960s and 1970s.

“At the time, there were many Indians working in the rubber estates around the area and their poverty and hard working conditions struck me,” said Bretaudeau.

Wanting to provide estate workers in the state with a better life, Bretaudeau met with the National Union of Plantation Workers (NUPW) and discussed forming an organisation to improve the education opportunities for workers’ children.

“In the late 1960s, the fall in the price of rubber badly affected them and the need for such a movement became more urgent,” he said.

With the help of the NUPW, the Persatuan Kemajuan Rakyat (PKR) was born, starting with eight members and expanding to hundreds over the next two years.

“To address the problem of unemployment among youths in the estates around Seremban, we set up tailoring classes for girls and a vocational institute to train boys in electronics,” said Bretaudeau, noting that the institute was the first of its kind in the state.

Many students from this electronics institute went on to become teachers when NUPW started another institute.

His career as a Catholic missionary took him to 10 churches around the Klang Valley and Negri Sembilan.

“Malaysia has developed so much, I feel there is nothing more for me to do here so I want to return to France while I am still in good health,” said Bretaudeau, who will spend two weeks visiting his family, including two sisters, before starting his pastoral work.

He leaves the Holy Family Church, Kajang in the capable hands of Reverend Father George Harrison, who was inspired to join the priesthood by Bretaudeau.

Christians congregate to mark occasion with readings and hymns

The Star, Sunday April 20, 2014

by tashny sukumaran

Holy day: People praying at the Holy Family Church in Kajang for Easter.

KAJANG: The Holy Family Church here ushered in Easter with a packed Easter Vigil mass that saw hundreds of Catholics congregating to mark the occasion yesterday evening.

The occasion began with nine different readings in four languages – English, Tamil, Mandarin and Malay – as well as the singing of hymns.

Parish priest Father George Harrison delivered the Easter message, accompanied by priest-in-residence, Father Peter Bretaudeau and visiting priest Father Justin.

Father George spoke about the resurrection of Christ, and prayed for divine light to protect the nation and its people.

The church hall, which can fit up to 3,500 people, was packed even before the service began at 7.30pm.

Hospitality Ministers David Gregory and Thomas Selvaraj said the mass got bigger and better every year.

“We continue to surpass each past mass when celebrating the resurrection of Christ,” said Thomas, 63.

Gregory, 55, said the ambience during the readings was carefully planned.

“It’s about Christ rising after his death.

“When we read from the Old Testament, we kept the church darkened. When we read from the New Testament, we switched on the lights,” he said.

There were also baptisms for over 45 people.

Corrina Anthony, who is in her 40s, came from Seremban to spend Easter mass with her sister’s family. She said she was impressed by the readings.

“Nicely done, very inspirational,” she said, adding that the multilingual aspect also appealed to her.

Easter is preceded by Lent, a 40-day period characterised by fasting (with some abstaining from meat), prayers and meditations.

The Star, Thursday August 30, 2012

Kajang to host grand Taoist procession

THE Shun Nam Gong Temple Committee Association is organising a procession in conjunction with the birthday of Taoist deity Fazhu Gong and the temple’s 20th anniversary.

The procession will be held on Saturday (Sept 1) at 6pm.

Organising chairman Lee Kee Boon said the procession in Kajang would be the largest in the area.

“This is a joint effort by the temple’s masters for devotees to celebrate the festival together.

The planners: Lee (front, left), master Kan Fatt Seong (front, second from left) and temple chairman Chok Kon Lin (front right) detailing the route of the procession as other temple committee members look on.

 

“This is also the first time we are organising it and members of the public are welcome to join the procession,” he said.

It has taken the temple committee three months to prepare for the procession.

They are expecting more than 800 devotees from other temples and participants of cultural dance groups to join the event.

According to Lee, there will be a series of activities and cultural performances, including lion and dragon dances as well as a fashion parade of ancient dynasty costumes.

The procession will include six floats accompanied by a group of 30 to 50 Chinese mediums.

“We have also invited two groups of Indian mediums to join the procession,” Lee said, adding that he expected a turn-out of about 2,000 people.

The procession will start from the temple in Jalan 3, Taman Pasir Emas, then to the Kajang market before heading back to the temple. The 7km-journey is estimated to take three hours.

There will be ambulances standing by in case of emergencies while Rela members will be managing traffic.

“This event will expose the public and nearby residents to the Taoist culture and practices.

“It is also vital to let the next generation know and understand these practices to preserve the culture and rituals for generations to come,” he said.