logo
Selangor to revoke land approvals for houses of worship left undeveloped

Selangor to revoke land approvals for houses of worship left undeveloped

SHAH ALAM: The Selangor government will withdraw land approvals granted for the construction of non-Muslim houses of worship if the land is not developed within the stipulated period.
Selangor Local Government and Tourism Committee chairman Datuk Ng Suee Lim said that land approvals that are withdrawn would be given to other parties in need.
"The Selangor Non-Islamic Houses of Worship Committee has approved 400 land plots for non-Muslim houses of worship since 2008.
"If we allocate land for them to build a house of worship and no construction work is carried out within five years, we will apply (for forfeiture) to take back the land," he said at the Selangor State Assembly sitting today.
He was replying to a supplementary question from Lwi Kian Keong (PH-Sungai Pelek), who asked about the development period for a non-Muslim house of worship after its application is approved.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

India expulsions to Bangladesh unlawful, target Muslims: HRW
India expulsions to Bangladesh unlawful, target Muslims: HRW

The Star

time6 hours ago

  • The Star

India expulsions to Bangladesh unlawful, target Muslims: HRW

NEW DELHI: India has pushed hundreds of ethnic Bengali-speaking Muslims into Bangladesh without due process, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Thursday (July 24), accusing the government of flouting rules and fuelling bias on religious lines. The Hindu nationalist government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has long taken a hardline stance on immigration - particularly those from neighbouring Muslim-majority Bangladesh - with top authorities referring to them as "termites" and "infiltrators". Critics also accuse the government of sparking fear among India's estimated 200 million Muslims, especially among speakers of Bengali, a widely spoken language in both eastern India and Bangladesh. HRW, a New York-based nonprofit, said India forcibly expelled more than 1,500 Muslim men, women and children to Bangladesh between May 7 and June 15, quoting Bangladeshi authorities. "India's ruling BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) is fuelling discrimination by arbitrarily expelling Bengali Muslims from the country, including Indian citizens," Elaine Pearson, Asia director at the nonprofit, said. "The Indian government is putting thousands of vulnerable people at risk in apparent pursuit of unauthorised immigrants, but their actions reflect broader discriminatory policies against Muslims." New Delhi insists that people deported are undocumented migrants. However, claims by authorities that the expulsions were to manage illegal immigration were "unconvincing", Pearson added, because of "their disregard for due process rights, domestic guarantees and international human rights standards". HRW said it had sent the report's findings and questions to the country's home ministry but had received no response. The report documented the experiences of 18 people. A 51-year-old daily wage worker told HRW that he "walked into Bangladesh like a dead body" after India's Border Security Force (BSF) took him to the border after midnight. "I thought they (the BSF) would kill me because they were holding guns and no one from my family would know," the report quotes the worker as saying. Bangladesh, largely encircled by land by India, has seen relations with New Delhi turn icy since a mass uprising in 2024 toppled Dhaka's government, an ally of India. India also ramped up operations against migrants in the wake of an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir in April that killed 26 people, mainly Hindu tourists. New Delhi accused neighbouring Pakistan of supporting the attack, an allegation denied by Islamabad. In an unprecedented countrywide security drive, Indian authorities detained thousands, with many of them being eventually pushed across the border to Bangladesh. "The government is undercutting India's long history of providing refuge to the persecuted as it tries to generate political support," Pearson said. India has also been accused of forcibly deporting Muslim Rohingya refugees from Myanmar, with navy ships dropping them off the coast of the war-torn nation. - AFP

Suhakam suggests electronic postal votes for overseas Malaysians
Suhakam suggests electronic postal votes for overseas Malaysians

The Star

timea day ago

  • The Star

Suhakam suggests electronic postal votes for overseas Malaysians

The Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) suggests electronic postal votes to improve the voting system for Malaysians overseas. The Suhakam Report 2023, presented in the Dewan Rakyat, highlighted critical issues in the postal voting system after the 14th and 15th General Elections. Problems included high courier costs, short registration periods, ballot accessibility, spoiled votes due to discrepancies, and difficulty finding Malaysian witnesses overseas. "On November 23, 2023, Suhakam held a webinar discussing issues related to overseas postal voting," it said in the report presented on Thursday (July 24). The webinar featured a panel from the Election Commission, the Foreign Ministry, Global Bersih, a researcher from NETGRIT Indonesia, and a former Director of Elections from New Zealand. Participants proposed recommendations such as exploring electronic voting, allowing non-Malaysians as witnesses, and early registration for overseas postal voters. The Commission also recommended enhancing safety and efficiency to reduce technical errors during the postage of ballots. "The number of Malaysians abroad voting by post is increasing due to legal amendments expanding voting rights," it added. These changes include lowering the voting age to 18 and automatic registration for all Malaysians turning 18. These amendments have significantly increased overseas postal voters, and issues faced by them have been reported to Suhakam. Meanwhile, a total of 39 MPs will debate the Suhakam Report 2023 on Thursday.

Indian MPs unite, slam AGC's decision on Muslim preachers
Indian MPs unite, slam AGC's decision on Muslim preachers

Malaysiakini

timea day ago

  • Malaysiakini

Indian MPs unite, slam AGC's decision on Muslim preachers

Four Indian MPs from MIC, DAP, and PKR have strongly criticised the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) over its decision not to prosecute Muslim preachers Zamri Vinoth and Firdaus Wong. In a rare show of unity, MIC deputy president and Tapah MP M Saravanan, Klang MP V Ganabatirau (DAP), along with PKR MPs P Prabakaran (Batu) and S Kesavan (Sungai Siput), held a joint press conference in Parliament to express their dissatisfaction. The MPs rejected the AGC's explanation of...

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store