AFTER camping out at Komtar for a week, a group of evicted Taman Manggis PPR (public housing) flat tenants have packed up to return to their units.

The few defiant families have reached a “settlement” with the state authorities today after protesting their evictions for a week.

A source from the state government, who acted as the mediator, said they have “negotiated a good deal” for the tenants.

“Hope they are happy. They are moving from Komtar today,” the man, who declined to be named, told The Malaysian Insight.

He said the state government will make an announcement tomorrow on the issue.

For now, the tenants have another two weeks to go home and pack their belongings.

Earlier in the afternoon, the families were taken to the Housing Department’s office on level 20 of Komtar to discuss their housing problem.

It is learnt that some of them were offered different options, such as low-cost units in town, and housing under the rent-to-own scheme. Some were not given offers, as they had property elsewhere.

Seven families had camped out at Komtar since they were evicted from their units last Wednesday, after the state Housing Department found them ineligible to live in PPR flats, which are meant for the poor.

Several notices were issued in the past few months for them to move out.

With the support of some local Malay pressure groups, the families challenged the eviction and criticised the state government for not giving them any alternative housing option.

Last week, they got a pro bono lawyer to advise them.

Their protest was widely covered by the media and played up by detractors of the Pakatan Harapan government on social media. – March 12, 2019.