HULU LANGAT – Rohingya migrants living in a controversial, unapproved housing complex in Sungai Tekali claimed local landowners approached them directly with active rental offers. The tenants maintained they did not illegally clear or seize the property themselves.
The issue triggered public outrage after a viral video exposed a dilapidated, three-story building serving as a dense migrant settlement. The backlash prompted immediate enforcement sweeps by state authorities and the Jabatan Imigresen Malaysia (JIM). Former tenants revealed they paid between RM350 and RM500 monthly for the units, unaware that the complex lacked council approvals.
Investigations showed the visible multi-story building merely acted as a front. A massive, hidden compound extended behind it across 0.2 hectares of land. The entire site packed nearly 50 makeshift wooden structures housing over 400 occupants. This unauthorized rental market generated lucrative returns, bringing the property owner an estimated RM30,000 every month.
The settlement is not a new development for local enforcement agencies. Records show that the Hulu Langat District and Land Office, the Kajang Municipal Council, and JIM launched multiple joint crackdowns at this exact location over the last decade.
Following the latest public outcry and strict orders from regulatory bodies, the landowner finally deployed excavators over the weekend. Demolition teams began dismantling the unauthorized single-story extensions built over government reserve zones. While the concrete multi-story block remains standing because it sits on private property, the foreign tenants have entirely vacated the area.
