Berkeley Corner, which serves mostly Indian food, is located on Persiaran Rajawali, in Taman Berkeley. The famous neighbourhood restaurant had been sitting on a Temporary Occupation Licence (TOL), but faced problems renewing its licence with the Selangor land office, since 2007.
Amid the actions by the authorities, including police, in wanting to remove the furniture, the restaurant’s patrons and supporters started to move in and stop them.
Klang MP Charles Santiago and Kapar MP G Manivannan were also present, trying to prevent any untoward incident and appealing to the authorities to stop their actions.
Later, an argument broke out between Manivannan and a police officer, after which a police officer was heard shouting back “What do I care? I’m the police!”
Th authorities finally gave in at approximately 9.50am but had still not left the scene.
A lawyer representing the restaurant, Gobinath Karuppan, said an injunction had been filed with the Shah Alam High Court to prohibit the demolition of the restaurant.
“The suit is pending and any action against the restaurant at this point will be a contempt of court,” he told FMT.
Another lawyer on the scene, Farhana Halim, told reporters that a copy of the injunction had been given to the relevant authority last Friday.
“Therefore, their action today is illegal,” she said.
The court hearing is slated for tomorrow, according to the lawyers.
Problem with renewal of TOL
Berkeley Corner restaurant owner Muthusamy Thirumeni said that the TOL was in the process of being renewed back in 2007.
“But in 2014, the land office suddenly decided not to proceed with the renewal just after a 12-storey high Wisma 99 Speedmart went up a few metres opposite the restaurant,” he said.
Muthusamy, who is also president of the Malaysian Indian Restaurant Owners Association (Primas), said that he had previously asked the land office to explain why it denied the restaurant’s application to renew its TOL but received no response.
In September 2014, a planned demolition of the restaurant was cancelled after Manivannan interfered.
Muthusamy said pressure from the authorities had also caused some of his workers to leave, and resulted in him having to reduce his operating hours to 7am to 6pm, from the previous 24-hour operation.
Entrances blocked
Earlier this morning, the side and front entrances were blocked by two large lorries and a tractor which, according to customers, was to prevent cars from coming in to the area.
The back entrance, however, was later opened and the restaurant’s supporters started driving into the parking area one by one as early as 7am.
Half an hour later the restaurant was packed with a fairly mixed crowd of Chinese, Indians and Malay patrons and supporters.
Aside from Manivannan and Santiago there were more than 30 Indian NGO heads present.
Santiago said he found it hard to understand why the authorities were so bent on tearing down the restaurant.
“So many customers come here every day and this building has been around for decades.
“The thing is, if they want to sell the land, the restaurant owners are willing to buy it,” he told FMT.
At approximately 11am, the authorities agreed to postpone the eviction for two weeks following discussions between the relevant authorities until the court decision and a meeting takes place between the state government and the restaurant’s owners.
EDITOR’S NOTE: An earlier version of this report had mistakenly quoted the MPK enforcement chief, as well as stated that the action against Berkeley Corner was from the town council. The errors are regretted.