Video clip of fire victims throwing donated clothes upsets many

KOTA KINABALU: A short video clip showing groups of rowdy people believed to be fire victims from Likas throwing donated clothes is making netizens upset.

The video also shows a Rela official trying to stop the crowd from being unruly.

The clip has gone viral on various social media platforms, including Facebook and Whats App, since two days ago.

Critics said the goodwill recipients seen throwing the donated clothes are an ungrateful lot.

The fire victims from a squatter area in Kg Cenderamata lost their homes on July 24.

They have since been placed in a nearby multipurpose hall.

Likas assemblyman Tan Lee Fatt said he had received the said video but was unable to confirm whether they really were Kg Cenderamata fire victims.

He said if it was true that the video was taken at Kg Cenderamata, he hoped the victims would show some respect and appreciation.

“For now, I think the most important thing is to have a main person to manage the donations and make sure they are given to those in need,” Tan said.

On Sunday, a group of villagers from Kg Darau staged a protest to object the proposal to temporarily house the fire victims in an area near their village.

The villagers said the area proposed was supposed to belong to Kg Darau, and not to be given to outsiders without consulting them.

They said their own villagers and families needed that land to extend their homes.

Sepanggar MP Datuk Asiz Jamman, who made the proposal, said no decision had been made and urged villagers in Kg Darau not to worry.

On Sunday, Kota Kinabalu mayor Yeo Boon Hai said the state government had not made any decision on the matter.

“All is being planned. No decision yet, we just wait,” Yeo said.