Protest against proposed chicken slaughter house

KUALA LUMPUR: Residents and non-governmental groups around the Selayang daily market came together yesterday to protest the proposed construction of a chicken slaughter house which they believe will pose a health hazard to the community in the area.

Protest committee spokesman Datin Paduka Khatijah Sulieman said for over two years, they have submitted letters and a memorandum to the authorities requesting for the relocation of the slaughter house.

“However, they only gave assurance that the slaughter house will be a clean facility equipped with the latest equipment and technology.

“But this is not what we want. We want it relocated as residents fear the consequences of having a slaughter house close to residential and business communities.

“We are concerned about the health issues, especially the possibility of contracting bird flu (H5N1),” Khatijah told reporters.

The risk, she added, is not only to the community living and working in the area but also to those who come to the market.

Khatijah, who is also the president of Rumah Amal Cheshire Selangor, said the slaughter house would also pose a health risk to residents of the home.

“The home is refuge to many persons with both physical and mental disabilities who are prone to ailments.

“However, with the slaughter house being built some 200m away, the risk increases,” she added.

Meanwhile, another committee member, Abdul Aziz Mohd Alias, said the residents and the groups are not against any government development or project.

“We are only appealing to the authorities to reconsider their decision and relocate it to a more suitable area.

“Building the slaughter house here would cause much inconvenience for the community.

“Among them are traffic congestion, influx of foreign workers, safety hazard as there is a gas pipeline running beneath the site, as well as decline in property prices in the event when an outbreak occurs,” he said.

Abdul Aziz urged authorities such as Kuala Lumpur City Hall and Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Ministry to look into their plight. – by Adrian Phung

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