KOTA KINABALU: Forty-two squatter houses in Kampung Sembulan here are scheduled to be demolished by City Hall today.
Its mayor Datuk Yeo Boon Hai said, during a 'gotong royong' session at the village last month, they had received complaints from locals about mushrooming illegal settlements in the area.
“After a discussion with Tanjung Aru assemblyman Datuk Edward Yong Oui Fah and the National Security Council, we have decided to demolish those premises.
“We had issued a notice to them in advance for them to move out,” he said during the demolishing work this morning.
Earlier, police had arrested 135 people from the area during an operation from 2am until 6am.
District police chief Assistant Commissioner M Chandra said the operation had also marked houses for future demolition.
More than 500 personnel from City Hall, police, Immigration department, Fire and Rescue Department, Health Department and a utility company are involved in the operation.