Devotees have condemned the Seberang Perai Municipal Council (MPSP) as 'rubbish' for demolishing the Tou Mu Kung temple in Bukit Mertajam, Penang, last Friday.

They strung a banner condemning the MPSP at the site of the Nine Emperor Gods temple. The demolition exercise saw tempers flare to the point that police had to fire warning shots.

Temple committee members have lodged a police report on the excessive force used during the fracas which ensued when enforcement officers refused to let them remove statues of the deities before proceeding with the demolition.

Berapit state assemblyperson Lau Chiek Tuan, in whose constituency the temple is located, also lodged a report against a police sergeant involved in the operation.

"The policeman shouted to me saying that he did not care even if the temple members died during the incident," Lau was quoted as saying by the New Straits Times .

Meanwhile, the 'MPSP is rubbish' banner also featured a rhyming couplet: ' Rumah besar tak berani ', ' Rumah tokong tak peduli '.

This referred to municipal councillors in Selangor building palatial mansions without approved plans. These 'palaces' still stand as the authorities have not taken any action.

In Malaysia, a number of temples and shrines are deemed illegal structures due to bureaucratic impediments and hitches in obtaining building permits for them.

'No respect at all'

Bukit Mertajam opposition parliamentarian Chong Eng, who was also present during last week's incident, said the officers involved 'had no respect at all'.

She likened the action to a 'sudden attack' as the temple committee had not been forewarned nor anticipated that the MPSP would be taking any action until after the Penang state exco meeting this week.

She said police and council enforcement officers far outnumbered those who turned up to appeal the demolition.

"One man (from the temple) was already on the ground and there were six men pinning him down," she said describing scuffle.

Chong Eng's aide Tan Khong Chong said he pleaded with an auxiliary policeman to release the handcuffs on a man who had fainted.

He said the man, the temple's treasurer, was hyperventilating after his arms were handcuffed behind his back. Tan's altercation with the police led to him being hauled also to the police station for questioning, along with five other temple committee members.

The six men were released from police custody after giving their statements and are waiting to see if any charges for rioting will be preferred against them.

Chong Eng explained that although a notice to tear down the building had been issued earlier, the temple appealed for a grace period until after the closing of the Nine Emperor Gods celebrations, a major festival in Penang.

The temple, built in 1985, relocated to Jalan Maju last year after its original site some metres away was sold to a property developer.

Chong Eng said the demolished temple stood on its own piece of land presently abutting the proposed property development and utilised an existing building after carrying out some extension work and refurbishment.

She added that the issue pertaining to the status of the 20-year-old temple was to have been put before the state exco which meets this Wednesday.

MPSP's action pre-empted any discussion of the matter or a possible amicable solution.