KOTA KINABALU: Squatters have taken over a privately owned piece of land behind Kampung Cenderakasih in Likas during the Covid-19 movement control order period.

       Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) Likas constituency liaison committee (CLC) deputy chair Dexter Chin, who was also Community Development Officer (CDO) there, said the landlord, who only wished to be named as Foo, came to them with the plight.

       A visit to the location on Friday afternoon (Feb 25) found about 80 squatter houses there, where water, electricity and a sewage system had also been installed.

       There were even parking spaces for cars, crops, a few sundry stalls, a hall and a sports court, said Chin in a statement released Friday.

       "It looks just like any other village, but it is illegal and scattered with rubbish.

       "According to the complainant, he had not visited his land during the pandemic and MCO period until he was notified by a neighbouring landlord about the land encroachment," said Chin, who was accompanied by Kota Kinabalu City Hall enforcement director Abdul Mukti Muchlish and Likas Chinese Kapitan Liau Hock Vun during the visit.

       As a solution, he said the City Hall enforcement team would coordinate with the landlord to issue eviction notices to the squatters to move them out of the area.

       To prevent such future incidents of trespassing, Chin requested other landlords in the neighbourhood to also monitor their respective lands, even after eviction had taken place.