Resident was
given assurance of hill's safety
18/05/1999 NST
KUALA LUMPUR, Mon. - Like many of his fellow residents at the Atheneum On
The Peak condominum, Dr Juhani Murros is angry at having to evacuate his home,
especially after getting assurance from the developer five years ago that the
hill was safe.
Despite the Highland Towers collapse in 1993, Dr Murros moved into the nearby
Atheneum On The Peak in 1994 on the strength of a letter of assurance from Chemstab
Asia (M) Sdn Bhd, the project managing team of Super Homes Development Sdn Bhd.
(The companies were the subsidiaries of Anson Perdana Sdn Bhd but they were
declared bankrupt in 1997).
The letter stated that an Independent Counsel report was submitted to the Ampang
Jaya Municipal Council and had received its approval on Feb 7, 1994.
He paid US$130,000 for the apartment, including renovations.
The consultants and contractors started the project two months after the suspension,
caused by the Highland Towers incident, was lifted.
"After the Highland Towers disaster, I expected all parties to be very careful
in giving out these assurances. This should not have happened."
Dr Murros is already embroiloed in a court battle with the developer which he
sued in October, 1995 for late completion of the condominium.
Now, Dr Murros, his wife and three children are staying at the Flamingo Hotel
like many other affected residents.
Dr Murros, a retired specialist who spent the last seven years of his medical
service in Vietnam, said his dream was to live in Malaysia and open an art gallery
of his collection of Vietnamese art.
"It has been a long and tiresome effort for me to see justice and I am still
waiting for my money," he said. "Now I don't even have my home anymore."
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