ORDER NOW BEFORE LATE AT BILIK CHAOS

ORDER NOW BEFORE LATE AT KEDAI BOGUS

OUR FIRST STREAMING SHOW! 

Colaboration
Rumah Api
and
Jongro Music
oresents:
Loudstock Live 1
streaming on Facebook Live
on Friday 2nd October 2020
UTC +8 MYT 10.00PM
Bands : Milo Dinosaur & The Fridays
by donation RM 10 / USD 5(rest of the world) or more
for info : www.wasap.my/+60199059706/LoudstockLive
p/s: Lets help us to sustain the venue to survive.

Punk bands, lets practice and record for your upcoming release

SOLIDARITY & SUPPORT FOR RUMAH API RENTAL

Rumah Api is a community-run DIY punk space and venue in KL Malaysia that I'm sure many of you have visited and likely spent some great times there.   The contribution made by Rumah Api to the underground counter-cultural movements of Kuala Lumpur (and by extension Malaysia) is nothing short of pivotal. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in the implementation of the MCO (movement control order) nationwide.  As a result, punk shows and other events obviously had to stop.  This means that Rumah Api is making zero income from the door and the bar.  The monthly rental for the space is RM3100 ($1,118.97 AUD - at the time of writing).  The last rent payment was made for February, as lock-down in Malaysia began on March 18th. 

At this point the Rumah Api crew owe rent for March, April and May, and will most likely have to include June.   The combined amount owed from March through to June would total $4475.88 AUD, which is certainly no small figure. 

Unfortunately, requests to have the rent reduced were denied.  The landlord has provided Rumah Api with a "pay when you can"-type deal, but needless to say, that agreement will have it's limitations too. 

Hopefully this initiative can at the very least substantially reduce the financial burden on the members and individuals of the core organisational collective, as many of them have also had their jobs and income jeopardised due the virus and MCO lock-down measures (which are quite serious and far reaching in Malaysia).

We understand that many people are in similar situations and may not be at the most financially stable point in their lives, but it must be stressed that any help will go a long way. Thank you all very much.


p/s - click here to open the link

WE ARE CLOSED FROM 18TH TO 31ST MARCH, 2020. 

NEW RELEASES FROM RAPI RECORDS

Rest In Peace Sen of LOBOTOMY

Assalamualaikum dan selamat sejahtera. Diatas tanggungjawab untuk menolong keluarga sahabat kita yang telah meninggalkan kita buat selamanya iaitu Allahyarham Sardar/Sen/Encik Rimba, maka bersama-samalah kita membantunya dari sudut kewangan. Sen dan isterinya, Ika dikurniakan 6 orang cahaya mata iaitu 3 lelaki dan 3 perempuan. Sen baru sahaja mendapat pasangan kembar perempuan minggu lepas. Disebabkan pasangan kembar itu dilahirkan tidak cukup bulan maka mereka masih ditahan di wad NICU Hospital Kajang. Untuk makluman semua, isteri Sen merupakan seorang surirumah sepenuh masa. Justeru itu, ini merupakan masa yang tepat untuk membantu keluarga Sen. Hulurlah semampu yang boleh.
Berikut details no akaun Isteri Sen;
162825012972
Norhariyanti
Maybank
Terima kasih buat Tartarus Demon dan Hashim Insultor yang tolong mendapatkan segala maklumat ini. Semoga roh sahabat kita dicucuri rahmat-Nya dan ditempatkan bersama orang-orang yang beriman. Al Fatihah.

diambil dari facebook Wan Gedebe

HELP WONG BELONG- Stateless in Malaysia

Human Warhead is organising this fundraiser.


Yeap (Human Warhead) running a marathon to raise funds for my friend Wong. A stateless child in Malaysia. The definition of a stateless child/person means one has no rights to identity, education, medical help, work, vote, and travel. Some basic rights that we as citizens of a nation don't think twice of.  Despite being born in Malaysia, Wong's citizenship status is in question because his parents (Malaysian dad and Indonesian mum) did not legally register their marriage and passed away when he was young. Now at 24, he is proactively trying to establish a legal identity. After a few tries, his application for citizenship is denied. Join me in raising funds for his court appeals. Wong may be just one person but his success in obtaining citizenship will highlight a crack in the Malaysian system.  A crack that as many as 290437 children have fallen through. Many who are trapped in a life of exploitation and poverty. If you donate towards the cause, I will pledge to run a marathon (42km) on the 13 of October in Melbourne. Thank  You.

click here for fund

More on Wong's story:
https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2018/04/01/stateless-children-trapped-in-a-vicious-cycle?fbclid=IwAR33eoSNhotCVGhxMaUuUqwkpTyK4uq669KrR1YEiRuVxFwQHqPTELfCctA

BENEFIT SHOW FOR WONG

​This is heart-breaking information to be receiving especially when many are celebrating this holiday season as they do every day with close family and friends.
Please read through the post and if you are able to help kindly do so immediately:
“Wong Kueng Hui, aged 23, is one of our friends from Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. He plays with hardcore punk outfits Urge and Rant besides being a collective worker for The Terminus.
He has one of the biggest problems that anyone of us could ever imagine, HE IS STATELESS. Yes, you heard that right. He is chained to an invisible jail. Although he was born and raised here to a Malaysian father, he was denied citizenship, thus isn’t eligible for education, jobs or even healthcare.
The Federal Constitution allows for a child born in Malaysia, who is “not born as citizen of another country,” and who cannot acquire citizenship of another country by registration within one year of birth, to become a citizen of Malaysia by operation of law.
In his case, he could not be granted citizenship despite being born in Malaysia because he didn’t have his parents’ Marriage Certification. Thus immigration said that he should follow his birth mother’s nationality. The fact that his mother was not a Malaysian citizen, who died when he was 16 years old (and his father when he was 4 years old) and this has been almost impossible to track down, was irrelevant.
Currently he is in Kuala Lumpur (his first time outside Sabah) to follow-up with his status and was granted by Sabah’s Immigration visiting permit that will expire in one week’s time. Excluding Christmas, he only has 4 days to go.
Yesterday, I drove him to the Home Ministry to check the status on the application but disappointingly, they could not yet confirm. I called Sabah’s Immigration to ask if he could extend the deadline but apparently the officer said NO. Otherwise he will be detained in the airport whenever he returned home. When I called the JPM to ask further about this, the officer on line said that the application might get rejected simply because his mother was a foreigner even though he was born in Malaysia.
This guy, our friend is only 23 years old and the future looks uncertain for him.”
If you can help please contact Ci Chaan immediately: atonalmicrotonal@gmail.com

SHORT STORY OF RUMAH API

ANGKARA bassist Pahrol die (April 22,2019)

---

JOHN MACBAREN Guitarist Anip Dead this morning (Feb 20, 2019)

ANIP (Left) dead this morning 

CHAOS IN RUMAH API #5

SOUNDMAKER SPACE in Penang, Malaysia need fund!!

Will we able to crowd fund 3000rm to move Soundmaker to this space ?
Round space looks cool but the echos are strong in there , need to buy around 150m of satin to make sound proof curtains ..
The space has no other rooms , which means we can only do 1 thing at a time.. it's at bukit gambir.. near USM
We need funding ASAP for Soundmaker Studio to keep on surviving.
Let's start benefit gigs guys. 
We need help , from all of you!
Benefit gigs for Soundmaker Relocation, it's official!
Total rental costs 1.2k rental + 2 months deposit + commission = 4.8k
Setup sound proof = 2k
Electric meter + water = 1k
satin sound proof curtains = 1.5k
Total around 10k
Wai Kong covers 5k
Nov Dec gigs maybe can get 2k
Needs at least 3k
This is also minimum cost cause I'm gonna diy wiring, paint and sound proof
Let's do an open account for this project.
-Chong Soundmaker


do contact chong facebook at: Kuok Cheong Yew

SOLIDARITY WITH 'THE KEY' (Punk space in Melaka)

3 sept
Sepertimana yg diminta, kami tampilkan diri di MBMB dengan harapan masalah yg kami hadapi dapat diselesaikan.Tapi sayang pegawai yg terbabit dikatakan tidak hadirkan diri pada hari ini sedangkan pegawai (Penolong Pengarah Jabatan Penguatkuasa) yang menyerbu kami telah berjanji dan meminta kami untuk hadir pada hari isnin. Apa yang kami dapat hari ini ( Staff mbmb hanya nyatakan ) : Jumlah kompaun + caj pemindahan + caj simpanan = Rm 5575. Dan ia akan digandakan jika tidak diselesaikan sebelum 19 Sept. 


​-The Key-

---

INTERVIEW WITH MITKO FROM BULGARIA FOR DIY CONSPIRACY.NET 

Rumah Api is an alternative space in Kuala Lumpur, which is dedicated to spreading the DIY punk ethos of non-conformity and counterculture in its area. It exists by putting into practice the broader societal values of self-organization, solidarity and people working together to build stronger communities.
Inspired by spaces such as 924 Gilman in the US, Ungdomshuset in Copenhagen, or Köpi in Berlin, Rumah Api (it translates as House of Fire) is committed to make punk a real alternative movement for young people in Malaysia. Fundamentally opposed to any form of discrimination or violence, the anarchist punk house has been targeted and attacked numerous times in the past by either cops, Malay Power skinheads, or the city council.
Unfortunately, despite their long and exhausting struggles, which also include helping mobilize local communities to resist the construction of the controversial Sungai Besi-Ulu Kelang (SUKE) highway and save the old punk house sitting on the main road of the construction plans, the house was eventually demolished. The people of Pekan Ampang have subsequently lost the fight to Malaysia 2020 Vision development plans and lost an unique space that valued self-governance and freedom before power and profits.
Interested in the present state of Rumah Api after the crew has relocated to its new home in a state-owned building, we’ve had a conversation with Man Beranak, an original founding member of the collective punk house.


more read click here

​

RUMAH API SKATEBOARD DECK

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Solidarity with Marius Mason, Ucil, Oza, Azwar, Cedar, the J20 protesters and All term anarchist prisoners!.

From the network of Anarchist Individualis Yogyakarta, in International Day of Solidarity with Marius Mason, Ucil, Oza, Azwar, Cedar, the J20 protesters and All term anarchist prisoners!.
Banner reads 'Abolish the Prison! Freedom for Mason, Ucil, Oza, Azwar, Cedar, J20 & All Anarchist Prisoners'.
International Solidarity to Marius Mason an Anarchist militant from Earth Liberation Front (ELF) who is serving a 22-year prison term. Imprisoned for burning the University of Michigan Laboratory conducting research on genetically engineered organisms (GMOs) funded by Monsanto.
International Solidarity to class war prisoners in Yogyakarta who is undergoing legal process, after being arrested while protesting against the monarchy-feudal society and the repression of the apparatus in building the New Yogyakarta International Airport (NYIA) infrastructure mega project that rid the peasants of Kulonprogo.
Solidarity to Cedar (Peter) Hopperton who had been arrested and indicted for the property damage that occurred in Locke Street, Hamilton.
International Solidarity to approximately 200 J20 prisoners in the US who are threatened of up to 60 years in prison after protesting against Trump's presidency and the hegemony of the economic-political system of capitalism.
The last, International Solidarity to all long-term Anarchist Prisoners.
YOU WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN, and NOT ALONE. WE WILL ALWAYS BE WITH YOU IN ANY SITUATION.
Any funds to anarchists prisoners in Yogyakarta will be gratefully recieved and can be paid into this paypal account.https://www.paypal.me/TobiVBonano

RUMAH API RECORDS

Kami dalam perancangan memulakan records label yang di beri nama RUMAH API RECORDS. Terima kasih. 

shirt for solidarity to our friends that had been caught by the fascist pig

SOLIDARITI BUAT KAWAN
​RUMAH API : Keeping The Flame Alive T-shirt
GILDAN ULTRA IMPORTANT : Please note, larger t-shirts of XXL, XXXL, XXXXL & XXXXXL sizes will be RM60
Printed by BOGUS MERCHANDISE.
• 100% Cotton Ring Spun
• Preshrunk jersey knit
• Fiber content varies by color
• Double needle bottom hems

NEW RUMAH API SHIRT

APRIL SHOW

SOLIDARITY SHOW FOR FAHMI REZA

FEBRUARY 2018 ACTIVITY 

History of Anarchism in Malaya / Singapore / Malaysia

​ANARCHISM IN MALAYA, SINGAPORE AND MALAYSIA:
- The The emergence of a workers' and anarchist movement
- Anarchist Agitation
- The rise and destruction of the anarchist movement
- In modern Malaysia and Singapore
by Vadim Damier, Kirill Limanov
The emergence of a workers' and anarchist movement

The British Malaya, which consisted of the Straits Settlement colony (Singapore, Penang, Malacca), the Federated and the Non-Federated Malay States under the British protectorate, at the beginning of the 20th century, turned into one of the centers and a kind of foreign base of the Chinese revolutionary movement. Chinese immigrants began to appear on the Malay Peninsula in the first half of the XIX century, but at the end of the century their inflow increased sharply. The main area of their employment was tin mines, and then timber harvesting and other industries. The British authorities actively encouraged the import of labour from China and India. During the first decade of the twentieth century, only 150,000 to 200,000 immigrants from the Celestial Empire traveled to Singapore every year, and although many of them, after working for a while, returned home, a growing number of people remained in Malaya. In 1911, almost 917 thousand Chinese lived on the peninsula, which was more than 34% of the population. Of these, 225 thousand worked in difficult conditions at tin mines (1). Chinese residents also prevailed in the cities: among them were workers, employees and other intellectuals, as well as the richest businessmen and traders. In cities such as Penang and Malacca, the Chinese were the overwhelming majority.
The Chinese of Nanyang ("South Seas", as they called the region of Southeast Asia) were mostly from the southern provinces of Guangdong and Fujian. In Malaya, they were not under the authority of the imperial government in Beijing, and this allowed spreading oppositional and revolutionary sentiments among them.
In February 1906, Sun Yatsen, who came to Singapore for the third time, helped organize the first branch of his United League (UL) there. Then the branches of this organization appeared in other cities (Seremban, Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Malacca, Ipoh, etc.). The headquarters of the UL groups in Nanyang were located in Singapore until 1908, and in 1909–1911 in Penang, and Sun Yatsen visited the peninsula several times (2). In 1912 - 1913, a new political party replaced the UL groups, the Kuomintang (KMT). Although the British authorities officially banned it in 1914, the organization continued to operate illegally. The KMT activists were engaged in raising funds to help Sun Yatsen and sending them to China. They organized and controlled Chinese schools and libraries, where political propaganda was also conducted (3).
After the temporary defeat of the Chinese Revolution of 1911-1913, the center of the Chinese labour movement was transferred to Nanyang. In 1913 in Southeast Asia, the branches of the so-called ""Workers 'Party" (or Workers' Union / "Gongdang", or "Kung Tong", in Cantonese) emerged (4). The
"Workers' Party" of Penang became the base and support for the organization of its branches in various cities of Nanyang. In fact, they worked in almost every port in the region: in Malaya, in the Netherlands India and the Philippines. Although the Kung Tong in Malaya was closely associated with the KMT, the Chinese anarchists played a leading role in it (5). The group "Pingmin" ("The Ordinary People") created by them published the eponymous newspaper in Penang in 1913, which became the printing organ of the "Workers' Party".
The first anarchists on the peninsula actively worked in contact with the revolutionary and enlightenment organizations associated with the KMT.
Anarchist agitation among the Chinese of Nanyang was launched by organizations from China, created by Liu Shifu (6): "Heart Society" (7) and the Society of Anarcho-Communist Comrades (formed in Shanghai in 1914). Already in 1914–1916, the island of Penang and Singapore served as points for the transportation and dissemination of propaganda for anarchism. An active work in Malaya was led by many prominent anarchists from China. A friend of Shifu, Liang Bingxian began in 1914 in Singapore edition of the journal "Zhen Sheng" ("Voice of Truth" or "Voice of Justice"), but soon moved the publication to Rangoon. In the autumn of 1915, he returned to Singapore with Liu Shixin, a younger brother of Shifu. Both of them worked in the Chinese school "Yangzheng Xuexiao" and led anarchist agitation there. Liang advocated the ideas of the radical trade union IWW (Industrial workers of the world), in 1917, he published in Singapore the journal "Shijie fengyun" ("World Revolutionary Movement") and the brochure "Shijiegonghui" (Industrial workers of the world). Both enjoyed considerable respect among local Chinese, but at the beginning of 1918 they returned to Shanghai (8).
In the meantime, after the coup in South China and the formation there in 1917 of a government headed by Sun Yatsen, the Nanyang "Workers' Party" resumed its activities in Guangzhou and served as the basis for the revival of the labor and trade union movement in this city and the entire province of Guangdong. With its assistance, the "Industrial Federation of Overseas Chinese" was formed, which became the basis of the "Universal Labor Union" of Guangzhou (9).
Kung Tong in Malaya became, in fact, the center around which more traditional guilds were grouped, as well as new trade unions created by anarchists. At the same time, the organization was not anarchist. The Chinese anarchist communist Liu Shifu criticized it for the fact that one of her program points called for "striving for the political power of the workers." (10)
By the end of the 1910s, according to greatly exaggerated estimates by the British authorities, Kung Tong included up to 200,000 members in the Straits Settlement and the Federated Malay States, and the organization cooperated closely with the KMT (11). According to British intelligence, the anarchist work in the Kung Tong was conducted through the Pingmin society, which acted "in the closest contact with and most probably under the control of Chinese Anarchist Societies", and searches in Malaya showed close ties between local Chinese anarchists and mother societies in China (12). It was alleged that the "Workers' Party" (based in Guangzhou) exercises control over Chinese workers, especially in the ports from Shanghai to Singapore, and, as the strikes show, can paralyze the whole economic life of the region between Vladivostok and Singapore if desired (13). In Singapore, these revolutionary workers' unions organized the first major strikes. Numerous strikes and demonstrations took place in the port and at enterprises under the slogans: "Down with the capitalists, the owners of factories and plants!", "Down with British imperialism!" (14). Although in 1919 the activity of the Kung Tong in Malaya was banned, and its organizations merged with the KMT, the underground work of trade unions in the country continued.
As is evident from the report on the employment of labour for the construction of a naval base in Singapore (this work begun in 1923), the anarchist groups amalgamated with the "Workers' Party" and interacted with the KMT. As the strikes demonstrated, the orders of Kung Tong and KMT were followed by "all classes of Chinese workmen in Hong Kong, Singapore, Amoy, and other ports" (15). In Malaya, anarchist publications from Guangzhou were distributed.
Anarchist Agitation
During the First World War, a group of Chinese anarchists came to British Malaya to establish the foundations of a radical revolutionary movement. Among them were Cheung Hong-sen (Zhang Hongchen) from Fujian Province, who soon moved to Sumatra, Hu Tu-tsu (Hu Duchu), Fan Chang-pu (Fan Zhangfu) from Guangzhou who were close to Shifu group in China. In 1919, Hu, Fan, Goh Tun-ban (Wu Dongmin) and a number of activists from the Federated Malay States (all originated from Guangzhou) organized the "Society of Truth" (Zhen She) in Singapore (16). It operated as a branch of the "Heart Society" based in South China's Guangdong Province.
The chairman of the Singapore "Zhen She" was Hu Tu-tsu, and Fan Chang-pu was in charge of propaganda work. "The Society of Truth of the Southern Seas" actively disseminated anarchist literature. One of the tasks in 1919 was the organization of a subscription to the printing of anarchist books in Manila, which was dealt with by the publisher of "Pingmin", the anarcho-communist Wa Lam (Hua Lin) (17). In addition, Hu Tu-tsu produced materials in the Malay language (18). In total, according to available information, more than 10,000 copies of pamphlets on anarchism were published (19).
A significant impetus to the upsurge of the movement was given by the events of May 4, 1919 in China, the mass protests that began with manifestations against the decisions of the Paris Peace Conference on the transfer to Japan of former German possessions in Shandong and developed into a general social upsurge. "... This enthusiastic movement", said one of the leading anarchist activists in Malaya, "had a great effect upon the whole nation, and later on the South Seas (Nanyang). Many propertyless men in the South Seas long sunk in slumber were awakened. And for the first time they began to know that there has existed such a thing as Labour Day” (20).
The protest movement, which was influenced by the events in China, swept the Streets Settlement colony in May-June 1919, accompanied by anti-Japanese demonstrations, riots and a boycott of Japanese goods. The British police took the Japanese merchants under protection. Most of the protesters were workers and students. In Singapore, as a result of the unrest, 3 people were killed and 8 were injured. The organizers of the disturbances were the Patriotic League and the anarchist "Society of Truth" (21).
The British authorities accused Hu and Fan of political crimes: organizing anti-Japanese boycott and strikes of Chinese workers on Japanese-owned machine-building enterprises in Singapore. The defendants claimed that they had used the right to resist "oppressive authorities" ("jianquan"). In November 1919, for the conduct of anarchist agitation, they were sent for life from Malaya, after which the Singaporean "Society of Truth" soon ceased to exist (22).
Goh Tun-ban, who came to Kuala Lumpur in December 1917 or early 1918, rallied around him a circle of young intellectuals who shared the ideas of social justice and anti-authoritarianism. He also established contacts with the local KMT circles and, having received financial assistance from Chinese merchants, began in March 1919 to launch the publication of the newspaper "Yik Khwan Po" ("Yi Qunbao" / "For the Benefit of the People"). After taking up the post of editor, Goh published editorial articles in the newspaper outlining anarcho-communist views, as well as materials about anarchism, Bolshevism, etc. written by other authors (23).
"Yik Khwan Po" played a prominent role in the propaganda of the May 4 movement and the anti-Japanese boycott. Goh urged students to rebel and "save China" (24). In the newspaper's numbers for 16, 18, 19, 21, 23 and 24 July 1919 he published a series of editorial articles entitled "National self-defense", "National self-determination" and "National self-government." Characterizing the boycott of Japanese goods and the struggle to overthrow the militarist regime in Beijing as "self-defense" and "self-determination," Goh advocated the establishment in China, following the example of the Russian revolution, of a system of Soviets, which he understood as "self-government", the rule of the people and through the people, which corresponded to the "ideal of anarcho-communism" (25).
Along with the agitation against Japanese imperialism and the reactionary regime in Beijing, Goh openly advocated the creation of a new society based on freedom and equality. On April 14, 1919, he published in "Yik Khwan Po" an article directed against the existing class society, emphasizing that the only way to a new, just system is through the elimination of the class system through a social revolution committed by the common people. But in order for the masses to do it, the author claimed, education and enlightenment are necessary, and here the intelligentsia is called upon to play an important role (26). Goh openly called himself an anarchist, called for "humanism" and the destruction of "oppressive power." Anarcho-communism, he declared in an article published in his newspaper on September 9, 1919, is the most sacred of the "isms", and it will serve the good of mankind (27).
In addition, Goh published articles on anarchism in the organ of the "Workers' Party" of Semarang (Netherlands India), "Zhen Libao". In June 1919, he was twice summoned in this connection to the British colonial organ for Chinese affairs, the "Chinese protectorate" in Kuala Lumpur, and subjected to exhausting interrogation (28).
July 29, 1919 authorities in Kuala Lumpur arrested Goh and five other figures of the Chinese community (including the leader of the Confucian school, Song Muk-lin and 4 merchants). They were tried in September and in November 1919 they were deported to China (29). It is interesting that in a press statement written by Goh before the expulsion and published in "Yik Khwan Po" on November 29, 1919, a certain contradiction and naivety of his views were reflected. So, urging compatriots to show perspicacity and accept new thinking, he suggested that the workers and entrepreneurs of China should unite in the struggle to buy only Chinese goods, open schools, open factories and build ships, reform society, get rid of "oppressive power" and establish "self-government" (30).
The repression and expulsion of leading activists temporarily beheaded the anarchist movement in Malaya, but did not crush it. As stated in the report of Secretary for Chinese Affairs of the Federated Malay States Aubrey Goodman (January 26, 1925), in the country since 1919 there was an Anarchist Federation (31). This association was also known as the "Anarchist Party" (Mo Cheng Fu Tong / Wuzhengfudang") and was a branch of the Society of Anarcho-Communist Comrades, created by Liu Shifu in 1914 in Shanghai. Its program stated:
“Liberty, Equality, Fraternity, Community of Goods, Co-operation; each does what he can and takes what he needs: no government, laws or military forces, no landlords, capitalists or leisured class. No money, religion, police, prison or leaders, No representatives, heads of families, no person uneducated or not working: no rules of marriages, no degrees of high or low, rich or poor, and the method to be adopted is given by organization of comrades by means of communication centres, by propaganda in pamphlets, speeches and education, by passive resistance to those in power.
Do not pay taxes, cease work, cease trade; by the method of direct action, assassinate and spread disorder. Anarchy is the great revolution” (32)
In 1920, anarchist groups operated already in Singapore, on Penang Island, in Ipoh, Kuala Lumpur and Seremban. Leading anarchist activists in the country during this period were Liu Kafei (in Cantonese Lau Hak Fei) – Shifu's brother; Moh Kim Fung, teacher of the Lahat school in the principality of Perak, and Li Hui Chau, a teacher at the Pudu school, near Kuala Lumpur (33). An important role in revolutionary propaganda in Malaya was played by the Chinese schools, and, as noted by the British colonial authorities, the ties between the KMT and the anarchists in this sphere were realized, in particular, through the so-called "Shiyan Tun" ("dozens") (34). In an attempt to undermine the influence of radical elements, the administration introduced in 1920 a law on compulsory registration of schools.
The rise and destruction of the anarchist movement
The "Yik Khwan Po" remained press organ, through which the anarchist agitation continued. For some time the paper was headed by the socialist Pan Sichun (Fan Siqun), who analyzed the relationship between wage workers and capitalists from a class point of view, denounced the selfishness of entrepreneurs and the exploitation of hired labor, but advocated compromise and harmony between classes. In May 1920, the editor-in-chief became Liu Kefei (Lau Hak Fei), Shifu's brother, who moved to Kuala Lumpur from Manila. He opened a new rubric in this publication, the "Free Speech", announcing (in the issue of May 14, 1920) its task to spread a new culture, new theory, and new thinking, popularizing scientific discoveries and achievements. The column was used to analyze current events and such topics as freedom of speech, working education, world politics, Bolshevism in Russia, proletarianism, socialism and other social theories, the development of culture and the ethics of freedom, equality, fraternity, social transformations. Liu Kefei exposed the evil of the existing system and propagated anarchist communism.
In the editorial "Masses and Education" (June 5, 1920), the editor-in-chief openly agitated for the achievement of a free "people's" society based on the principles of "absolute equality" and of "absolute freedom" (35). The newspaper praised the revolution in Russia, which, in the opinion of its author Bei Hua, sought to reform society through overthrowing of various oppressors by the masses (article "Revolutionary Spirit" in the issue of July 5, 1920.) On December 18, 1920, "YIk Khwan Po" published an article on Russian Bolshevism.
In an editorial article by Liu Kefei "The Intelligentsia and Revolution" (November 30, 1920), an attempt was made to examine the course of the class struggle on a world scale. In developed countries, the Chinese revolutionary wrote, the struggle between the proletariat and the bourgeoisie is unfolding, and in the backward countries the task of the moment is the victory in the conflict between the masses, on the one hand, and the military dictators and government bureaucracies, on the other (36).
Liu Kefei edited the newspaper until March (?) of 1921, after which time the anarchist agitation ceased for almost a year, but then resumed (37).
In 1921, for the first time in the history of Malaya, the anarchists celebrated with great enthusiasm yje May Day, illegally. In a large meeting held in Ipoh, workers and students took part. The following year, they intended to repeat the success and disseminate tens of thousands of May Day leaflets and appeals, but none of the printer houses risked printing their propaganda materials. Nevertheless, on May 1, 1923 anarchists managed to publish special issues of papers "Tai Yeung" ("Sun"), published by the publishing house of "Yik Khwan Po" in Kuala Lumpur by the printer Luk Ngai Man from Penang, and "Yan Kheun" ("People's Masses"), which was released in Gopeng (near Ipoh) by Tsan Chan Tat (Xu Zhou) (38).
According to a Chinese anarchist source of 1927, Xu Zhou came to Malaya in 1922 and immediately engaged in establishing contacts around the country. He published "Tai Yeung" and ""Yan Kheun" , and then organized the work of the Anarchist Federation (39).
In 1922, new libertarian publications were distributed in the country: "Khung Sai Yam" ("Hungshiyan" / "Saving of the World") and "Khun Chan Tong" ("Gongchandang" / "Communist Party"), as well as P. Kropotkin's book "Anarchist Ethics" (40).
In 1923, a representative of the Chinese anarchist federation, Ai Zhen, came to South East Asia from Guangzhou to establish contacts with his comrades in Malaya and to regularize organizational and publishing work. He went to work at the Zhonglin High School on Penang Island and simultaneously tackled the issues of working education. A night school was opened in Penang, as well as in Singapore. Ai Zhen helped organize the branch of Anarchist federation. Soon, however, the authorities began to monitor the activities of this anarchist activist, sent spies to him, and in December of that year deprived him of the right to teach (41).
In 1924, the anarchist movement in Malaya became noticeably more active. New activists came out: Lai Wan; Ng Chi San (employee of a jewelry store); Tham Cheuk Ming and Fu Hon Wah (collaborators of "Yik Khwan Po") and Ho Taan – in Kuala Lumpur; Chu Keung (Zhu Jiang; shoemaker) in Ampang; Wong Kheung Ah in Ipoh; Fu Mong Sang and Thai Sui in Penang; Fu Wahi Shang in Seremban; and Leong Yat Yu in Singapore (42). At the same time, the core of the movement remained small: according to the British report of 1925, there were about 50 activists in the Anarchist Federation (43). However, it enjoyed wide influence among the Chinese of Malaya, especially among school teachers and printers (44), especially in the urban areas of the Strait Settlement colony and in the more developed Malay states.
On February 6 and 7, 1924, 13 delegates from Ipoh, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Penang Island and from Songkhla (Siam / Thailand), gathered at the meeting of the Anarchist Federation of the Peninsula, which took place in Penang. The issues of creating a solid organization, opening working schools and expanding agitation work were discussed (45). It was decided that teachers should be more active in agitation among students in schools, and workers among colleagues at work. It was also planned to expand street agitation (46). However, the headquarters of the anarchist federation in Guangzhou did not approve some decisions of the meeting as the creation of separate sections on finance, propaganda and vigilance, the propaganda among all sections of the population and the organization of local anarchist groups (47).
After the end of the congress, some participants were arrested by agents of the British authorities. Having managed to leave, Ai Zhen sheltered in Singapore, but after the order for his arrest was issued, he had to leave Malaya and flee to Bangkok (48).
In the same year, the anarchists published a brochure, "Kwong Ming" ("Light"), which was printed in the in the printing house of "Yik Khwan Po" and distributed among members of labour unions, guilds and school students, as well as members of other organizations throughout Malaya (49).
The the colonial authorities were seriously worried by the growth of the anarchist movement and its influence. The pretext for its crushing was the assassination attempt, organized by anarchists in Malaya in 1925.
On January 3, 1925, in response to the repression, two anarchists were about to assassinate Laurence Guillemard, Governor of Straits Setlments and High Commissioner of the Federated Malay States, on Penang during his inspection trip, but their plan fell. Then the authorities of the Federated Malay States were chosen as the target of the attack.
On January 23, 1925, in morning, 26-year-old anarchist Wong Sau Ying (Wong Sung / Huang Suying) attempted to kill the British official for the Chinese affairs in Selangor (protector of the Chinese), Daniel Richards. A short-haired woman in a white jacket, black skirt, in white shoes and socks, entered the Chinese protectorate building in Kuala Lumpur, holding a small brown attaché in her hand. Seeing Richards and his collaborator W.L. Blythe who sat at the table, she put the attaché on the table and turned to Richards, who was talking on the phone. Then she opened the briefcase's lock and pushed him to Richards. There was an explosion. Richards, Blythe and woman were injured. Wong Sau Ying was seized and sentenced to 10 years in prison. Later she hung herself in Pudu prison (50).
After this incident, repression against the left in Malaya intensified. In July 1925, the British government instructed the Governor of the Straits Settlements to take "the necessary measures to suppress" the Malayan branches of the KMT; this decision was also extended to anarchists. Many of them were arrested, the most active were deported from Malaya. From these blows the anarchist movement no longer recovered and soon disappeared, although the syndicalist influence as early as 1926-27 was felt in the branch of the Hong Kong Union of Mechanics (51).
The place of the extreme left was taken up by the Leninists. The emissaries of the Chinese Communist Party tried to launch agitation in Malaya back in 1921-1923 (52). Bolshevik ideas were spread in the country through communists from China and the Netherlands India from 1924-1925, and from 1926 through the members of the Communist Party of Indonesia, who took refuge in Malaya after suppressing the uprisings in Java and Sumatra. Having joined the local KMT, the Communists formed a Revolutionary Committee headed by them (53). After the KMT split in 1927, supporters of Bolshevism created the "Workers 'and Peasants' Movement," and in 1930, the Communist Party of Malaya (54). The presence of anarchists came to naught, although Singapore remained one of the centers of ties between Chinese anarchists until the 1960s.
In modern Malaysia and Singapore
For many decades in Malaysia (gained independence as Malaya in 1957) and Singapore (independent since 1965) there was no anarchist movement. The left movement was firmly associated with the banned communist party and associated groups. The activities of the Communists were subjected to repression, and the Communist Party of Malaya itself, which was engaged in a bitter guerrilla war, brutally suppressed dissent in its own ranks, until in the 1970s did not break up into factions that begun the armed struggle among themselves. Only the collapse of the Marxist-Leninist movement liberated space for the search for alternative radical ideas.
The first signs of the revival of anarchism in the region began to be noted only in the 1980s. So, in September 1984, a delegation from Malaysia took part in the international anarchist meeting "Venice 1984" (55). A new wave of anarchist activists appeared in Malaysia and Singapore in the 1990s. As in other countries of Southeast Asia, its origins were youth, which was associated with the subculture of punks. Punk music experienced a rapid flowering in 1996-1998 in Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Ipoh and Johor Bahru. Such musical groups as "Carburetor Dung" (found in 1991 in Kuala Lumpur), "The Bollocks" and anarcho-skinhead group "ACAB" addressed in their texts to anarchism and the problems of the working class (56). Also activist groups "Anarcho-punks Federation" and "Anti-racist action" existed for some time. There were some practical projects in those years, f.ex. fund for assistance to local residents, organized by anarcho-punks from the group "Liberated Aboriginal" in Selangor: it was engaged in the distribution of old clothes, fundraising on sales, and also arranged a free laundry. The "Kaulus" collective in Kuala Lumpur collected funds to help those in need: its members conducted charity concerts and distributed cassettes; all proceeds went exclusively to the poor. Various small fanzines were published: "Broken vision" (anarcho-punk, Johor), "D.R.S.A." (Kuala Trengganu), "90's choice" (feminist, Coloan, Johor), "Sadis" (Ampan, Selangor), "Revolted" (Kota Tingi, Johor), "Solidarity" (Kuala Trengganu) etc. (57)
In the capital of Malaysia, the group "Food, not bombs" existed. In 2003 anarchists of Malaysia created an Internet forum for communication and establishing contacts. The Black Cross organization for helping political prisoners and the persecuted was formed.
In the 2000's, the anarchist scene in the country became more differentiated, which was reflected in the difference in flags in actions and events: less politicized activists raised black and white banners, politicized radicals black and red, green anarchists green and black. The lack of anarchist literature in local languages and the high cost of books remained a big problem. Most anarchists in this period were young people from poor families, unemployed, etc. (58) The spread of anarchist ideas in Malaysia is also hampered by the existence of repressive legislation: public meetings can be held only with the permission of the police; The Press Act of 1984 hampers the publication of radical literature; authorities closely monitor websites, networks and communities on the Internet, they control mobile phone communications. The law on internal security of 1960 allows arrest of "dangerous" persons without trial. An important problem remains the influence of Islamic religion among the Malay population (59).
Since 2005, the center of attraction for the punk scene in Kuala Lumpur has been the Gudang Noisy center in Ampang. However, in 2010, its participants decided to abandon the continuation of the project, and it moved to the group of anarchists who decided to organize an Info-shop "Pustaka semesta" ("Universal Library"). The initiators collaborated early with the radical team "Kudet" in Yogyakarta (Indonesia), took part in 2010 in an anarchist meeting in Medan (on the Indonesian island of Sumatra), where they got acquainted with the experience of anarchist Info-shops in Japan and Germany, and also visited the punk-autonomous center "Black Hole" in Singapore. Taking the former Gudang Noisy into their own hands, they renamed it "Rumah Api" (Lighthouse or House of Uprising), which opened in September-December 2010. There were located such projects as Info-shop, a hall for concerts, film screenings and discussions and the kitchen of the "Food, Not Bombs" initiative. Most of the materials that were distributed by the group, were received from Indonesia. They were mostly in English and Indonesian, but also the anarchist editions of the US-based groups Crimethink and Slingshot, the Malayan fanzines. The library had also books and pamphlets in German, Chinese and French. Since in Malaysia at that time there were no anarchist publications, in the proper sense of the word, "Pustaka semesta" began the publication of its own magazine "Bidas" in the Malay language.
The work was supported by 5 Malay people living in the house; on weekends, up to 20 or more people gathered. A blog and a web page were organized. Posters on the street with information about the opening and operation of the Info-Shop activists were not hanging out, fearing reprisals. The activists preferred oral agitation. Among the visitors and interested were not only anarchists, but also many non-politicized punks, students and even members of the Socialist Party. The police did not leave the center without their attention.
One of the most important directions of the work of the collective was the student movement. Its activists tried to attract students to participate in the demonstrations on May 1, seeing in them the opportunity to take to the streets and to declare themselves openly. Already in April 2011, May Day leaflets of anarchist content were distributed, and in "Rumah Api" daily film screenings and discussions were held. The same work continued in 2012 (60).
In addition to the Kuala Lumpur initiative, in the early 2000s, there was an info-shop in Trengganu, "A-Mince", but by 2012 it was closed. In Bangsar, an anarchist from the punk environment organized the "50B" center, which ran weekly film screenings and discussions (about the protests of May 1968 in the world, the movement of "Students for a Democratic Society" in the USA in the 1960s etc.). This activity was oriented toward the student public (61).
The intensification of anarchist work began to bear fruit. May Day manifestations were becoming more energetic and militant. On May 1, 2014, a group of anarchists and anti-fascists under red-black flags, after participating in a general march in Kuala Lumpur, tried to break through to the place of Independence cordoned off by the police and entered into a fierce confrontation with the youth of the Islamic Party (62). In 2015 an anarchist column marched on a demonstration on May 1, which was organized by the movement against the tax on goods and services and by the opposition. Protesting against the rise in the cost of living, cutting on social payments and raising taxes, about 30 anarchists, joined by some other demonstrators, refused to disperse at the end of the demonstration. They entered into skirmishes with the police, trying to grab trucks with food and drinks for the marchers (63). In addition, a group of anarchists threw colored smoke bombs and firecrackers, tried to attack the McDonald's branch, painted the showcase with paint and threw stones at the bank building. The police used tear gas and water cannon to disperse them and detained about 30 people (64). After this, repressions against the anarchist movement intensified. On August 28, 2015, armed with automatic weapons, policemen, under the pretext of searching for weapons and explosives, broke into "Rumah Api" during a night concert, confiscated musical equipment, computers and books. More than 160 people, including guests from the US, Germany, Spain, the Philippines and Indonesia, were detained for several days (65). Commenting this police raid, activists noted that earlier in 2015 the "Wall" center in Batu-Pahat was set on fire: it had been working since 2010 and served as a kind of a link between youth sub-cultures in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore (66). On January 24, 2016, during a protest demonstration against the agreement on the Trans-Pacific Partnership in Kuala Lumpur, the police arrested seven anarchists, accusing them of causing property damage (67).
Some of the anarchists in Malaysia in the 2010s. began to show interest in the labor movement and anarcho-syndicalism. One of them recalled that his group "Kaum Babi" initially met hostile attitude from anarcho-punks and antifascists from "Antifa Malaysia". Although the workers, he said, are afraid of the word "anarchism", the group considers it necessary to organize radical trade unions. The decision to intensify work in the anarcho-syndicalist direction was taken at a meeting between the anarchists of Indonesia and several anarchists from Singapore. The group managed to create an "illegal" trade union at a factory in Kuala Lumpur and start the organization of trade unions at a factory in Ipoh and another enterprise in the Malaysian capital. The goal is the universal formation of workers unions and their federation at the country level. Primary attention is paid to agitation and enlightenment among the working people and to the explanation of anarchism: the Kukong Press publishing house was established for the translation of books, brochures and fanzins to the Malay. The "Black Book", first book on anarchism in the Malay language was published. The group conducts discussions with other collectives and seeks to unite all anarchists (68).
In Singapore, a small state with a rigidly authoritarian regime, the opportunities for anarchist work are even more severe than in Malaysia, although in the country in the 2000s there were individual activists who maintained contacts with like-minded people in Indonesia and Malaysia. Any attempt at an open speech is immediately followed by severe repression. So, on May 9, 2014, five 17-year-old young people were arrested and charged with "vandalism" only because they wrote anarchist symbols and slogans directed against the ruling People's Action Party (69). In February 2016, several workers from Singapore attended the presentation of the International Workers Association in Melbourne, Australia, organized by the Anarcho-Syndicalist Federation (ASF) of Australia and the secretariat of I.W.A. In September 2016, the ASF held a discussion on anarcho-syndicalism in Singapore with local activists. In Singapore, an anarcho-syndicalist initiative group was formed.
NOTES:
(1) V.A. Tyurin. Istoriya Malaysii. Kratkiy ocherk. Moskva, 1980. P. 93–95, 119.
(2) C.F. Yong, R.B. McKenna. The Kuomintang Movement in British Malaya 1912–1949. Singapore, 1990. Р.11–13.
(3) Ibid. P.237.
(4) Kung Tong originated originally in China in December 1911 on the wave of anti-monarchist uprising and combined many different tasks: defense of the interests of the working people, political association, self-defense and social-cooperative movement of mutual aid. The founders of Kung Tong were Xiu Jiwen, UL activist, and industrialist Zhu Zhiyao, who became her first chairman. The tasks of the "party", according it charter, were the unification of workers, regardless of professional and regional differences, the development of modern industry, the increasing the technical knowledge of workers, the "reducing the suffering of workers", the creation of "working guilds", the promotion of political and military requirements and the adoption of labour legislation. May Day manifesto of Kung Tong in 1913 contained a call for the organization of workers' cooperatives. The branch of the organization in Hunan Province opened a working bank, and after a strike of masons, it organized a cooperative of employees of this specialty. In Shanghai, a metallurgical workshop was created. The "Workers' Party" supported or even organized strikes of Shanghai foundry workers (July 1912), and of manufacturers of soybean paste. The Kung Tong leaders tried to create a hospital for workers and an employment office. In 1913, they expressed their solidarity with the striking workers in the arsenal in Hanyang and sent a delegation to the Chinese parliament, demanding the establishment of a free weekend, guaranteed minimum wage and insurance for workers. The Kung Tong consisted of more than 70 local branches in China, mainly from the Yangtze Valley region. The most active groups were in Hunan, Guangzhou and Tangshan ... The formal number of members, as announced at the congress in November 1912 in Nanjing, reached 400,000, although this figure is considered highly exaggerated. When in May 1913, in the south of China, with the support of the KMT, an uprising broke out against the dictatorship of President Yuan Shikai, members of the "Workers' Party" took an active part in it. Xu Jiwen, together with a group of workers tried to seize the arsenal of weapons in Jiangnan, but was seized and executed. After that, the Kung Tong was banned in China, and only in Tangshan for a few years there was preserved a department created by immigrants from Guangzhou, which dealt with issues of mutual aid and education. However, the "party" sections in Nanyang not only did not cease to exist, but also expanded their activities. See J. Chesneaux. Le mouvement ouvrier chinois de 1919 à 1927. Paris; La Haye, 1962. P.202–203.
(5) Ou Xi. Nanyang wuzhenfu zhui yundung zhi gaikuang // http://raforum.info/spip.php?article1992
(6) In addition to Liu Shifu himself, three of his brothers played an active role in spreading anarcho-communism in China and the "Southern Seas". One of them taught at the Normal College in Guangzhou; another (Liu Shixin) in 1918-1919 published a Chinese newspaper in Medan in Sumatra, until he was expelled by the authorities of the Netherlands India; the third (Liu Kafei) published a newspaper in Manila in the Philippines, and then moved to Malaya. See: C.F. Yong. The origins of Malayan Communism. Singapore, 1997. P.43.
(7) The "Heart Sociery" (Xinshe) was established in Guangzhou in July 1912 and had branches in Southeast Asia, primarily in Manila and Singapore, known as the" Society of Truth". It proclaimed the task of replacing the "false ethics and malicious system of modern society" with "a new ethic stemming from the minds of people". The British authorities in Malaya mistakenly translated the name of the organization according to consonance as "New Society". See: C.F. Yong. The origins of Malayan Communism... P.43.
(8) E.S. Krebs. Shifu, Soul of Chinese Anarchism. Boston, 1998. Р.153; D.S.S. Cairns. Anarchist Publications of the May Fourth Era // http://anarchiststudies.mayfirst.org/node/476
(9) Report on the Canton Trade Union Movement // Russian State Archives for Social and Political History (RGASPI). 534/7/342. P.110; J. Chesneaux. Op.cit. P.202, 225.
(10) E. Yu. Staburova. Anarhizm v Kitae 1900–1921. Moskva, 1983. P.99.
(11) C.F. Yong, R.B. McKenna. Op.cit. P.238; Yeo Kim Wah. Political Development in Singapore 1945–1955. Singapore, 1973. P.203.
(12) British documents on foreign affairs : reports and papers from the Foreign Office confidential print. Part II, From the First to the Second World War. Series E, Asia, 1914-1939. Ed.by Ann Trotter. Vol.26. October 1921 - February 1922. Bethesda, 1994. Р.72.
(13) Documents on British Foreign Policy 1919-1939. First Series. Vol.XIV. Far Eastern Affairs 1920-22. London, 1966. P.415.
(14) G. Chufrin. Singapur. Moskva, 1970. P.19.
(15) Khoo Kay Kim. A Brief History of Chinese Labour Unrest Before 1941 // Malaysia in History. Journal of Malaysian Historical Society. Kuala Lumpur, 1982. Vol.25. P.60.
(16) C.F. Yong. The origins of Malayan Communism. P.17–18.
(17) Ibid. P.18.
(18) Ou Xi. Op.cit.
(19) Anarho-kommunisticheskaya federaziya Kitaya. Kitayskie anarhisty i internazional`nyi anarhicheskiy kongress // Anarhicheskiy vestnik. 1923. №5-6. November – December. P.76.
(20) Quot. in: D. Khoo Kay Kim, R. Singh Malhl. Chinese Anarchists Started Trade Unions // The Sunday Star. Kuala Lumpur, 12.09.1993.
(21) Khoo Kai Kim. Sedikit informasi tentang sejarah dari para revolusioner di tanah Melayu // https://www.facebook.com/cetusan.anarki/posts/239548316214001; Huei-Ying Kuo. Transnational business networks and sub-ethnic nationalism. Chinese business and nationalist activities in interwar Hong Kong and Singapore, 1919-1941. Ann Arbor, 2007. P.92–93.
(22) Yong C.F. Origins and Development of the Malayan Communist Movement, 1919 – 1930 // Modern Asian Studies. Cambridge, 1991. Vol.25. No.4. October. P.626–627; Sze-Chieh Ng. Silenced Revolutionaries: Challenging the Received View of Malaya`s Revolutionary Past. A Thesis Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts. Tempe: Arizona State University, 2011. P.12.
(23) Sze-Chieh Ng. Op.cit. P.13; Yong C.F. Origins and Development... P.627.
(24) Sze-Chieh Ng. Op.cit. P.14.
(25) Yong C.F. Origins and Development... P.627.
(26) Sze-Chieh Ng. Op.cit. P.14.
(27) Yong C.F. Origins and Development... P.628.
(28) Idem. The origins of Malayan Communism. P.23–27.
(29) Idem. The origins of Malayan Communism. P.26; Idem. Chinese Leadership and Power in Colonial Singapore. Singapore, 1992. P.206.
(30) Idem. Origins and Development... P.628.
(31) Ibid. P.629.
(32) D. Khoo Kay Kim, R. Singh Malhl. Op.cit.
(33) Khoo Kai Kim. Sedikit informasi...
(34) C.F. Yong, R.B. McKenna. Op.cit.
(35) C.F. Yong. Origins and Development... P.628–629; Idem. Chinese Leadership and Power... P.207.
(36) Idem. Origins and Development... P.629.
(37) Idem. The origins of Malayan Communism... P.43.
(38) D. Khoo Kay Kim, R. Singh Malhl, Op.cit.; Khoo Kai Kim. Op.cit.; D.S.S. Cairns. Op.cit.
(39) Ou Xi. Op.cit.
(40) D. Khoo Kay Kim, R. Singh Malhl. Op.cit.
(41) Ou Xi. Op.cit.
(42) Khoo Kai Kim. Sedikit informasi...
(43) C.F. Yong. Origins and Development... P.630.
(44) D. Khoo Kay Kim, R. Singh Malhl. Op.cit.
(45) Ou Xi. Op.cit.
(46) Khoo Kai Kim. Sedikit informasi...
(47) C.F. Yong. The origins of Malayan Communism... P.32–33.
(48) Ou Xi. Op.cit.
(49) C.F. Yong. The origins of Malayan Communism... P.30.
(50) Ou Xi. Op. cit.; Bomb Mystery: Protector of Chinese Seriously Injured // The Straits Times. Singapore, 26.01.1925. P.9; The Bomb Outrage: Satisfatory Progress of The Injured // The Straits Times. Singapore, 27.01.1925. P.10; Bomb Outrage: The Outcome of Anarchistic Ideas // The Straits Times. Singapore, 28.01.1925. P.10; Bomb Outrage: Bobbed Hair Woman Charged With Attempted Murder // The Straits Times. Singapore, 30.01.1925. P.10; D. Khoo Kay Kim, R. Singh Malhl Op.cit.; C.F. Yong. The origins of Malayan Communism... P.32.
(51) About syndicalists on the Union of Mechanivs s.: E. Yu. Staburova. Anarhizm i rabochee dvizhenie v Kitae v nachale XX veka // Kitay: gosudarstvo i obshchestvo. Moskva, 1977. P.213.
(52) C.F. Yong. Origins and Development... P.630 ff.
(53) Cheah Boon Kheng. From PKI to the Comintern, 1924–1941: The Apprenticeship of the Malayan Communist Party. Ithaca, 1992. P.8–10.
(54) V.A. Tyurin. Op.cit. P.152–154.
(55) In(con)troduction // Black Rose. Boston, 1985. №11. Winter / Spring. P.4. ; Congressi e Convegni della Federazione Anarchica Italiana. А cura di Ugo Fedeli e Giorgio Sacchetti. Chieti: Centro Studi Libertari "Camillo Di Sciullo", 2003. Р.425.
(56) A. F. Anarchism in South East Asia // A-Infos. A multi-lingual news service by, for, and about anarchists. 28.09.2015 – http://www.ainfos.ca/en/ainfos31949.html
(57) F. Mohd (DRSAʻzine). Obzor scen: Malaysiya // Evrobutylka. Moskva, 2000. P.22–23.
(58) A. F. Anarchism in South East Asia...
(59) Interview with Malaysian anarchists – http://www.wsm.ie/c/interview-malaysian-anarchists
(60) Kuala Lumpur: interview with Pustaka Semesta infoshop –https://disaccords.wordpress.com/2012/06/11/kuala-lumpur-interview-with-pustaka-semesta-infoshop/
(61) Ibid.
(62) Boo Su-Lyn, P. Subramaniam, Ar Z. In the thousands, GST critics hit streets in May Day rally // The Malay Mail online – http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/in-the-thousands-gst-critics-hit-streets-in-may-day-rally; S.J. Zahiid. Despite court ruling, home minister insists rallies wrong choice for dissent // The Malay Mail online – http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/despite-court-ruling-home-minister-insists-rallies-wrong-choice-for-dissent.
(63) Ahmad Awang leads prayer to help smite GMS // Malaysiakini – https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/296977.
(64) Two masterminds behind May Day rally chaos identified // The Rakyat Post. News. 26.05.2015 – http://www.therakyatpost.com/news/2015/05/26/two-masterminds-behind-may-day-rally-chaos-identified/
(65) Kuala Lumpur: Police raid anarchist space Rumah Api (Malaysia) – http://325.nostate.net/?p=17229
(66) http://class-struggle-anarchism.tumblr.com/post/129641028944/nopatiencerecords-please-share-this-post-give
(67) One individual allegedly linked to anarchist group detained // The Sun Daily. News. 23.01.2016 – http://www.thesundaily.my/news/1674522
(68) A. F. Anarchism in South East Asia...
(69) S. Perera. Taking notes 35: The symbol of Anarchy in Singapore – https://philosophersforchange.org/2014/05/13/taking-notes-35-the-symbol-of-anarchy-in-singapore/ ; K. Chee. 5 youths arrested for Toa Payoh graffiti case // The Straits Times. Singapore, 2014. May 10.

 Rumah Api new address: ​
No.1804, Level 18, Menara A, Persiaran MPAJ, Jalan Pandan Utama, Pandan Indah,
    Kuala Lumpur

Rumah Api new space in Pandan Indah, Kuala Lumpur. 

Solidarity show for Project 416, Singapore

RUMAH PANJAI: New House Project in Kuching, Sarawak Malaysia

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Suasana semasa CHAOS IN RUMAH API Volume 4 

CHAOS IN RUMAH API #4 (23-25 DECEMBER 2016)

PUNK, PENENTANGAN DAN POLITIK TRANSNASIONALISME

Punk, Penentangan dan Politik Transnasionalisme

Authors: 
Muhamad Takiyuddin Ismail
Muhammad Febriansyah
Sharifah Nursyahidah Syed Annuar
Page : 194 pages
Publisher: SIRD
Published: 2016

Punk seringkali dipandang negatif dan dilemparkan dengan tuduhan-tuduhan seperti sampah masyarakat, tidak berguna, tidak berakhlak dan sebagainya. Realitinya, wujud komuniti-komuniti punk lain yang melakukan bermacam-macam aktiviti dengan maksud untuk menyumbang sesuatu kepada masyarakat. 

Buku ini cuba untuk menampilkan sesuatu yang berbeza, iaitu tindakan politik dan aksi langsung yang telah dilakukan oleh komuniti punk seperti Rumah Api di Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia dan Komunitas Taring Babi di Jakarta, Indonesia. Buku ini juga menonjolkan nilai-nilai penentangan, pemberontakan dan kemandirian punk yang boleh dilihat melalui pelbagai prinsip seperti kerja bertukang sendiri (do-it-yourself). 

Oleh yang demikian, buku ini berkeyakinan bahawa punk harus dilihat dalam lensa sub-budaya, ketidakakuran, penentangan dan transnasional bagi membolehkan mana-mana individu atau komuniti punk dapat difahami dengan lebih dekat sebagaimana Rumah Api dan Komunitas Taring Babi. 

Kajian tentang perlawanan politik di luar gelanggang rasmi seperti pemilihan umum dan parlimen masih sedikit. Justeru, buku ini menawarkan sebuah penerokaan budaya penentangan yang sungguh menarik. Ia memberikan penjelasan mengenai kedudukan khas seni dalam budaya penentangan tersebut dan keterbatasan dalam budaya tersebut bila berhadapan dengan konsumerisme. Proses ini mencerahkan dinamika budaya, sosial, dan politik yang tidak jelas kelihatan tetapi tetap membawa kepada perubahan masyarakat.
Dr Sumit K. Mandal

Profesor Madya (Kajian Budaya dan Sejarah Sosial)
University of Nottingham, Malaysia


Penulis:

Sharifah Nursyahidah Syed Annuar merupakan pensyarah di Program Sains Politik, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia

Muhammad Febriansyah (PhD) merupakan penyelidik bebas

Muhamad Takiyuddin Ismail (PhD) merupakan Profesor Madya di Program Sains Politik, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia

​Hello, attached is the flyer of the gig. Entry is by donation and we are still waiting for the NGO that we have chosen (Gerai Orang Asal/ Gerai OA) to give us a reply on receiving the proceeds from the show. Do come and donate generously! Spread the word!

​Hearts and prayers for a speedy recover for our brother Aca of Straight Answer

Hearts and prayers for a speedy recover for our brother Aca of Straight Answer…he apparently had a stroke and had to go into surgery to remove some bloodclots. Please spend a moment to pray for him and his family! We can’t wait to see you back on stage brother!

Do contact Bogus Merchandise for the shirt

BENEFIT SHOW FOR THE KEY

THE KEY adalah sebuah DIY space yang bertempat di Melaka yang telah beroperasi selama setahun lebih. Mereka memerlukan bantuan kewangan untuk tunggakan sewa/ masalah speaker PA system dan speaker amp gitar. 

solidarity show for Rumah Api

RUMAH API ON FIRE

​Rumah Api caught on fire on the morning of 19 July at 7:00am. We did not know what actually happened and why even though there is witness saw one guy, who always sleeping downstairs, sitting at the couch before the fire started.
We at Rumah Api saw this as more as an accident then an act of sabotage. We won’t speculate any wild rumours so internet people need to calm the shit down.
The fire has destroyed the entire building electrical system and partially damaged one motorcycle belong to one of us. According to the source, the cost of wiring and reinstall the electrical system is RM5k.
With the eviction news is around the corner, Rumah Api need to get back to it’s feet as soon as possible. We need to get organised against the highway and this fire disaster should not kill our spirit.
We would love to thanks friends solidarity from all over the world, who still believe a better world is still possible. Any friend who want to donate for recovery process, here the details:
For donation
Paypal to: cactusdistro@gmail.com (Please write a note “Donation to RUMAH API)
Maybank (Msia): 162049046957 (Yazman Bin Yahya)
Or you can contact us directly at:
rumah_api@riseup.net
Never give up, never surrender!
-Rumah Api-

NEW SHIRT AND HOODED BY YOUTHCRIME RECHORD

New Rumah Api shirt and Hooded by YouthCrime Re-Chord.
Shirt Gildan Ultra. hoodie Gildan Heavy.
shirt + button + sticker = RM50+postage RM8. (RM5 goes to Rumah Api)
hoodie + button + sticker = RM80 + RM8 postage (RM5 goes to Rumah api)
hoodie + shirt + button + stickers = RM110 + RM10 postage
Deadline 25th July 2016. 
email: youthXXXcrew@gmail.com

Apakah nasib Kampung Dato Mufti Shuib?

​Selepas lebih 20 tahun berniaga, nasib kira-kira 100 peniaga di Pasar Kampung Dato Mufti Shuib, kini berdepan tanda tanya.

Mata pencarian mereka bakal hilang gara-gara projek pembinaan Lebuhraya Sungai Besi Ulu Kelang (SUKE).

Laporan Tan Su Lin.

Isu Lebuhraya SUKE: Apa nasib Hutan Simpan Cheras?

Tiada lagi penerokaan baharu akan dilaksanakan di Hutan Simpan Sungai Puteh untuk pembinaan pencawang Elektrik Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB).

Demikian disahkan Ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri Teratai, Tiew Way Keng.

Namun persoalan sama ada projek Lebuhraya Sungai Besi Ulu Kelang (SUKE) akan terus dibenarkan merentasi hutan simpan berkenaan masih menjadi tanda tanya.
​

Penduduk tidak suka Lebuhraya SUKE

"Kami tidak suka lebuhraya SUKE".

Bagi penduduk di Taman Bukit Ampang yang terjejas dengan jajaran lebuhraya itu, mereka terpaksa mengorbankan rumah impian mereka untuk memberi ruang bagi projek berkenaan.

Namun bagi yang masih tinggal di kawasan perumahan itu, mereka hanya dapat membayangkan 'mimpi ngeri' terpaksa diharungi apabila lebuhraya itu siap kelak.
​

Lebuhraya SUKE : LLM, Prolintas diarah berbincang dengan penduduk

​Lembaga Lebuhraya Malaysia (LLM) dan Projek Lintasan Kota Holdings (Prolintas) diarahkan berbincang dengan wakil penduduk berkenaan pembinaan Lebuhraya Sungai Besi-Ulu Kelang (SUKE).

Azmin nafi "rahsiakan" projek Lebuhraya SUKE

Antara pembangunan dan warisan

​Atas nama pembangunan, kira-kira 30 kedai rumah berusia lebih 100 tahun di Pekan Lama Ampang bakal dirobohkan bagi memberi ruang untuk pembinaan Lebuhraya Sungai Besi Ulu Kelang (SUKE). Ada yang telah menjalankan perniagaan sejak tiga generasi lalu, kini terpaksa berpindah dan memulakan semula kehidupan mereka dari sifar. Laporan Tan Su Lin.

Azmin’s transparency pledges on SUKE just a ‘show’

PETALING JAYA: Selangor Menteri Besar Azmin Ali has drawn flak over his promises to meet residents affected by the Sungai Besi-Ulu Kelang Expressway (SUKE), with the Say No to SUKE (SNTS) resident group dismissing it as merely a “show.”
SNTS group advisor Mak Khuin Weng told FMT that any invitation to meet or discuss an issue should be done with the understanding that negotiations remained open among affected residents.
“Moreover, a discussion needs to have both parties agree upon certain commonalities.
“Here, Azmin has already reached a conclusion, which means any ‘discussion’ proposed is just for show.”
Mak pointed out that the residents had attempted to meet exco members Elizabeth Wong and Zaidy Abdul Talib in the past but to no avail.
Wong is in charge of the tourism, environment, green technology, and consumer affairs portfolio, while Zaidy handles the infrastructure, public amenities and agro-based industry portfolio.
Sadly the last time the duo made any contact, he claimed, was in January.
“Wong made the same pledge to meet residents in February this year. It’s already July and there has been no meeting.
“Zaidy also promised to provide minutes of the meeting with residents on January 19. It is now six months since that meeting and the minutes of the meeting have yet to be released,” he said, adding that requests for a follow-up meeting after Chinese New Year had also “fallen on deaf ears.”
Mak pointed out that when Azmin announced the cancellation of the Kinrara-Damansara Expressway (Kidex) earlier, it was stated that all highway projects required the concessionaire to reveal the concession agreement to the public.
“However SUKE, the East Klang Valley Expressway (EKVE), and Damansara-Shah Alam Highway (DASH) are proceeding as planned without the concession agreements being made public,” he said.
In March, Mak alleged that Azmin had ignored the residents’ objection of the proposal to de-gazette several forest reserves to pave way for the construction of the controversial highway.
He added that residents only found out about the forest reserves being de-gazetted through advertisements in the newspapers.
“There were more than 10,000 objections submitted to this particular proposal and no public hearing on de-gazetting the forest was held, yet the projects are still going ahead, according to Azmin.
“So, how are residents supposed to respond to Azmin’s call to meet up when the (state) government is totally incapable of keeping their own promises and laws?”
Yesterday, Azmin said the state administration was open to meeting with representatives or affected residents over the project, which has drawn criticism and public protests.
Azmin also said that the state government would be transparent in providing information and explanations to any party.
SUKE is a 24.4km-long, elevated three-lane dual carriageway. It starts from Sri Petaling, and passes through Sungai Besi, Alam Damai, Cheras-Kajang, Taman Bukit Permai, Taman Putra, Taman Permai Jaya, Taman Dagang Permai, Taman Kosas, Ampang and Taman Hillview before exiting at Hulu Kelang.

SUKA ATAU TIDAK, LEBUHRAYA SUKE TETAP DITERUSKAN

​Suka atau tidak, projek Lebuhraya SUKE tetap diteruskan. Menurut Majlis Perbandaran Ampang Jaya (MPAJ) pihaknya sudah menerima permohonan untuk memulakan pembinaan lebuhaya itu. Pembinaannya dijangka bermula bulan depan. Laporan Tan Su Lin.

Farewell To Taman Rimba Ampang As It Makes Way For Controversial New Highways

Taman Rimba Ampang is one of those hidden gems in the city.
Nestled at the end of Jalan Ampang, down from the Petronas Twin Towers, it is about the only cooling place left, with a clear river where families can go and swim and have a picnic, in the city centre.
Plus, it is just a short car ride away, compared to Sungai Gabai or Sungai Chilling, which is quite a ways from Kuala Lumpur.
Heading down there, we surveyed the pristine area, where the river flows right next to the road - a river that's just beside it, making it convenient for many people who cannot hike reach places.
It is a perfect spot for a quick runaway within the city what with its serene atmosphere and clean air from the moment you enter the area.
We saw families swimming around on a makeshift swing as well as having feasts along the river stretch.
On a weekend, around 400-500 people throng the cold river on a hot day, making for a cooling, refreshing experience.
Joggers and cyclists were seen passing through the area from the edge of Ampang, into the park. And surprisingly, a few backpackers from abroad were also among its visitors.
In 2006, major floods that rose nearly 20 metres tall damaged a few of the man-made marble tables and chairs on the embankments of which until today has not been repaired, leaving ruins in its embankments.
But still, that has not deterred Malaysians and tourists from finding a unique place to sit by or on the river to enjoy a splash or a snack.


Alas, this green and blue jewel in the city will lose its charm as the construction of a new highway is threatening to deforest the protected reserve, as well as polluting the river water quality, noise ambiance, with an increase in air pollution levels once the highway is constructed.
The highway in question has been identified as East Klang Valley Expressway (EKVE), a new 39.5-kilometre-long expressway that will connect Ukay Perdana in Ampang, Selangor and Bandar Sungai Long in Kajang - which will cut through Taman Rimba Ampang of the Ampang Forest Reserve.
The forest reserve is part of the Selangor State Park, gazetted in 2005, in conjunction with its Developed State status.
It was gazetted as Rank 1 Environmentally Sensitive Area (ESA) under the National Physical Plan and accorded the highest status of protection.
However, the Selangor Forestry Department, in February 2014, announced a proposal to de-gazette 106.65ha of the Ampang Forest Reserve for the construction of EKVE.
As of now, Taman Rimba Ampang is closed to the public since January 5, to enable construction of the new highway, though many visitors are unaware that the park was to be closed for three years until its reopening in May 2019.
In Malaysian Digest’s investigation, we spoke with people in the know, who deemed the project illegal and harmful.
Groundworks Have Begun Despite A Court Order


The river begins where the Puncak Niaga Water Treatment Plant at the edge of Taman Rimba Ampang's main road.
The water is cleaner from up here, and we spoke with our source who works at the Puncak Niaga water catchment and treatment plant, who showed where the imaginary expressway will be built.
From our observations, the hills and forests will have to be cut down, and the pillars will be built on the river itself as the highway will cross the stream. Our source confirms this.
"They (highway builders) are not following safety procedures because this is extremely unsafe.
"If they build the highway, they will have to build it across the river, and the land around rivers are soft and unstable.
"The pillars will dig into the river, and if that is done, there will not be any water.
"This highway reaches all the way to Gombak, and it is a recreational park that is protected under law.
“This is also the last of the rivers in the city where people can go and swim,” the source lamented.
He added that the water in the river is cleaned by the water catchment plant but once construction begins, it will be a river of mud.
"You can't swim with all the mud from the construction, and even though the park will reopen, the water clarity will never be the same again.
"And with the pillars, there will be least water flow as well," he said.
Besides, how is one to swim when there is a highway with zooming cars right above your head?
"This is the last bit of Selangor with a river where you can swim! This is the little of what's left of nature.


"This is also part of the Titiwangsa Mountains range that forms the backbone of the Malay Peninsula all the way from Southern Thailand – which is a historical site as it is one of the longest mountain ranges in the world," he pointed out.
The source also informed us that the project by the Selangor State Government is on halt by court order - but it appears that construction still continues.
The court order was granted to three environmental non-governmental organisations (NGOs) who seek to nullify the authorisation - by the Selangor Forestry Department and co-respondents of Ampang Jaya Municipal Council and the Selangor State Government - for the construction works and related logging in the Ampang Forest Reserve.
The NGO groups detailed that the biological diversity of the park will affect the unique habitat for endangered animals like tigers, tapirs, Malayan sun bears, leopards and Sumatran serows (species of goat-antelope) as well as affect dam integrity and safety, negatively impacting eco-tourism, and cause deforestation which could lead to microclimate change, on top of risking the key water catchment area and pollute the water source.
"We have surveyed five to six kilometres upstream, they have placed signs, set up construction sites and measuring devices along the river bank," the source revealed.
"What's most regrettable is that this forest will be cut, and once that happens the water flow will be disrupted,” he shared.
He believes the water quality will not be the same and has a feeling that the water catchment plant will also be forced to close, adding to the already existing water crisis as many homes around the area do lack water once in a while.


“Behind the quarters near the entrance, the hill there has already been pushed. I asked the Selangor Forestry Department about it and they said it hasn't been approved of yet.
"The only way to get this right is to get more people to complain. The people from the villages around here have done so, and we hope more complaints will redirect the path of the highway.
“If not, then the only person left to go to is the Menteri Besar of Selangor,” the source further explained.
He tells us that previously, the Ampang City Council took care of reserve, where there were stalls before, but their departure has made the place less attractive. And now that it is under the Forestry Department, they have failed to beautify the place.
He then pointed us to the organiser rallying in protest of new highways in the area.
NGOs Are Protesting But It's Still Not Enough


Muhammad Agos Abul Hasan Ashari is the Taman Bukit Ampang Resident Associations (RA) President and Chairman of the "Say No To SUKE Highway" (SNTS) coalition, which is a consolidation of concerned groups of RA objecting to the alignment of the Sungai Besi Ulu Kelang Elevated Expressway.
The Sungai Besi Ulu Kelang Elevated Expressway (SUKE) is a 24.4km, three-lane, dual-carriageway, elevated monstrosity running from Sri Petaling to Ulu Kelang. It has 14 interchanges and displaces multiple residential and commercial communities which date back to the early 1950s.
Combined, Agos says that the RA's strength number around 20,000 strong and that the project had violated laws and human rights.
"We have obtained a court order to stop any further construction on the highway but it’s still ongoing by the Selangor Government despite the current court order," Agos told Malaysian Digest.
On the human rights side, Agos explains that one is entitled to fully understand the impact on their livelihood and the area, and this exercise has not yet been taken place.
"On the environmental prospect, one issue that will resonate with the public most is the air quality.
“After the SUKE Highway is completed, the air quality will deteriorate to 150 API, equivalent to the air quality when all the schools were closed. It is the expected and standard API for a highway," he tells us.
Agos added that for Taman Rimba Ampang, it is affected by the EKVE, where 100 acres of first reserve will be taken, where it is a Rank 1 environmentally sensitive area. Plus, it is also a water catchment area.
"This will impact the water supply to Taman Kosas, Bukit Ampang and surrounding areas and this will worsen the water shortage that we have as all this residential areas and will have to get their water supply from somewhere else.
“As it is, they are already at short supply," he stressed.
Agos reaffirmed that the EKVE construction work was still ongoing despite the court order, and cited The Edge reporting the EKVE publicly declaring they will continue their work.
"The question on everyone's mind is what else can be done?
"We've done everything, from police reports to court orders, and the state government has ignored all this, and no one else is taking action against them.
"Where else can the residents go and complain to?


"The Selangor Government does not care because they will say it’s something that can be replaced. Even if they gazette forest land, they can always de-gazette it like wgat they've done for Taman Rimba Ampang for EKVE and SUKE highway.
“Selangor Menteri Besar Mohamed Azmin Ali and Elizabeth Wong, the environmental Exco for Selangor, will both say they will replace the gazetted land with someplace else,” he said venting his frustrations.
Agos also said logging works have started for the highway projects, and trees had been felled, with roughly 80 per cent completed.


"Compensation for SUKE Highway has also been paid for, it’s a forced land acquisition and cannot be challenged,” he revealed.
The Chairman goes on to say, “If KIDEX in Petaling Jaya could be successfully stopped by the residents, why can't SUKE and EKVE to preserve Taman Rimba Ampang?
“The main problem we are faced with is not many are willing to attend our numerous gatherings, despite thousands of residents.”
A Hiker Protests
Sunrise Sayli, or just Sayli, is an avid hiker and amateur eco-activist who has been campaigning for action to be taken.
“It has come to my understanding that compensation has been credited to Ampang and Sungai Long Hulu Langat house owners' bank account.
“This means that the SUKE highway is expected to proceed in August and the house owners are to move out by then.
“To some owners whose houses are not compensated because the highway is not going through their house, they believe that their property value would increase.
“But how can a highway increase property value? Only tourism and business can do that.
“The highway is destroying the beauty of the land. Look at Shah Alam, Putrajaya and Bukit Jalil. There aren’t much forests left, with only ugly and not-so-green parks.
“My dream is that Malaysia sustain itself as a top tourism destination for rich culture of history and food, most importantly its old rainforests, crystal clear waterfalls and wildlife," she declared.
And if people in Selangor and Ampang do not realise what is happening, say goodbye to Taman Rimba Ampang as highways are all that will be left for future generations.
-----
Update: 
In a separate statement sent yesterday, the EKVE Sdn. Bhd. officially addressed several matters pertaining to the problem. In the statement, which has now been retracted, they stated that:
"Taman Rimba Ampang has never been closed to visitors, the Expressway traverses along the edge of Taman Rimba Ampang and as such no closure is strictly necessary to facilitate the construction of EKVE.
"EKVE Sdn Bhd has ensured that all planning and works are done with stringent quality controls in mind, and based on approved development plans by the relevant authorities."
They have also proposed to the State Authorities to upgrade Taman Rimba Ampang at their own cost and that the State Authorities has agreed to their proposal and had put in place plans to close Taman Rimba Ampang to facilitate the upgrading of the park, and to ensure public safety at all times.

They stated they will continue to have close interactions with the residents living nearby Taman Rimba Ampang and are “especially grateful by the level of support that they have shown for our project”. 

The statement was immediately retracted soon after and is attributed to Tn. Hj. Mohd Khalid Hj. Mohamed, Senior General Manager of EKVE Sdn. Bhd.
- mD

FKD OPEN DAY (23RD JULY 2016)- LOOKING FOR VENDOR 

UTP Dispatch: Kuala Lumpur

Rogernomix (New Zealand crust punk band) crash land in Kuala Lumpur at the start of their South East Asian tour and get introduced to the local scene at Rumah Api through Wan, Choi and the 3 Horses of the apocalypse

Save Selangor! Stop The Oppression!

Benefit show for Are Svatantrata

Rest in peace Are vocalist of Svatantrata

Police in Ho Chi Minh City are investigating the death of a Malaysian man whose body was found inside a hotel room in the backpackerdistrict, with multiple cut wounds.
Employees of the hotel on Bui Vien Street broke the door and found the body on the bed at around 7 p.m. after the man did not answer them.
There were many cuts on his head and shoulders. Bloodstains were found on the floor.
Initial investigation found the 33-year-old victim checked into the room two days earlier with another Malaysian man of 32, whose whereabouts remain unknown.
Police are looking for the roommate, saying he may be directly linked to the death.

Photo of Rumah Api anniversary show 

PUNK FORUM: KEBEBASAN BERSUARA DARI SUDUT PANDANG PUNK ROCKERS DI MCPA HALL

ROUTE FOR BAND TO TOURING MALAYSIA

RUMAH API 5 YEAR ANNIVERSARY SHOW. LET'S CELEBRATE IT

Selangor state government: Keep Bukit Sungai Puteh permanent forest reserves intact

To: Pengarah Jabatan Perhutanan Negeri Selangor, Dr. Mohd Puat B. Dahalan,
      Menteri Besar of Selangor, Dato' Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali, and
      Selangor executive council member in charge of tourism, consumer   
      affairs, and environment, Y.B. Puan Wong Keat Ping @ Elizabeth Wong In an advertisement published in the New Strait Times Classifieds on 16th March 2016, the Selangor Forestry Department has announced a proposal to degazette 29.982 hectares of Bukit Sungai Puteh Utara and Bukit Sungai Puteh Selatan forest reserves for the construction of the Sungei Besi - Ulu Kelang Expressway (SUKE); and 3.41 hectares of Bukit Cherakah and Sungei Buloh forest reserves for the construction of Damansara - Shah Alam Elevated Expressway (DASH). In relation to this, the department has invited any person in Ulu Langat and Petaling having an interest to file their objections within 30 days of the notice. In year 2014, a similar proposal was made for de-gazetting four permanent forest reserves in Selangor for the construction of East Klang Valley Expressway (EKVE). Early this year, Ampang Forest Reserve is closed for EKVE construction.   However, many construction has paved up their work without consulting the public citizens. The highways were approved by the State Government without proper procedure according to the law, that is to invite the public to send objections to the Forestry Department in accordance with Section 11 of ENAKMEN (PEMAKAIAN) AKTA PERHUTANAN NEGARA 1985 before "approving" to de-gazette the forests. The Say No to SUKE (SNTS) group claims that the SUKE is illegal and it is not mentioned in the Kuala Lumpur Local Plan and the Ampang Jaya Local Plan. The construction is automatically rejected by the Town and Country Planning Act 1976. When SUKE was in final stage for approval in October 2015, the residents of Taman Bukit Ampang only learnt that their houses were to be acquired through a notice which was placed in the neighbourhood surau.  The objection against excision of Bukit Sungai Puteh Utara and Bukit Sungai Puteh Selatan forest reserves 1)Permanent forest reserves is the chestbox of oxygen and mineral water.Without the forest reserve, air and water quality would be affected, and the global warming worsens. We had and currently face the water 
shortage due to global warming. The construction of highway would cause emission of carbon monoxide from the vehicles passing on the highway. The gas is toxic to our air that we breathe in! Public transport is a better alternative and it encourages healthy lifestyle through cycling.  2) From the environmental aspect, many species of flora and fauna 
would be endangered. Among them are wild boars, snakes, fungi and 
the 100-years old trees. For every trees being cut down, it takes 100 
years to replace exactly the  same aged trees. So is the same with wildlife
population. Imagine your children and the young generation will not be 
able to see them. Examples of the affected flora and fauna according to the International 
Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and certified by Environmental 
Impact Assessment (EIA) Project SUKE is as follows:- Flora Species Dipterocarp Shorea Marcoptera - Endangered  Anisophylleaceae Anisophyllea Apetala - Endangered Meliaceae Aglaia Grandis - Almost endangered Fagaceae Lithocarpus neorobinsonii - Almost endangered Fauna species Pangolin (Manis javanica) - Endangered Lar Gibbon (Hylobates lar) - Endangered Lesser Green Leafbird (Chloropsis cyanopogon) - Almost endangered Rufous-collared Kingfisher (Actenoides concreta) - Almost endangered 3) In term of tourism aspect, many expatriates and tourists came to hike Apek Hill and Saga Hill since year 2013. It is close to the city centre
and has natural forest with variety of huge trees. The avatar tree (gone since May 2015), Wow Wow waterfall, and the harmless wild animals attract visitors to come back again.The hills have become the favourite hiking and recreation spot for the locals and non-locals. 

Should I fail to convince you of the need and benefit of preserving Bukit 
Sungai Puteh Utara Permanent Forest Reserve and Bukit Sungai Puteh 
Selatan Permanent Forest Reserve, I urge you to come and hike Saga Hill, Apek Hill and Ketumbar Hill and experience its beauty and uniqueness yourselves. 

Once again, I urge your good self to reconsider preserving our permanent forest reserves, do not permit it to be degazetted for any development which is a waste of money and resources. Bukit Sungai Puteh Utara and
Bukit Sungai Puteh Selatan Forest Reserves are immensely a valuable 
piece of green lungs for Malaysia and the world.  "When the Last Tree Is Cut Down, the Last Fish Eaten, and the Last Stream Poisoned, You Will Realize That You Cannot Eat Money." - The Native American saying

Sign this petition by clicking HERE

Ayuh kita sign surat bantahan ini supaya Suke Highway tak wujud dan rumah/hutan tetap kekal. Ayuh!

Everyone, this is the time for us to make our voices heard. This is the time we can actually make a difference. I urge each & everyone of you, please send in your objections to the RAPE of our forest & environment!
We at SNTS have taken the liberty to prepare a template to be sent to Jabatan Perhutanan as per link below.
Feel free to use it and add your own points as to why our forest reserves should be kept sacred and not defiled for capitalistic gains.
You can make a difference. Enough is enough.

copy the link for the template: 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BwSv__HCCX0aY1pMU2VXQ0hyNjg/view

SUKE project still on, says Ampang lawmaker

Ampang Member of Parliament Zuraida Kamaruddin said that there were no plans to scrap the Sungai Besi-Ulu Kelang Elevated Expressway (SUKE) project.
“I don’t think there will be any scrapping, because in principal, we want that, we need the highway. Probably there is some consideration to realign the highway,” she said when asked by The Malaysian Insider if there was a possibility of the project being scrapped.
A meeting between the Malaysian Highway Authority (LLM) and the contractors of the SUKE project had taken place recently, she said. 




 However, LLM has yet to receive several documents, including the updated report of the Traffic Impact Assessment (TIA) and the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) from the contractors, she added.

She also said that there were some issues between certain parties, to which she said she will hold talks with the parties to resolve these issues.
“I will also ask the Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ) to look into it again and follow up on the matter once we have received the documents," she said at the Chinese New Year open house at Spectrum Mall last night.
The Malaysian Insider reported on January 19 that The Say No to SUKE (SNTS) group was shocked to find that the EIA report for the SUKE, which expired in March last year, had been extended for two years.
SNTS chairman Agos Hassan Ashari said that they only found out about the extension at a meeting with Selangor infrastructure exco Zaidy Abdul Talib on January 19.
He also said he did not receive any satisfactory answers during the meeting on the matter.
SNTS previously said that the public, especially those living along the highway alignment, had not been properly consulted and the project should not proceed in line with Selangor Menteri Besar Mohamad Azmin Ali's many conditions for highway projects to be approved in Selangor.
It said it would take legal action against the Selangor government as a last resort if the SUKE project goes ahead. – February 22, 2016.
- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/citynews/greater-kl/article/suke-project-still-on-says-ampang-mp#sthash.QInxfmnT.TEMQlT1U.dpuf

Mahu pengangkutan awam, rakyat tolak SUKE

PETALING JAYA, 29 JAN: Langkah Kerajaan Negeri meningkatkan sistem pengangkutan awam untuk kegunaan rakyat disambut baik dan disokong banyak pihak.
Kumpulan Say No To Suke menyatakan dialog pelan induk pengangkutan awam Selangor bersama wakil rakyat dan badan bukan kerajaan (NGO) peringkat Majlis Bandaraya Petaling Jaya (MBPJ), di sini, malam tadi, adalah langkah wajar diambil Kerajaan Negeri.
Wakilnya, Agos Hassan, berkata seperti mana perancangan dijalankan di kawasan seliaan MBPJ, pihaknya berharap tindakan sama dijalankan Kerajaan Negeri di kawasan Majlis Perbandaran Ampang Jaya (MPAJ).
Berikutan itu, pihaknya berharap Kerajaan Negeri mengambil langkah membatalkan projek pembinaan Lebuh Raya Sungai Besi-Ulu Kelang (SUKE) di Ampang sebagaimana dilakukan terhadap projek Lebuh Raya Kinrara-Damansara (KIDEX).
"Ia selari dengan hasrat Kerajaan Negeri bagi menggalakkan penggunaan pengangkutan awam dalam kalangan rakyat.
"Saya berharap Kerajaan Negeri akan menepati janji mereka mengikut pelan induk di mana pelan terbabit menyatakan lebuh raya bukan jawapan kepada masalah kesesakan lalu lintas," katanya kepada SelangorKini di sini, malam tadi.
Beliau berkata, Kerajaan Negeri boleh membangunkan kawasan projek terbabit dengan sistem pengangkutan awam seperti Transit Aliran Ringan (LRT) atau yang bersesuaian.
Katanya, berdasarkan warta Kerajaan Negeri, langkah pengambilan tanah boleh dilakukan biarpun dinyatakan pelaksanaannya tertakluk di bawah kuasa Kerajaan Persekutuan.
"Kerajaan Negeri boleh memainkan peranan besar dalam perkara ini dan menggunakan kepakaran bagi menggantikannya dengan sistem pengangkutan awam," katanya.
Freddie Ong pula berkata, dialog dijalankan itu adalah baik dan ia juga menjelaskan berhubung Penilaian Kesan Alam Sekitar (EIA) yang berubah dan luput dalam tempoh dua ke tiga tahun.
Katanya, cadangan pembinaan projek SUKE dikemukakan kepada Kerajaan Negeri pada 2012 maka tentunya EIA sedia ada perlu digantikan dengan yang baharu.
"Kita memang menyokong penggunaan pengangkutan awam berbanding lebuh raya yang memudaratkan rakyat kerana ia berkaitan pihak konsesi dengan perjanjian lama hingga 50 ke 60 tahun," katanya.
-AA-


Oleh: HAFIZAN TAIB (Selangorkini)

Get feedback from the ground on highways, says activist Mak Khuin Weng

2 January 2016
The Rakyat Post
"Now, the process is not transparent and they only ask the residents to come and take their seats and talk without giving any answers or letters … there is nothing."
“We will not know what goes on in the planning of the structures. This is why the residents are worried as this is the fourth time we have come here on a working day to listen to the same thing,” he lamented.
Another resident, Faisal Fadzil, said he was disappointed as he was not informed of the plans that were currently under way, apart from the ramifications of the development.
He explained that the state government had failed to show its Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Traffic Impact Assessment (TIA) at the areas involved as the residents’ protests had fallen on deaf ears.
“We are the residents. Are our protests less important than the interests of large companies such as Prolintas that will make money for 65 years as the concessionaire?
“The letters issued by the Selangor government say ‘kejujuran‘ (honesty) and ‘ketekunan‘ (diligence) but this is not evident,
“If they cannot answer our calls, I think they should do away with these words. It’s a waste of paper.
“We want the honesty and diligence for the residents and not protection of large companies.”

THE HISTORY OF CZECHOSLOVAK PUNK by DIY Conspiracy (click here)

Benefit show Rumah Api @ Oslo

Approval for highway expired along with EIA report, says anti-SUKE group

Tak Nak SUKE Action Committee spokesman Agos Hassan Ashari (centre) presents a memorandum of complaints to Suhakam commissioner Datuk Dr Aishah Bidin today. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Nuradilla Noorazam, January 6, 2016.A coalition of resident associations affected by the Sungai Besi Ulu Kelang (SUKE) highway project has alleged that the developer is working without valid approval.









​Tak Nak SUKE Highway action committee chairman Agos Hassan Ashari today said the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report for the project expired in March, which rendered the approval for the project invalid.
"The invalidity of the initial EIA report means that the initial approval for the project is no longer valid. The developer is required to stop work and conduct another EIA," he said.


Agos, however, claimed that the land acquisition process had started in Ampang Jaya and Cheras.

"The residents of these areas have been served with land acquisition notices issued by the state land office. The notices that listed the affected house numbers were pasted at the suraus and temples.
"Among those affected is a 109-year old temple gazetted as a heritage site. 
"(With the expiry of the EIA report) the developer has no legal right to proceed with the highway development. The state land department should not have issued the notice," he said.
Agos said checks with the Department of Environment confirmed that the developer had not submitted a request to renew the EIA report, which period of validity is from March 2013 to March 2015.
Agos, who is also the chairman of the Say No To SUKE group,  and action committee members were at the Malaysian Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) to present a memorandum detailing their complaints.
The memorandum is accompanied with documentation that showed the project was in violation of human rights, state regulations and the law.
The memorandum was received by Suhakam commissioner Professor Datuk Dr Aishah Bidin.
"We will contact the concessionaire, Prolintas Holdings Sdn Bhd to get its side of the story and then update the group on the matter," she said.
Agos said the committee would not hesitate to apply for a judicial enquiry into the matter if its request for a proper investigation and meeting with the project's approval bodies are ignored.
"What need is there to add more highways to areas where there would be MRT (Mass Rapid Transit), BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) and LRT (Light Rail Transit)?
"The SUKE highway can only accommodate 2,000 to 3,000 commuters at a time while public transport can accommodate tens of thousands.
"In the end the highway will just create more traffic and congestion, to the detriment of those living in the area," he said.
Even though the affected parties had been made to understand that they would be compensated for the land acquisition, Agus said there was no guarantee that all would be justly compensated.
"There are old folk, religious communities and students affected by the project. Even if they were compensated, where are they to move to, given the high cost of living and high property prices?" he said.
The committee hoped to meet with the approval bodies in the state government, including Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Azmin Ali, whom they claimed had yet to respond to their letters.
"We demand an explanation from the state government and Azmin on the highway development," he said.
Azmin yesterday said that preliminary approvals had been given for the Damansara-Shah Alam Highway and East-Klang Valley Expressway. – January 6, 2016.
- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/citynews/greater-kl/article/approval-for-highway-expired-along-with-eia-report-says-anti-suke-group#sthash.O4SsP1dF.dpuf

Coverage by The Edge of SUHAKAM Press Conference. Watch for yourself the many legal issues with SUKE! Please share & make this viral!

CHAOS IN RUMAH API #3

Residents still in the dark on SUKE project

 
Many residents in the Ampang district are unaware of the impact on how the proposed Sungai Besi-Ulu Kelang Expressway (SUKE) project will have on their homes. 

Resident Rizuan Kassim, 40, who just purchased a corner lot house in Bukit Ampang three weeks ago, said he only received a notice last Thursday via mail that his new home would be acquired because of the highway.

"I was not informed about SUKE when I bought this house. A Land Office staff told me to go to the land office in Klang to fill up Form E, to receive compensation for my property to be acquired," he said.

Similarly, Bukit Cheras resident Lau Choi Pong, 63, said a notice about the acquisition was pasted on the front wall of her house.

"I have lived here for 17 years," she said.

The Say No To SUKE (SNTS) group briefed residents today on the cons of the project based on analysis by the Environmental Law Alliance Worldwide (ELAW).

SNTS committee chairman Muhammad Agos Abul Hasan Ashari said they had submitted the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report by Prolintas to ELAW in mid November and received feedback last Monday.

"SUKE highway is considered illegal as it's not in the Ampang Jaya or Kuala Lumpur local plan, as it ought to be according to the Town and Country Planning Act 1972.

"The analysis also clearly states that there is not enough information within Prolintas' EIA report about the project's benefits to justify human cost," he said.

He added that extreme noise and air pollution were some of the adverse outcomes of SUKE, as the highway will be 10 metres away from residential areas.

SNTS has also tried to propose a new realignment design of the highway, but Muhammad Agos said Prolintas were not open to hearing them out.

"We do have an alternative design which does not affect the residential area.

"It will be a bit more expensive but it is worth it considering the human lives that will not be affected.

"But every time Prolintas contacts me they only want to talk about my house, whereas it is about the whole community," he said.

More than 80 residents from Taman Bukit Ampang, Taman Seri Ampang, Taman Permai, Taman Len Sen, Bukit Mandarina as well as Ara Ampang traders attended the briefing.

While the group is currently seeking advice from lawyers and SUHAKAM, the SNTS chairman said the organisation would take legal action against the Selangor government and Ampang Jaya Municipal Council for approving the project.

"Our lawyers are preparing to submit court affidavits in January," he said.

StarMetro had reported that many shop owners in century-old premises in Pekan Ampang were worried that they might have to make way for a highway project running through the township.

The pre-war shophouses are expected to be demolished when construction of the highway starts in June next year.

SUKE is a 24.4km, three-lane, dual carriageway, elevated expressway that will start from Sri Petaling, passing through Sungai Besi, Alam Damai, Cheras-Kajang, Taman Bukit Permai, Taman Putra, Taman Permai Jaya, Taman Dagang Permai, Taman Kosas, Ampang and Taman Hillview before exiting in Ulu Kelang.

NO SUKE HIGHWAY 

Pekan Ampang clearly stated as "kawasan warisan" in MPAJ town plan. A status conveniently ignored by SUKE. So much hypocrisy & corruption its disgusting.

Please viral this so everyone knows what a farce SUKE is. Nothing more than a way to make a quick buck at the rakyat expense!

---

MAXIMUM ROCK N ROLL issue #390

Rumah Api: Keeping the Flame Alive

Rumah Api is more than just a punk house. Navshed Navingets into the heart of it.

Pasar Percuma. Image courtesy of Rumah Api.It’s a Friday night, you turn a corner off Jalan Ampang into a small dark alley.  Walk up the narrow road surrounded by a chaotic jumble of graffiti; “ANTI PUNKS FU*K OFF”, “NO NAZI ZONE”, “ACAB”, “DESTROY POWER, NOT PEOPLE”. Loud distorted guitars, and the banging of drums echoes down the alley, strangely accompanied by Buddhist chants. It becomes very clear, very quickly that this isn’t a typical Ampang alleyway.
On one side of the road, you have Rumah Api, where you’ll be welcomed by angry punks and loud music. Just across the road, people gather at a Buddhist temple for prayers. There seems to be a kind of surreal balance, here. It’s surprisingly harmonious. Both places offer a kind of escape from the daily grind and a chance to reflect.
Life in KL is competitive, predatory, fast-paced, repetitive, and for many of us kind of depressing. Malaysia is on the one hand “modern”, with its gentrified neighbourhoods and luxury developments. Yet right-wing religious conservatism is also on the rise, with the recent red shirt rallyhighlighting racial tensions. Meanwhile, the government has strengthened its powers, with the amendments to the Sedition Act being one example; the dirtying of the words “human rights” and “liberalism” another.
This social climate eventually shaped my path towards punk rock, and that dark Ampang alleyway leading to Rumah Api; a collective space run by a group of punks hidden away among hundred year old buildings in Pekan Ampang. A shoplot in an old-school working class town, Rumah Api is an unusual addition to the old world setting and community that surrounds it.

Image courtesy of Lyn Ong.To summarise Rumah Api isn’t that simple. It’s a lot of things, and may vary depending on who you ask. A punk space and house, a place for gigs, for misfits, for workshops and meetings, a record store, a library.According to their website Rumah Api is:
“… a community that is committed to social justice, equality, anti- authoritarianism, autonomous action, collective processes, and to develop structures and institutions operating on alternative principles. Our community includes artists and activists whose work promotes critical analysis and the possibility of expanded vision for our lives and the lives of our neighbourhoods, cities , and communities”
Most importantly, It’s an escape from the condemnatory world outside those walls. People are free to express themselves through music, conversations, and through friendships, regardless of background, ethnicity, gender, and sexuality. Where one can explore alternative ideas and initiatives, and just have fun. All without fear of judgement or punishment.
The entrance welcomes patrons with a set of rules and/or guidelines stenciled on black brick walls. “NO RACISM, NO SEXISM, NO HOMOPHOBIA, NO DRUGS, NO ALCOHOL, NO VIOLENCE”. Inside is a warehouse type space with a small stage. This currently lies empty after a recent raid by police during a punk gig on the eve of Bersih 4. Upstairs is a small record store and living space.

Image courtesy of Rumah Api.During the Rumah Api raid, police were targeting “anarchists”, who theyassumed were going to provoke violence at Bersih the next day. Over 100 people were detained with no evidence and held in lock up for three days, before being freed without charge. The raid showed how the authorities profiled the punk community, in a similar way to how “Black Metal” was once targeted. Now everyone who listens to a particular type of music, or looks a certain way can be branded as an anarchist, much like how they were branded as satan worshippers years ago.
The Rumah Api story began in 2007, when a group of punks decided to find a place for themselves instead of renting random studio spaces for gigs. Gudang Noisey (Noisey Warehouse) was born and remained so until two years later when they couldn’t keep up with the financial and physical responsibilities involved in maintaining the two storey shoplot. That’s when Man Beranak, a member of local thrash band Sarjan Hassan decided to take on the space.
“I had to sleep with cockroaches and rats for months downstairs on an old mattress because we had no power or water since the bills were backed up. But with friends we eventually came out of that and moved on to make Rumah Api what it is today.”
After establishing itself as a collective punk space, the place was attacked by Malay power skinheads (far right nationalists) in 2010 when they set the entrance on fire. Gudang Noisey was then renamed Rumah Api which translates to Fire or Light House, and has since been an active part of the local community, and the global punk community.

Image courtesy of Rumah Api.Wan Hazril has been part and parcel of the local punk scene for years. He (among a small group of others) run Tandang Records, the record store in Rumah Api. He has also played for various bands in the local scene which has contributed to the development of Rumah Api into what it is today.
“It’s like a second home to me,” says Wan. “I can’t imagine living in this big city and being empty and alone. Rumah Api is the place where ideas, arguments, creativity, love, and even hate can been shared without boundaries. It offers so much empowerment, at the very least towards myself.”
On top of being a safe space for punks and other like minded people, Rumah Api has managed to establish a friendly relationship with the locals over the years. Through initiatives such as the Really Really Free Market, and Food Not Bombs (FNB)  they get to directly interact with the locals as a community.
The Really Really Free Market allows for anyone to give away what they don’t need, and take what they do. According to Man, “It’s an effort to reduce unnecessary consumerism, and to support and strengthen the local community”. Rumah Api organises one outside their front door periodically, depending on the amount of goods and services collected.
Arep, who has been living in Rumah Api for the past few years explains that, “FNB aims to save and recycle commercially-unwanted foodstuffs while bringing attention to the amount of food wasted in a profit driven system. We do this as a form of protest, while we also try to empower the urban poor and homeless community with support and solidarity.”


Every Sunday, vendors at the local market around the corner, which has been operating every morning for at least sixty years, offers their surplus vegetables and produce for Rumah Api and Food Not Bombs KL to prepare and serve to anyone who needs it. The cooking is no longer done in Rumah Api but instead in an alleyway in Masjid Jamek.
Pekan Ampang has its own unique history and charm which is now underthreat due to a controversial highway project. This will force Rumah Api, along with dozens of other businesses and homeowners to find new beginnings elsewhere, which is a huge challenge in itself, especially for the punks. With this development, as well as having to deal with the police and legal issues after the raid, Rumah Api faces some big hurdles.
“It’s not easy for us to find a new home. People aren’t always accepting of our lifestyle and music, not to mention the financial problems that come with moving,” says Man. “Thankfully we have strong support from friends all over the world, so hopefully it all works out and Rumah Api can live on in a new space, or maybe we won’t have to move at all. We’re not going to give up our home that easily”, he adds, with a cheeky smile.
Navshed Navin is a member of the Rumah Api community.

Save Rumah Api artwork by Adam Jamal

Menentang Suke Highway projek untuk mempertahankan Pekan Lama Ampang

Mari kita semua against Suke Highway. Dia akan mengakibatkan banyak tempat bersejarah di Pekan Ampang, rumah rumah di Ampang, Rumah Api dan kawasan kawasan rumah di Cheras akan di hancurkan.
Takkan kita nak kembali ke era 90 dan awal 2000 dimana kita menyewa semula disco dan pub untuk buat gig. Rumah Api adalah rumah kita. Rumah untuk kita berekspresi. Rumah untuk punk worldwide.
Bayangkan Rumah Api tiada atau Rumah Api pindah ke tempat lain. Even pindah mungkin kita tak dapat vibe yang ada sekarang.
Kami dan kawan2 lain akan membuat petition untuk menentang projek Suke Highway yang dimana June tahun depan probably projek ini dijalankan.
Ayuh kawan, Lawan Untuk Rumah Kita!!

sign your petition by clicking here

Malaysian Nazis strike again and prove just how confused they are.

The image above is making the rounds on social media as I type this. Read the caption – the gist is that a punk rock foreigner was hanging out in Malaysia and accidentally mingled with the wrong crowd. The crowd, based on assumptions, were a bunch of punk rock Malaysian kids who, again, I can only assume, got this foreign punk rocker super excited to be able to hang out with some local punk rockers and learn about each other’s cultures through some commonality found in the sub-culture that both groups seemed to be a part of. However, unfortunately for this guy – it turned out to be a bunch of confused, bigoted local dudes that believe in “Malay power”. Why did I state “confused”? Because in Malaysia there is a strange occurrence amongst a select few imbeciles who have embraced Nazi ideology. Yes – Malaysian Nazis. Confused? So are these idiots who voluntarily associate themselves with an ideology steeped in ignorance and hatred based on race and the idea that any one race/people can be superior to anyone else. Yes – in 2015, this type of thinking still exists.
For those reading this for the time – I can almost see you scratching your heads in disbelief and shock. But this “Malay power” crap is not new to the area nor is it new to Malaysia.
Don’t worry – this group is in the extreme minority and the vast majority of Malaysians are (as should be expected) amazing people with an immense love for heavy music (and music in general). There are also peace loving anti-racist Malaysian skinheads that work in direct retaliation to this group of morons and the hatred that they hide their own insecurities and lack of confidence behind.
Why the vitriol in this post? Because one of our own got jacked by a group of people who mask themselves as one of our own.
Fuck that shit. Racism and bigotry have no place in hardcore and never will.
Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.

by uniteasia.org

‘Nowhere to go’, say residents as SUKE highway to cut through village 

Ahmad and Norima have been living in the village since the 1960s. She is seen here holding their wedding picture, taken in 1935. — Malay Mail pic - 

AMPANG, Oct 17 — Up until two months ago, more than 200 families living in Kampung Datuk Mufti Suib had no clue the Sungai Besi-Ulu Kelang Expressway (SUKE) would cut through their serene and peaceful village.
But after learning more than 23 houses will have to make way for the project, the residents, the majority of whom are senior citizens, have been having sleepless nights.
Norima Ali Akhbar, 80, and her husband, Ahmad Hassan, 86, who have been living in the village since the 1960s say they have nowhere to go if their house is acquired.
“We were among the first settlers in the village. Back then, many small settlements begin to mushroom along the Ampang river. 
“At the time, my husband was serving in the police force and we were looking for a place to settle down. Although it seemed far, we did not mind as it was a close-knit community,” said Norima.
“About a month ago, one of my neighbours said a row of houses in our village will have to go as a highway was in the pipeline.
“My husband and I have deep roots here. We simply cannot imagine living elsewhere. We raised our two children here and we even buried my son at the Taman Kosas Muslim cemetery, which is just next to our village.
“My husband can no longer walk due to injuries sustained while he was serving during the Malayan emergency. He and this house are all I have left. I do not think he would survive if we have to move out.”
Norima said they have only received a letter from a third party consultant known as Shiv Land Consult, informing them their lot would be acquired.
“It was the first time someone informed us about that,” she said.
“What am I going to do with compensation? If I have to move out then I might as well sleep under a bridge as all I want is a roof above my head.”
Another resident, Omar Mohd Yassin, 77, said while he heard a new highway project would be taking shape, the authorities have never once informed the residents it would be built in their neighbourhood.
“We only received the notices from an independent land evaluator about a month ago saying they are willing to provide land evaluation and legal services since our village had been earmarked for the project.  
Omar, who has been staying in the village since the 1970s, said it was impossible to find a house overnight.
“Even those whose houses are not affected will not be able to live here with dust and sound pollution during and after construction, especially at their age.
“We understand the highway will help a lot of people but I am sure they can find a way to construct it without jeopardising the people living here,’’ he said.
Another long-time resident, who wished to be known only as Khatijah, said the authorities must be transparent.
“It is shameful to take advantage of our old age and think we would wither away without a fight,’’ she said.
Lembah Jaya assemblyman Khasim Abdul Aziz said he only found out last month the highway would pass through Kampung Datuk Mufti Suib.
“The residents asked for my help. I have been liaising with the authorities, including (the developer) Prolintas, the Ampang Jaya Municipal Council and the land office.
“I have been informed they will realign the highway so it will not severely affect those in the village. But we are still waiting to see the final plans.” 


Taken from The Malay Mail Online

Video taken by MANAWEBLIFE from Solidarity Acoustic show at Rumah Api

NOTHING TO LIKE ABOUT SUKE HIGHWAY

SECRET HIGHWAY'
Nothing to like about SUKE
I LIVE in Taman Bukit Ampang, a small, close-knit, somewhat aged residential community which has been around since the 1970s.
The housing area was built originally for Mara civil servants and members of the armed forces. It is a well-balanced and diverse community.
The people here range from 90-year-old grandparents to young families. But what is common is that both have been here since the beginning.
The grandparents, original residents of the community, and the young families are, sons or daughters who grew up and subsequently bought a house in the area.
People hardly move or sell their houses. Even if they do, you can be assured it is quickly bought over by family members. 
But, this probably won’t last much longer as the Sungai Besi-Ulu Kelang Elevated Expressway (SUKE) will cut across this residential enclave next year.
Suke is a 31.8km, three-lane, dual-carriageway elevated monstrosity running from Sri Petaling to Ulu Kelang. It has 14 interchanges and displaces multiple residential and commercial communities which date back to the early 1950s.
The concessionaire, Projek Lintasan Kota Holdings Sdn Bhd (Prolintas) claims the public will “SUKE” the highway because among others, it saves time and fuel.
The benefits are, however, based on one central key assumption — that the highway will reduce traffic congestion on Middle Ring Road 2 (MRR2) and Jalan Ampang.
Based on the data on SUKE’s website, the highway would reduce the congestion on MRR2 by 24 per cent and Jalan Ampang by 36 per cent.
However, there are two central flaws as it assumes there is no increased traffic introduced by the highway itself and commuters who will use SUKE will not be replaced by other commuters.
How many times have we seen that after a highway is opened, traffic congestion returns after several months?
After three months of operation, the Duta–Ulu Klang Expressway (DUKE) became a major source of congestion at both ends during peak periods.
The Sungai Besi Highway, broke the record as it became congested after a month of operation, with the added “bonus” of flash floods whenever it rains heavily.
The theory of adding more roads to ease congestion is an outdated 1950s traffic planning concept which has since been discounted by contemporary research.
In 1968, mathematician Dietrich Braess discovered adding a road to a congested road traffic network could increase overall journey time, which is used to explain incidences of improved traffic flow when existing major roads were closed.
This is called the Braess paradox.
Contemporary transportation planners in developed countries such as the US, UK and South Korea have learned from this mistake.
Induced demand
Highways blight neighbourhoods they slice through and make it easier to commute from new suburbs. It encourages suburban sprawl to generate more traffic and handle projected demand, but these motorways become congested in just a few years because of the high traffic it generates.
This is what transportation planners call “induced demand”— building highways encourages people to drive longer distances. 
Initially, people drive to regional malls rather than local stores, and in the long run, they move to lower density neighbourhoods where they have to drive further for all their trips.
One study found that within five years after a major highway was built in California, 95 per cent of the new road capacity filled up with traffic which would not have existed if the highway had not been built.
In the United Kingdom, transport planners are no longer allowed to count reduced travel time as a benefit of building a new highway. 
Their transport department has adopted a guidance document whereby cost-benefit studies on new highways must assume that elasticity of demand may be as high as 1.0 in respect to speed. This means the average trip length increases as much as speed increases. So, building highways and increasing speeds just lengthen trips and does not save time.
In 1998, a comprehensive study on how removing highways could reduce traffic congestion was published by a team of researchers from University College, London.
The paper examined 60 cases where road capacity was taken away from cars, with examples from the UK, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, United States, Canada, Tasmania and Japan.
Often, there were predictions that reducing capacity would cause gridlock, but the researchers found that although there were some short-term disruptions, there were no cases of long-term gridlock.
Removing highways resolves problems
Malaysia is now at crossroads. We can either learn from the mistakes of developed nations or be doomed to repeat them.
So, are there any benefits to SUKE? I think not.
What we need is a holistic and sustainable approach to ease urban congestion and encourage economic growth outside of central Kuala Lumpur. It is time we develop other areas outside of Selangor to be economic satellite hubs to ensure continued economic sustainability and competitiveness.
The following are two policies that could reduce traffic immediately.
● Parking cash out. Businesses could be required to give employees commute allowances instead of free parking (Shell practices this in Malaysia). Employees could use the allowance to pay for parking, keep part of the allowance if they car-pool to work, or keep the entire allowance if they walk or cycle to work.
It is estimated that this policy could reduce commuter traffic (and peak demand for road space) by about 20 per cent immediately and by even more as better transit service is provided.
● Congestion pricing. As in London and Stockholm, drivers could be charged a fee for driving into the central business district when roads are congested. The revenue could be used to pay for better public transport. This is in direct alignment with the 11th Malaysia Plan.
Our think-tanks have recognised and developed the plan to get Malaysia to vision 2020. It is time for those in power to hold the executioners of this plan accountable and follow through with what has been set out.
Those who can make a difference must ask themselves, are we building SUKE for the rakyat, or are we building it because it is good business?
Muhammad Agos Abul Hasan Ashari (pic)
Taman Bukit Ampang 
Residents’ association member


Taken from The Malay Mail

PEMBANGKANG: NO MASTERS NO SLAVES

The documentary of Indonesia Punk scene - To watch the video, click here 

STOP SUKE HIGHWAY - artwork by Fahmi Reza

Please join us for a day of celebration and activity within the community of Pekan Ampang with a heritage talk and photowalk. 

Date : 17 October 2015
Time : 9.30am
Meeting point : Dewan Komuniti Pekan Ampang

Rumah Api Eviction and the Dole Action Group

3CR have an interview with someone who was involved in the solidarity action at the Malaysian Consulate on the 10th of September, after the eviction of the Rumah Api Social Centre. This eviction happened on the 28th of August during a gig, with 161 people arrested, all due to allegations they were "planning to topple the Malayasian government". This happened the night before an unrelated protest against the Malaysian government, with it being part of a wider crackdown against opposition to the Malaysian government. 



3CR also have an interview with Kieran from the Dole Action Group about changes to the Dole, and organising against these changes. Kieran tells us about what these changes mean for the unemployed, and the way they are campaigning against the use of the unvoluntary labour by charities that claim to be helping the poor. 

by 3CR 855am Community Radio - Click here

Songs for Rumah Api by FILSAFATIAN

The price for progress

MORE than 40 pre-war shophouses in Pekan Ampang in Ampang will make way for the planned Sungai Besi-Ulu Kelang Elevated Expressway (SUKE) project.

These shops built during the British era, some over 100 years old, are the state’s last few remaining buildings with colonial architecture at one of the oldest commercial areas in Ampang.

The town had remained relatively underdeveloped as far as buildings are concerned, and now housed mom-and-pop businesses spanning generations.

While shopowners lament about their difficulties to start anew in a new place, others are worried that they are going to be displaced.

Loo Pow Thye, 78, who operates a tackle shop, was worried of losing her livelihood when the businesses are forced to move out.

“I cannot afford to set up another business elsewhere. Even with the compensation, it will be more expensive to either rent or buy a property in another part of the area.

“It won’t only be my business that will be affected. My family, including my two sons, live in this building too. It is stressful even looking for other places to move to as we still do not know how much the compensation will be,” she said.

Loo, who has lived and operated her business in the area since 1966, said the building also represented the memories of her family.

“When my husband died six months ago, it was hard. We had worked together in the shop, earning a living and raising our family. The business was going to be passed down to our children, and now there will be no legacy,” she said.

Chinese physician Yap May Fatt, 60, said leaving his two storey shop lot was akin to losing his childhood home.

“This structure was built in 1913 and was bought over by my father in 1960. Since then, I have lived here with my three children until they moved out. Now only my wife and I are running this medicine shop.

“As one of the few medicine shops in the area, we have had strong bonds with the community for the past 50 years and it will be heartbreaking to see it go.

“I am at an age where I am too old to start a new business, but still too young to retire. We are at a crossroads,” said Yap, who had planned to pass on the family business to his children.

His only hope now was for a reasonable compensation to tide the family over.

Yap’s childhood friend, Phang Sing Yin, 65, concurred, hoping that the compensation would be at least at the current market value.

“It would be almost impossible for us to get properties of similar sizes elsewhere, not considering the additional cost of moving and setting up the business,” he said.

Phang rents out two lots which houses a motorcycle repair business, and a dim sum restaurant in a third lot.

“Although the buildings and businesses here may look rundown, that is part of the neighbourhood’s charm. It is part of the diminishing old towns in the city and its loss will be missed,” he said.

Development of SUKE highway will also mark the closure of a local independent arts institution.

Passers-by of Pekan Ampang may shun the black painted walls and its dilapidated chic exterior, but few know it to be Kuala Lumpur’s underground punk scene, Rumah Api.

Founded in 2010 under it former name, Gudang Noisy, local bands, artistes of all alternative souls thrive on the goodwill of the community around them to co-exist.

Hosting a makeshift stage for punk rock bands and performers of all kinds plus vacant areas for art bazaars, relocation is not the easiest move for the loud and high spirited rock stars.

“We are an autonomous space for people to come and go. Its for us to entertain and enjoy ourselves safely and comfortably.

“But we can’t just go anywhere, its not easy for us to find a place where people will accept our music and our style.

“The community here is very kind and they do not mind us,” founder Man Beranak said, while making up his living quarters.

Snugged cosily between the row of shops, the venue also runs non-hierarchical initiatives such as Free Food Not Bombs that acts as a soup kitchen and the Really Really Free Market that gives away clothes to the urban poor and homeless.

Rumah Api collective member Navshed Navin explained that the kindness of the Pekan Ampang community is a rare gem in the rough of Kuala Lumpur.

“Whether its vegetables or noodles, the vendors at the wet market give us the surplus of their goods for free.

“We in turn cook it and distribute for anyone who comes by.

“You don’t find this kind of atmosphere in KL nowadays. It is such a shame that it won’t be around for long,” he said.

While Rumah Api awaits its impending end, the thought that runs through indie arts enthusiasts’ minds is one and the same, “where do we go now?”

By THE STAR.COM

MPAJ president: Structures are not gazetted

AMPANG Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ) president Abdul Hamid Hussain said the Sungai Besi-Ulu Kelang Elevated Expressway (SUKE) concessionaires were in the final stages of obtaining approval for the project.

“Prolintas (Projek Lintasan Kota Holdings Sdn Bhd) plans to submit the detailed design of the highway sometime at the end of the year, but has obtained a contractual approval from the state,” he said.

On the potential loss of heritage value, Abdul Hamid said the buildings in Pekan Ampang were not gazetted as a heritage site nor were of national heritage value.

“Although they are old buildings, most have been renovated or reconstructed over the years and have no resemblance of the pre-war architecture.



“About 50 individual premises in the Gombak district and 338 premises in Hulu Langat district will make way for the project. About 44 of them are in Pekan Ampang,” he said.

He added that the Mee Thor Gan Buddhist Temple, would be retained with the highway running over it.

Also spared from being demolished, he said, would be the Pekan Ampang morning market.

“However, part of the SJK(T) Ampang school field will lose part of its ground for the highway project,” he said.

Abdul Hamid said the compensation negotiations would be handled by Prolintas and the Malaysian Highway Authority.

While property owners and tenants struggled to get their papers in order for compensation by the end of the year, registered land valuer agent Land Serve had said all procedures were done according to the Land Acquisition Act 1960

Its managing director, Chen King Hoaw, said under Section 3 of the Act, the state authority may acquire any land that was needed for public purpose.

“We will submit our valuation reports in November and December. The Land and Mines Department and other agencies are taking the necessary steps and procedures as required under the law,” he said.

The SUKE highway stretches from Sungai Besi to Kajang and ends in Ulu Kelang.

“The Ampang stretch is made up mostly of businesses and small shops. Compensation in terms of damages covers relocation costs, loss of profit, as well as injurious affection and severance.

“This refers to some cases where there may be a drop in value of the land, as a result of the acquisition,” Chen said.

by THE STAR.COM

Antara gambar gambar 'Acoustic Solidarity' show di Rumah Api

Akhbar Sosialis Edisi Sep-Okt 2015

ZINE TRIBUTE UNTUK RUMAH API. Boleh dapatkannya kontek Nizang dengan tekan KLIK

SOLIDARITY SHOW @ MALANG, INDONESIA

SOLIDARITY SHOW AT RUMAH API

LIFE and REALITY CRISIS from Japan at Rumah Api

A discussion on Freedom of Expression and right to gig @ Rumah Api!

Poster by Fahmi Reza

Market Solidariti dari Ponti, Jakarta

Shock&Awe! Issue #8: Punk Spaces

Eventhough historically, there were many locality that experience the emergence (and some, eventual death) of punk scenes based on towns/districts/states, not all of the scenes were ‘crystallized’ by the existence of punk spaces. Scenes without such spaces were akin a homeless scene, flouting about, frequently relying on dying pubs and bars, abandoned buildings, futsal courts, community halls etc in order to run punk shows. Punk spaces gives a sense of ‘place’ to a punk scene, a fixed home where people would gather, providing a sense of continuity rooted on a specific location. The current generation in Southeast Asia, especially in Malaysia where this zine is based, has witnessed several attempts of establishment of such spaces- some short lived, some gone through cycles of (in)activities and some to its inevitable demise.

In this issue, Shock&Awe! celebrates, reminisce, highlights and focuses on punk spaces. Perhaps no longer an obscure name in the international punk scene, the notorious Rumah Api situated in the capital city of Kuala Lumpur are coursing through it’s XX-th year in existence. Eventhough the space had experienced a handful of disturbances throughout its existence by the authorities either by nuisance complaints or quota-filling raids, the recent politically-motivated raid on 30th August 2015 marks a watershed moment in the history of the space. Upon pressed for explanation, the police force cited three Acts as the raison d-etre of the raid, most surprisingly the use of newly revised Sedition Act, an act usually reserved for opposition party leaders. The raid witnessed more than 100 attendees being placed in police detention for a period more than 24 hours, in a period concurrent with a mass demonstration planned by NGO coalition on free elections in the heart of the capital city.

The comfort of a fixed location of a space is paid with the price of being easily located upon necessity. For the very same reason of accessibility, recognition and continuity, a space also provides an easy target for the authorities at their whims and fancy. As much as punks (including myself) would like to think it is the agency of the self that causes the raid, one cannot help but to suspect that it is the space that is under attack. The idea of a site where one is free from the evils of the masses and the influences of political parties, a place where no persons are discriminated according to their gender, sexual orientation, race or creed; a place where radical ideas are discussed and similar-minded people converge and maybe, prosper.

Perhaps seeking for a silver lining, the raid would serve to radicalize and prove the potent ideas that came along of the establishment of a punk space such as Rumah Api. Using Rumah Api as a springboard to the discourse about punk space in this issue, Shock&Awe! would like to call upon everyone that was detained in the raid, everyone who are working on (or have worked on) similar punk spaces and opinionated individuals like yourself to join in the discussion of this cultural legacy of punk. 
Interviews could be arranged for those preferring to speak and guest columns are open for those who are keen to put ideas into words. Shock&Awe! would like to pay homage to the likes of Rumah Api; Embrace Hall, Paul’s Place, The Wall, Blackhole 212, Phantom Limb (ehem), newly estb Klub Racun/Rumah Pirata, Pink Noize and others in this upcoming issue. Please state your interest to be a part of the new issue to: 
shock.awe00@gmail.com, or private message me.

Deadline: FRIDAY, 9th October 2015

Hope to hear from you soon.

DETENTION from Indonesia do a song for Rumah Api called politiestaat

'' IT'S NOT JUST  PUNK ROCK, IT'S PUNK IDEOLOGY'' - malaysiakini

Amid the dilapidated shophouses of former tin-mining town of Ampang, one building stands out – its walls painted deep black and bold red, filled with graffiti, while the signboard hanging above is covered in black paint.

On the red and black wall is a drawing of two boys shaking hands. One sports a spiky hairdo, spikes on a black jacket and gloves; the other more conventionally dressed in a hoody.

Pulling open the shophouse’s metal shutters reveals a black brick wall with six "no’s" painted on it in bold white letters – No racism, no sexism, no homophobia, no drugs, no alcohol, and no violence.

Walk through the wooden door to the left, and one would find a small stage and space for an audience of 300. Since all of the musical instruments have been confiscated by the police last month, the stage lies empty.

To the left and to the right of this room are walls filled with graffiti – an explosion of colours that is muted by the counterculture atmosphere of this dimly lit room.

This is the place run by a group of punks as a performance space. Welcome to 'Rumah Api'.

On Aug 28, the eve of the Bersih 4 rally, police surrounded this shophouse, and arrested and detained more than a hundred revellers for more than 60 hours. It was only then that this place known only to those in the scene, was thrown into the limelight.

A community space

Since 2006, Rumah Api has been an important venue for the local punk and underground rock scene. But to the co-operators of Rumah Api, Man Beranak and Ashed, it is more like a community space for the punks.

"Rumah Api is not just a place for music, it is a place to promote punk ideology and attitude.

"Here, our interests go beyond music," Man said softly, as he spoke to Malaysiakini during an interview in a smoke-filled living room upstairs.

The idea behind Rumah Api is to promote punk culture to mainstream society in hopes of changing society’s negative views towards the subculture.

The 35-year old Man (photo) is a veteran in the community, and looks after the place on a full-time basis. He lives upstairs from Rumah Api together with his wife.

“We want to show to society that although we may look like rebels, we are not the bad guys.”

The area where Rumah Api is located is predominantly ethnic Chinese while the adjacent area is predominantly Malay. In between, the youths with their tall spiky hair and leather jackets stand out as their patronise the local eateries.

“At first they would feel uncomfortable or even frightened by these ‘aliens’. But we approach them and sometimes they have a problem, so we would offer to help them.

“Over time, they realise that although we may look like bad people, especially with that dreadful-looking green or yellow hair, but they know we are actually a bunch of good boys.”

The punk movement started out as a subculture in the 1970’s music scene, using their flamboyant and eccentric styles as a way to oppose the values of mainstream society.

For Ashed, 26, it was less the fashion but the attitude which led him to Rumah Api's doors. He wishes, above all, that people would understand punks better.

He said punks are not a group living in its own world, but instead are concerned about the downtrodden and hopes that through community service, it can help these oppressed people.

Soup kitchen, free market and more

‘Food Not Bombs’ is one of Rumah Api’s community service initiative.

Every weekend, Ashed and other punk youths would bring a shopping cart to the Ampang market to collect food items that the traders were unable to sell or are about to throw away, to be cooked and distributed to the homeless and the poor.

But even this straightforward noble cause was wrongly portrayed with a local TV channel broadcasting a reporting claiming “skinheads eat garbage”, he said.

“At first when we sifted through the garbage bins at the Ampang market, the locals asked us what we were doing and whether we’re looking for food because we couldn’t afford to pay for it.

“We told them that we want to cook the food for the poor and the homeless. So the traders said, ‘This is excellent. Next time don’t look through the garbage anymore. Come to our stalls and we will give you the ingredients',” Man said.

Since then, this group of youths would show up at the market and go stall-to-stall just before they close to collect the unwanted food, and never fail to return with a full load in their trolley.

Beyond feeding the poor, he said, it is also to raise awareness on food wastage.

For a time, the cooking was done at Rumah Api, but the group has since shifted to the streets around the Masjid Jamek area to do their cooking and food distribution.

Another of Rumah Api’s activities is the Free Market, where old but usable items are collected and distributed to those who need them through a stall outside the premises.

He explained that Rumah Api also organises a number of free workshops, including classes on music, art, and language.

Apart from the locals, the punk youths often interact with migrant workers in the area. Ashed said the group has a good relationship with the many migrant workers in Ampang.

“Whether Chinese, Malays or migrant workers, we know them well. We are planning to focus more on migrant workers in the future. Whether or not they have a working permit, we want to set up a support system for them.”

Fire represents the birth of a generation

Social work aside, Rumah Api, located just 100 metres from the Ampang Jaya traffic police headquarters, is mostly known to locals as the “music place”.

Most of the groups that perform here are rock and punk bands, playing loud music usually from 8pm onwards, and ending at on the dot at midnight.

“The neighbours keep telling us to finish early and not play past midnight, because they want to go to sleep. Except for one neighbour who complained more often, the rest have no issues,” Man said, chuckling.

Rumah Api used to be known as ‘Gudang Noisy’, a commercial music space operated by one person who rented it out to bands.

Man took over in 2010 following a rent dispute between Gudang Noisy’s proprietor and the landlord and renamed the venue ‘Rumah Api’.

“Why Rumah Api? Because the word api (fire) represents the birth of a new generation,” he explained.

Man is the vocalist of heavy metal band 'Sarjan Hassan' while Ashed is the vocalist of another band - Annihilation Turbo Kids. Besides running Rumah Api, Ashed is also a freelance writer.

Their hopes for a better society may sound political, but Rumah Api is scant concerned about mainstream political current affairs.

This is why the Bersih 4 eve raid remains puzzling for Man, who said that he is still unsure if the raid - the first Rumah Api has ever faced since 2006 - had anything to do with the mammoth rally in Kuala Lumpur on Aug 29 and 30.

“If people want to go to the streets, it is their right. We cannot stop nor provoke them (from attending the rally).

“The police claimed that we were distributing flyers. They also said that we are mobilising people to attend the Bersih rally, but they were unable to provide any evidence,” said Man.

Just do it yourself

He also denied that Rumah Api had joined any of the music events linked to the previous Bersih rally.

“Even if there were, they were other bands or they were just our friends, not from Rumah Api,” he added.

Toppling the government - a charge Rumah Api patrons are investigated under - seems to be the last on their list of priorities.

For now, the focus appears to be keeping Rumah Api afloat so their dreams of spreading the punk ideology of self-reliance and community alive.

The meagre ticket sales from the venue is just enough to cover the rent for the two-storey building, but Rumah Api refuses to look at things from a business perspective.

As far as the duo is concerned, this is a collective run and owned by like-minded individuals.

“Actually, we don’t need to rely on the current mainstream system to survive. We can do it on our own. And if we cannot do it alone, we can do it with our friends."

.END


Taken from Malaysiakini.com - here's the article ---> CLICK

PERJUMPAAN DIANTARA TUAN TANAH DAN CONCEPT PROPERTY 

Pihak Concept Property And Valuation Sdn Bhd telah berjumpa dengan Tuan Tanah/Penyewa sekitar Jalan Merdeka yang dimana rumah/bangunan mereka akan dirobohkan untuk pembinaan Suke Highway. Majoriti dari mereka tidak setuju dengan projek ini. Tetapi dari kenyataan pihak Concept, kerajaan dah mengeluarkan warta untuk projek ini dan terus menjalankan projek ini. 

Berita lebih lanjut tekan disini ---> Prolintas

Letter from Concept Property And Valuation SDN BHD Company to briefing for demolish Rumah Api and others bulidings around here for SUKE Highway Project! 

NEW RUMAH API SHIRT

SOLIDARITY WITH RUMAH API

THE LINK THAT YOU CAN READ ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED IN RUMAH API AT 'PARTY TONIGHT, REVOLUTION TOMORROW' GIG - 28th August 2015

DREAMS OF CONSCIOUSNESS
THE STAR ONLINE
MALAYMAIL ONLINE
DAILYSENI 
CILISOS.MY
MALAYSIA KINI 1
THE MALAYSIAN INSIDER 1
WEEHINGTONG
ASTRO AWANI
PROJEK DIALOG
MALAY MAIL ONLINE 2
STANDNEWS
MALAYSIAN REVIEW BLOGZINE
325 (US)
FREE MALAYSIA TODAY
UNITE ASIA (Hong Kong)
LAWYERS FOR LIBERTY
SAD WAVE (Russia)
ROCKETKINI,COM
SQUAT.NET
MACHORKA
PUNXFORUM.NET
SPHC
INSURRECTION NEWS 
SOSYAL SAVAS
RABBLE
LIBCOM.ORG
NO PATIENCE RECORDS
THE DAILY SENI 

EXPLAINED: ONE DAY BEFORE BERSIH 4 WAS SCHEDULED TO TAKE PLACE, 161 YOUTHS WERE ARRESTED (from The Daily Seni)

Original article from 
http://www.dailyseni.com.my/v3/news/explained-one-day-before-bersih-4-was-scheduled-to-take-place-161-youths-were-arrested/

In what was seen as yet another attack against democracy and freedom of speech, police raided the premises of Rumah Api on the 28th of August and arrested 161 individuals at a music event. Most of the detainees were musicians and social activists, sparking an outrage on social media.

The Rumah Api community is against the use of drugs and alcohol.


Some of these detainees claimed to have been treated poorly, with women being made to change sanitary pads in front of officers.

These allegations have since been deemed “baseless” by Malaysia’s Inspector-General of Police(controversial figure Khalid Abu Bakar) who was not present at the raid nor at the locations where the individuals were detained.

What is Rumah Api?

Known to most in the local punk and hardcore scene, Rumah Api is located in Pekan Ampangand it’s one of the best places in town to get a dose of straight-up rock music.

In terms of ideology, Rumah Api is a community and space dedicated to social justice, equality, anti-authoritarianism, autonomous action and alternative principles.

Our community includes artists and activists whose work promotes critical analysis and the possibility of expanded vision for our lives and the lives of our neighborhoods, cities, and communities. It includes punks who embrace the ethos of DIY, express positive outrage, and reject corporate commercialism.

To most of in the creative scene, it’s a safe space for punk gigs and alternative music. The venue is also available for meetings, workshops and forums.

On the 28th of August 2015, Rumah Api held an event named Party Today, Revolution Tomorrow at 8pm. Among bands performing on the night were Virginia On Duty, Blind Tribe, Carburetor Dungand Badass Farmer.

What happened at Party Today, Revolution Tomorrow?

Police raided the premises at 11:30pm, during the midst of Virginia On Duty’s performance, and arrested 161 individuals (a figure obtained from Astro Awani) including those from America, Germany, Philippines, Indonesia and Spain. No reasons were given at time of arrest; everyone was just gathered and shipped off to the station.

According to tweets from performing arts body Kakiseni – who works closely with the National Department for Culture & Arts (JKKN) – musical equipment were also confiscated by the police and detainees were made to take a urine test.

Kakiseni kept people updated on the situation.


All of those who were arrested were brought to the Taman Dagang Ibu Pejabat Daerah Polis Ampang Jaya. The detainees found out that they were going to be held for three days for “trying to topple the Malaysian government”. The owners of Rumah Api – Man Beranak andWan Hazril – were to be held for four days.

The women were then sent to Balai Polis Pandan Indah.

What happened in the police station?

It was later found out that the arrests were made under Section (4)(1)(b) of the Sedition Act,Section 6 of the Selangor Entertainment and Places of Entertainment Enactment 1995 (Amendment 2001) and Section 143 of the Penal Code. Police withheld this information while making the arrests.

There are many harrowing accounts from women about the way they were treated by police.

According to news portal Free Malaysia Today, one woman informed (on condition of anonymity) that eight menstruating women including herself were not allowed to wear underwear and were made to change their sanitary pads in the presence of a female police officer.

Further statements included the fact that police confiscated most of what family members brought for the detainees, handing over only what they deemed were utterly essential.

We also know that those arrested were caught for “attempting to overthrow the government by staging a revolution”, an assumption made by the police after knowing of the event title.

The police were trying to implicate us to whatever gathering, I don’t know. But the people who were at Rumah Api were basically the people who are the least likely to go for Bersih 4. We told them everything we knew, which was nothing they wanted to hear.

Furthermore, access to lawyers were not granted despite each detainee having the right to do so, which shocked many of the detainees.

What happened after the three days were up?

The Malaysians were all let go, but the Filipino and Indonesian captives were held far longer and weren’t allowed visitors, bar embassy representatives. The Filipino detainee was released on the 1st of September.

Due to the failure of the Malaysian immigration system, Indonesian detainee Yogie Kurniawan was held until the 2nd of September. His passports bore stamps that showed he had entered the country legally, something the police failed to verify because of outdated local administrative systems.

The incident has since reached Indonesian news media.

How did the community react?

Organisations which advocate basic human rights and freedom of speech have been appalled with the way police have reacted in the situation. Aside from displaying extremely poor judgement, it would seem that local authorities have also shown no respect or regard for citizen rights.

Projek Dialog issued a statement today questioning the standard operating procedures of the Malaysian police force, and shamed the usage of the Sedition Act, labelling it “draconian”. The advocate for social progress also considered the ruckus as a showcase of “police prejudice towards subculture and music”.

Penggunaan kuasa secara semberono ini cukup jelas apabila pihak polis tidak mendedahkan sebab serbuan dan penahanan. Selain itu, proses untuk mendapatkan akses khidmat guaman juga telah dilambatkan serta layanan yang tidak adil kepada beberapa teman-teman yang ditahan.

The statement was signed by a large number of local publishers, collectives and artists.

Executive Director at Lawyers for Liberty, Eric Paulsen, labelled this a “gross abuse of power” and also wants the magistrate to share in responsibility, for “rubber-stamping the police’s application for remand when clearly there was no merit in arresting and investigating these youths for the alleged offences”.

Eric linked it to the authority’s desire to curb on youth involvement in street rallies such as Bersih.

We call on the police to go back to basics – to be a professional, impartial and competent police force in maintaining law and order, preventing and detecting real crimes and apprehending real criminals rather than be concerned with frivolous matters like youths enjoying underground live music. All equipment and materials seized should also be returned to the rightful owners.

The Bersih rally attracted hundreds of thousands of participants worldwide.


Performing arts advocate Kakiseni has strongly opposed the arrests while keeping users on Twitter updated about the happenings and allegations. Elsewhere, social media platform Twitter has been flooded with disapproval from notable individuals such as Ksatriya, Liyana Fizi,Jennifer Thompson and Michelle Yesudas, all of whom condemned the arrests.

Are we meant to feel safer now?

Many have suspected that these arrests were made in conjunction with Bersih, a mass rally by citizens against corruption. In its latest installment, formed after repeated failure by the Malaysian government to account for mismanagement of funds amounting up to RM2.6 billion, Bersih 4 was scheduled to take place on the 28th and 29th of August.

Under the rule of Prime Minister Najib Razak, local police forces have constantly been under fire for abuse of power. Aside from being given permission to use excessive force in peaceful rallies conducted by the rakyat, local authorities have also accepted zero accountability for deaths in police custody.

Human Rights Watch detail several incidents in which Malaysian police have crossed lines in a comprehensive report from 2014.

All information compiled from various sources. Thank you to Kakiseni, Projek Dialog, Free Malaysia Today, Lawyers for Liberty, Human Rights Watch, Rumah Api and Astro Awani. Featured image by anonymous, sourced from Fahmi Reza via Facebook.

SOLIDARITI BERSAMA RUMAH API! 

SOLIDARITI BERSAMA RUMAH API!Kenyataan Akhbar | September 2, 2015 | Featured, Kenyataan Akhbar, Malay | No Comments
Kami, individu serta kolektif komuniti, bersetiakawan bersama teman-teman Rumah Api yang ditahan pada Jumaat 28 Ogos yang lalu.

Komuniti Rumah Api dimaknakan dengan perkongsian nilai dan kepercayaan bersama, baik masyarakat di peringkat tempatan mahupun antarabangsa.

Jelas, Rumah Api merupakan satu komuniti yang konsisten dalam mengangkat nilai keadilan sosial, kesetaraan, anti-autoritorianisme, aksi autonomi, proses kolektif dalam mengembangkan struktur dan institusi yang bergerak melalui prinsip-prinsip alternatif.

Komuniti Rumah Api merangkumi seniman dan aktivis dengan karya-karya yang mengenengahkan analisis kritikal terhadap situasi kehidupan serta memperluas sudut pandang dalam kehidupan bermasyarakat meliputi kejiranan, komuniti serta bandar. Ianya turut melibatkan komuniti punk yang menjalankan etos Do-It-Yourself untuk menyalurkan kemarahan dengan positif dalam menolak pengkomersialan syarikat korporat. Rumah Api turut bersetiakawan bersama-sama komuniti “nomad”, “squatters” serta masyarakat di pinggiran justeru menjadikan Rumah Api sebagai ruang untuk didengar dan dihargai.

Rumah Api sentiasa membuka pintu untuk kelompok sub-budaya, aktivis-aktivis dan organisasi-organisasi lain untuk perjumpaan, kerja bengkel, forum, “benefit” dan sebagainya. Rumah Api turut terlibat menyediakan ruang dan sumber-sumber lain untuk Food Not Bombs. (alih bahasa dari http://rumahapi.weebly.com/about.html).

Berikut merupakan rentetan serbuan Rumah Api :-

1. Pada 28-8-2015, Jumaat, sekitar jam 11 malam, satu serbuan oleh pihak polis telah dilakukan ketika gig sedang berlangsung di Rumah Api.

1. Dalam serbuan tersebut, seramai 120 (±) orang yang telah ditahan.

1. Tanpa memaklumkan sebab, penahanan telah dilakukan.

1. Mereka telah dibawa ke Ibu Pejabat Daerah (IPD) Ampang Jaya untuk siasatan.

1. Setelah semalaman penahanan mereka, akhirnya pihak polis mendedahkan bahawa mereka ditahan untuk siasatan di bawah Seksyen 6 Akta Hiburan, Seksyen 4(1) (b) Akta Hasutan dan Seksyen 143 Kanun Keseksaan.

1. Permohonan mereka untuk mendapatkan khidmat guaman tidak dipedulikan oleh pihak polis sedangkan setiap individu yang ditahan mempunyai hak terhadap akses khidmat guaman.

1. Mereka telah dibawa ke hadapan majistret untuk permohonan reman. Majistret telah membenarkan tempoh reman selama 4 hari terhadap dua tahanan lain dan 3 hari kepada teman-teman yang lain bermula dari 28-8-2015.

1. Antara 120 (±) orang tersebut, terdapat beberapa teman luar negara termasuklah dari Indonesia, Filipina, Amerika Syarikat, Jerman dan Sepanyol.

1. 19 orang tersebut dibawa ke Balai Polis Hulu Kelang manakala teman-teman wanita Rumah Api pula dibawa ke Balai Polis Pandan Indah.

1. Seorang teman telah dibebaskan pada 29-8-2015 atas sebab kesihatan.

1. Teman-teman selebihnya dibebaskan pada tengah hari 31-8-2015 dan teman dari Filipina baru sahaja dibebaskan pada 1-9-2015.

1. Manakala teman dari Indonesia masih belum dibebaskan dan tempoh tahanan remannya dipanjangkan selama 3 hari atas alasan masalah imigresen di mana pihak imigresen tidak dapat mengesan rekodnya di dalam sistem.

1. Kami dimaklumkan, sewaktu dalam tahanan, ada teman-teman wanita telah dilayan dengan tidak wajar. Mereka hanya dibenarkan menukar tuala wanita di hadapan pegawai polis sebanyak 3 kali sehari sahaja.

1. Bagi teman-teman dari Filipina dan Indonesia pula, mereka tidak dibenarkan untuk berjumpa dengan pelawat. Hanya wakil dari kedutaan masing-masing sahaja yang dibenarkan.

Di dalam melihat rentetan peristiwa yang berlaku sejak 28-8-2015, terdapat beberapa kepincangan dalam Tatacara Pengendalian Piawai (‘SOP’) pihak polis menggunakan kuasa secara sembarangan.

Penggunaan kuasa secara semberono ini cukup jelas apabila pihak polis tidak mendedahkan sebab serbuan dan penahanan. Selain itu, proses untuk mendapatkan akses khidmat guaman juga telah dilambatkan serta layanan yang tidak adil kepada beberapa teman-teman yang ditahan.

Masalah visa dan rekod imigresen yang digunakan pihak polis sebagai alasan untuk memanjangkan tempoh tahanan reman teman-teman dari Filipina dan Indonesia juga sangat meragukan.

Penambahan 3 hari untuk tempoh reman terhadap teman dari Indonesia menambahkan lagi keraguan. Tidakkah 3 hari terlalu lama untuk menyelesaikan masalah-masalah tersebut?

Penggunaan Seksyen 4(1) (b) Akta Hasutan terhadap teman-teman juga merupakan penyalahgunaan undang-undang yang drakonian terhadap rakyat, sekaligus ianya membuka risiko kepada penyalahgunaan undang-undang oleh pihak polis terhadap individu mahupun mana-mana pergerakan untuk didakwa dengan akta lapuk.

Tindakan pihak polis dalam serbuan dan penahanan ini sekaligus bertentangan dengan Perisytiharan Hak Asasi Manusia Sejagat (The Universal Declaration of Human Rights).

Ini adalah prejudis pihak polis terhadap imej ruang komuniti termasuk sub-budaya dan muzik.

Akhir sekali, solidariti teman-teman Rumah Api ini turut disampaikan buat mereka yang berterusan dalam menggerakkan ruang-ruang autonomi dalam proses pemberdayaan masyarakat menolak ketidakadilan serta kekejaman aparat penguasa.

Pernyataan ini disokong oleh:

#tahukahkome

15 jahanam

265 distro

321 go! Distro

Advocates of the Propagation of Science Literacy

AKAJITA

Ankbktnoisescape

Ansara

ANTIFA Terengganu

Azmi Sharom

Azrul Mohd Khalib

Cah’Jinggos

Backroom Council

Bad Idea

Besut Skinhead

Black Demons

Books & Destroy

Bukit Beruang Disorderly

Buku Jalanan Bandar Melaka

Buku Jalanan Dungun

Buku Jalanan Embayu

Buku Jalanan Kota Bharu

Buku Jalanan Kota Kinabalu

Buku Jalanan Klang

Buku Jalanan Machang

Buku Jalanan Shah Alam

Buku Jalanan Temerloh

Buku Jalanan Titi

Classwar

Cookies Street Cookery

Darkroom Studio

Deleted Books Press

DEMO UNTUK RAKYAT

Dendang Kampungan

Dendo Records

DERITAxTERUS

Dorian Wilde

Dum Dum Tak

Embrace Hall

Faisal Tehrani

Falsafah Kedai Kopi

Far House Cafe

FCSP Selangor Section

foxhole records

Frinjan

Gang DTSC

Geng Kotak

Gerakan Hapus Akta Hasutan

Glasswar

Greg Lopez

Guerilla Gardening Malaysia

GTHC

Hellexist

HausKultur Project

Highland Workers Union

Hitcock

Human First Collective

Jasmine and Sun

KaryaRaya Resource

Kelab Bangsar Utama

Keep the Faith

Keningau Skinhead Crew

KerbauWorks Studio

Kolektif Anak Muda Insaf (KAMI)

Kotakata

Knowledge and Rights with Young People through Safer Spaces (KRYSS)

Kuala Berang Under Lake

Kuantan East Side Crew

Kuantan Palm City Hardcore

Kumpulan Sasterawan Kavyan

Kolektif Sarata

Kolektif Taring Padi

Kratom City Hardcore

Kolektif suara kita (KOSUKA)

Komisariat Demokrasi

KuBu

LANGGARxLARI

Lawyers for Liberty

Liberal Liberalis

Lion City Hardcore

Lyana Khairuddin

maimuna merican

Makassar Crew

Malacca City Hardcore

Malacca Lakhanat Skinheads Crew

Manusia Stereotypical

Marina Mahathir

Memoir Distro

Moncino Punk

Mosh Zine

Muzzamer Rahman

My Ladybugs Chenta Robot Froggie

Nadira Ilana

Nerve Records

Nervhous records

Network Of Solidarity Collective

Nik Salim dan Saing-Saing

North-South Initiative

Nyaring Records

Oi! On Business

Orchid std hall

Orkes Rakyat Tertindas

Ovethrown

Pangrok Sulap

Parti Sosialis Malaysia

Patin Rock City

Pesakid

Plague of Happiness

Positive X Youth

Poskod.my

Pulling T

Plumbum Street Crew

Pooks Records And Distribution

Projek Dialog

Projek Tikus Bandar

Pusat Sekitar Seni

Pustaka kolektif

Reason to Resist

Redrum

Region of Love

Royal Rebel Kidz

Rumah Bayang

Rumah Natang

School of Acting Justly, Lovingly Tenderly, Treading Humbly

scumbag kids

Seismic

Sekolah Aktivisme

Sekolah Demokrasi

Sekolah Falsafah

Serikat Mahasiswa

Sharon Chin

Sidexkick

Sinopsis

Sisters in Islam

Slapjaw

Soul Savior

Steak Daging Kacang Ijo

Stick No Bill

Street Boundaries

Street83Clothing

Street Soldier

Strength Thru

SUARAM

Sudut Kiri

The Korok

Teori Timur

The RiceCooker Archive

Titah Tanji

Turtles Revolt

twt_indie

UndiMsia!

Universiti Terbuka Anak Muda

Uthaya Sankar SB

Taufiq Ali

The Wall

Wasted Youth KB

Wild Dogs Brigade

Workers Junior Stuff

Writers Alliance for Media Independence

Wroteoff

Yee I-Lann

Youth Blast Records

Zedeck Siew

Penyokong masih dikumpul. Sila nyatakan sokongan anda ke fuadrahmat@gmail.com. Senarai akan ditutup pada jam 6 petang Rabu September 2.

Pernyataan solidariti ini dikarang oleh Buku Jalanan Shah Alam.

---

CHAOS IN RUMAH API 2015

REALLY REALLY FREE MARKET - 25TH JULY 2015

THE WALL on fire

The Wall was on fire last nite. I mean, REAL FIRE!

Dukacita dimaklumkan kepada semua yang mengenali The Wall, malam tadi telah berlaku kejadian yang gempar dan menyayat hati.

Sekitar jam 10.30 malam, kami bertiga (Uda, Zuri dan Emy) sedang lepak2 seperti biasa di ruang bilik The Wall. Tak semena-mena lebih kurang jam 11 malam macam tu, kami di dalam bilik terlihat cahaya terang dari pantulan dinding pintu lalu menjenguk keluar. Betapa terperanjat melihat api menjulang marak meratah set drum di atas stage, betol2 marak seperti baru disimbah petrol.

Dalam panik, kami bergegas ke sana sini cuba mencari jalan memadamkan api. Namun bukan seminit dua, bahkan kurang sepuluh saat, api telah membaham hampir seluruh ruang stage dan berkepul2 asap hitam menderu laju ke arah kami.

Dalam sesak nafas dan panik, kami meluru ke tingkap mencari oksigen. Tiada apa yg difikirkan selain menyelamatkan nyawa dulu. Kami bertiga berusaha turun melalui tingkap dari tingkat satu sambil menjerit minta tolong. Dramatik, tapi benar2 real dan melelahkan. Syukur, kami bertiga berjaya turun dari The Wall yang sedang rakus dijilat api.

Dalam setengah jam mcm tu baru bomba sampai dan dpt padamkan api. Namun, hampir seluruh backline di atas stage hangus dan ranap teruk. Hanya bahagian stage yang terbakar, namun tiada apa backline yang dapat diselamatkan. Drumset, randall guitar amp, hartke bass amp, ibanez guitar amp dan pa system hancur luluh seperti hati kami yang melihatnya.

Tiada apa yang mampu dikatakan lagi. Setidak2nya, inilah sedikit gambaran kejadian yang berlaku malam tadi.

Terima kaseh pada semua yang prihatin, namun kini hanya dukacita yang enggan pergi.

Sekian.

Dengan kejadian ini, kami Rumah Api melakukan benefit show untuk The Wall

THE SIDE PROJECT: FREEGAN. Interview with Nunu

Rest In Peace Za of Flesh Disgorged

REALLY REALLY FREE MARKET 

Evicted Newtown squatters complain at lack of notice period

The group evicted from an iconic Newtown squat and community hub this week have vowed to find a new base.

Dozens of police donned riot gear to search the premises after smashing in the now boarded up doors of the Hat Factory Social Centre shortly after 3.30pm on Thursday afternoon. Many were wearing helmets and several in white police jump suits.

Two Aboriginal flags and several home-made banners had been unfurled along the property earlier in the week. One declared the property “reclaimed community space”.

Reading from a statement prepared by the group, resident Jack Summers-Webb said the eviction was difficult for residents, who intended to continue to reclaim unused buildings.

“This has been devastating for all of us, for the community and the people who live here,” Mr Summers-Webb said. “This is not the end for us; we’ll continue to do community spaces wherever we can.”

The exact number of residents affected is unclear. Mr Summers-Webb said there had always been between one and eight ongoing residents as well as a more itinerant group of 10 to 30.

Several of the residents, who declined to be named, said they had belongings locked inside the now-boarded up house. They claimed the space has been used as a squat since 2001.

According to the residents, the group also used the building to host a free library, a bicycle workshop, an open kitchen and used the lower level for performances and fundraisers.

“While housing prices in the city skyrocket, thousands of buildings sit empty and countless people struggle to find a roof over their heads. These buildings should serve as shelters for those in need, not as speculative capital for absent owners,” Mr Summers-Webb said.

Police said the intention was to remove the squatters so the owner could reclaim the property, but its residents had left by the time they arrived.

According to Australian Property Monitors, property prices in Newtown have increased by 58% in the last five years. The median house price is $985,000.

The Hat Factory occupies two blocks: 164-166 and 166-168 Wilson street. Both were purchased in May 1981 for $85,000 and $68,000 respectively.

Another property a few blocks down the street was purchased by the same owner in 1995.

The Hat Factory squatters claim the owner lives in the latter property, to which they have delivered letters and receipts for water rates and repairs for more than four years.

These letters are the core of the group's claim for tenancy rights, which they will put to the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal at a hearing on August 8 in a booking that pre-dates the eviction.

Mr Summers-Web said the group was not attempting to continue living in the premises but were fighting to get a proper eviction period.

He told Fairfax Media they were first given two days' notice that was later extended to a week. This notice period lapsed on Wednesday, the day before the police raid.

Chris Martin, the senior policy advisor for the NSW Tenants Union, told Fairfax Media the union had spoken to the squatters but was not acting for them at this stage.

According to Dr Martin, the core issue for squatters is proving they are tenants, which would entitle them to at least a month's notice of eviction.

“A tenant is someone who is granted a permit to occupy a premise in exchange for value. In 99 per cent of cases, the value that changes hands is money, as in rent. But it could be doing work on the place or for the owner, as that’s value also,” Dr Martin said.

He added the only appropriate place for tenancy claims to be resolved was at NCAT tribunal hearings.

Evictions of tenants require an order to from NCAT that is executed by the NSW Sheriff’s Office.

“It would be a brave or perhaps foolish landlord or police officer for that matter who thinks they know how the tribunal might determine any case.”

The City of Sydney Council, in which the property resides, has confirmed the eviction was instigated by the property owner.

A spokesman for the council told Fairfax Media officers had twice attempted to inspect the property in the last month after a complaint about public health and safety matters but were prevented from entering by the squatters.

Stephen Gibson has been living on Wilson Street for 30 years and said the raid took the neighbourhood by surprise. He described the use of police, particularly the riot squad, as overkill.

“The people there have been incredibly quiet and you would not have known they were there. The banners are atypical,” he said. “I have walked my dog past for years, and always thought ‘good on you’,”.

REALLY REALLY FREE MARKET
24TH AUGUST 2014
SUNDAY
2PM

For the 3rd anniversary of bike picnic, we will organize an alleycat race on the same day, at the same place. the entry for the race is RM5 and for the picnic for sure, is free. RM5 will use for the prizes of men's and women's categories. 

please be reminded that this is not a pro, UCI certificate race. the less competitive we become, the more fun we had.

Please submit your participation by drop a word at the comment box below.

for the bike picnic, please bring food, drinks, toys, music and friends to the park. let's enjoy the food and the music while we celebrate the the winners and the losers of the race.

please take your own safety precautions and make sure to have fun. any further changes will be inform

9hb Ogos adalah Hari Orang Asal Antarabangsa, satu pameran mengenai tema tersebut akan dianjurkan berturut-turut 3 hari supaya orang ramai dapat menyaksi budaya-budaya orang asal di Malaysia adalah begitu kaya.

Oganasasi yang menyertai pameran:

1. Light Up Borneo
2. Baramkini
3. Stop Baram Dam Youth
4. SALT
5. Save Ulu Papar
6. Stop Kaiduan Dam
7. JKOSM
8. JOAS
9. COAC
10. Gerai OA (Kraftangan Orang Asli dan Orang Asal) 
11. Mah Meri (Orang Asli Semenanjung)

Aktiviti-aktiviti;

A. Pameran gambar
B. Ceramah berkongsi pengalaman
C. Persembahan budaya
D. Gerai produk budaya

Semua dijembut menghadiri pembukaan rasmi pada 13hb September 2014

tempat: KOMPLEKS MUTIARA, JALAN IPOH

MONDAY PHOTO BLOG BY MAXIMUM ROCK AND ROLL
click here

REALLY REALLY FREE MARKET - MARCH 23, 2014

RUMAH API & NOT A FEST team up organizing KYLESA show in Bentley, KL.

Dear All,
We have a missing tickets.
PLEASE BE INFORMED THAT THIS TICKET NUMBER IS NOT VALID:
031 - 060
301 - 330
421 - 450
451 - 480
All tickets only available from this respected agents:

Anybody purchased, owned, this tickets number will be denied their door entry. Please report to us if you purchased the ticket with the mention number! Thanks!
Cheers!


Get the tickets from:

* KUALA LUMPUR:
Tandang Store
178, Jalan Ampang, Kg. Baru Ampang, Pekan Ampang.
Phone: 0163330475 Wan Hazril or 0149712587 Man Beranak . 
Email: tandangstore@gmail.com
PLEASE ENQUIRE FOR MAILORDER TICKETING SERVICE!

Hard Graft Records
25A, 1st Floor, Jalan 52/1, 46200 Petaling Jaya.Tel: 012-3033700
Email: info@hardgraftrecords.com

Rudy Karunguni Campbell
Lot 143,1st floor Campbell Complex,Jalan Dang Wangi,50100 Kuala Lumpur. 
Tel: 012 9069974
Email:cambell143@gmail.com

Dolls Store
LOT D7 , Block D , Mezzanine Floor , FAHRENHEIT 88 (KL Plaza), No 179,Jln Bukit Bintang, 55100 KUALA LUMPUR 

* BANGSAR - Ci Chaan- 0197458806 

* BANDAR TUN RAZAK/WANGSA MAJU/SETAPAK/GOMBAK - Emi Norazalli - 0122485787

* PETALING JAYA - Arif Ramly - 0126327369

* JOHOR BAHRU - Freewheelin Man- 0107125740

* SUNGAI PETANI - Eidan Arko 0175013493

* JERANTUT, PAHANG - Mukri Azaziz - 0102860828

* PENANG 
Deadbeat Shop - LOT 2B-04-05 4th Floor Kompleks Tun Abdul Razak (KOMTAR), Georgetown, Penang or call 012-446 0316 (Dzul)

* KUANTAN- Hafidz Haffifi- 0129666407

* SINGAPORE - Høød Dexter of Pazahora/Lifelock/Daily Ritual - +65 96453995 || Pre-sale ticket is SGD $25 for Singapore.

more agent will be update soon!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Venue full address:

WISMA BENTLEY MUSIC
3, Jalan PJU 7/2, Mutiara Damansara,
47810 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia.
Tel: (603) 7727 3333
Fax: (603) 7726 3328

REALLY REALLY FREE MARKET & BENEFIT SHOW FOR KRATOMCITY HARDCORE

CHAOS IN RUMAH API 27-29 DECEMBER 2013

click here for more picture by Mr.Choi

IN SOLIDARITY: A BENEFIT FOR EAST COAST FLOOD DISASTER VICTIMS

2014 PLANNING

Rumah Api as a show venue and outlet community space and projects existing for quite sometime now and will hopefully survive for many years to come. But constant maintenance can be quite demanding. In our day to day experiences, we thought of these stuffs:

1. Projector: for documentary and movie screening. Some recent years ago Rumah Api and the infoshop held many screenings by the help of wonderful friends who occasionally lend projectors and the screen. But it’s hard to come by these days, thus no more screening. It’d be awesome to have one.
2. External Hard Disk: huge storage for movies, documentaries, music files for future screening and Rumah Api Radio project.
3. Exhaust Fans: The circle pits, the venue hall and back hall at times (or most times) can get exremely hot enduring crowded and closed venue, would be nice if we have a few more of those for ventillation.
4. Wall-Mount Fans: for stage performance, concert hall and merchandise booth area. Punks maybe can love those air conditioners but punks hate paying bills.
5. Laptop / Computer: this will be excellent to have for Rumah Api Radio project.
6. Camera: it’s for video and photo documentation for shows and other events.
7. Generator: once in a blue moon, we would venture putting up shows in the nature and when we come by opportunity to hold them gigs outdoor we will. This machine can power-up good, and you know that.

Right now we are still in debt for the guitar amplifier. Thank gosh, the only debt we have  left after all else has been painstakingly settled.

Other great maintainence issues:

We are still working on to fix the floors, bandstage, sewage problem, back-line / PA system, soundproofing, bar section and “Really Really Free Market” area (to store all the stuffs in a safe place), eventhough we do this often times by ourselves and from the great help of the community, it would still at most times require some large amount of money. 

Hopefully, we will get these problems fixed (if not all) and pay the money we owe right after the upcoming “CHAOS IN RUMAH API Festival on 27th-29th December 2013”.

Last but not least, as we contantly receive touring bands, why not considering getting a van of our own. Already right now we pour on money for gas and rent them for the bands touring around Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore venues. It will also greatly be useful for the Food Not Bombs KL, to transport raw vegetables and food in their Sunday free food serving. Having a van eases up many things.

You can help us by donating stuffs or send money to us at:


Rumah Api, 
No. 178, Main Street, 
Pekan Ampang, 
68000 Ampang, Selangor,
Malaysia

or you can bank-in money at:
Maybank account: 162179658348 (Filzah Bt Amran)

Phone: +60149712587 (call/ sms/ whatsapp)
Email: amirasofea13@gmail.com



Your help is greatly appreciated.

YOU CAN CHECK ALL STUFF FROM TANDANG STORE, BOGUS MERCHANDISE AND PUSTAKA SEMESTA AT OUR INSTAGRAM SITE: JUST CLICK HERE 

TANDANG STORE AT RUMAH API

The Tandang Store is an independent collective trade space located at the loft within the Rumah Api garage selling assorted of DIY/Indie stuff with various genre from all over the world! We have CDs, Vinyl, Shirt, Cassette, Literature and other stuff available

Tandang Store is a collective run by The Tandang Record Shop (vinyls, tapes,CD's etc), Bogus Merchandise (Silkscreen Tshirts etc) and also Pustaka Semesta (zine, info, books etc).

OPERATION HOUR!

Wednesday - Friday - 6pm - 11pm
Saturday - 2pm - Midnight
Sunday - 3pm - 11pm
Monday - Tuesday - CLOSED (call for any appointment)


WAN HAZRIL: +60163330475
MAN BERANAK: +60149712587


email: tandangstore@gmail.com
TANDANG STORE FACEBOOK

---

FIRST FESTIVAL IN RUMAH API

CHAOS IN RUMAH API
27-29th December 2013

BANDS AND DATE:

27TH DECEMBER 2013 (FRIDAY)
WWHIRR (KL, MYS)
LANGGAR LARI (BAHAU, MYS)
KRASS KEPALA (iNDONESIA)
MASS SEPARATION (KL, MYS)
SNAGGLETOOTH (SINGAPORE)

28TH DECEMBER 2013 (SATURDAY)
REASON TO RESIST (KUANTAN, MYS)
APPARATUS (MYS+INDONESIA)
CRUTCHES (SWEDEN)
MAVIS DIRTY PROJECTS (KUCHING, MYS)
GRASP OF DYNAMITE (INDONESIA)
PAZAHORA (SINGAPORE)
ALCHEMY OF SICKNESS (JOHOR, MYS)
BIGSTAN (INDONESIA)
xSAXONx (SCOTLAND)
DISTASTE (TERENGGANU, MYS)
MASKBURN (SABAH, MYS)
KNUCKS (KL, MYS)
NAKED WEAPON (TEMERLOH, MYS)
WxIxDxB (KL, MYS)
ENDORPHINS LOST (USA)
WHORE HOUSE BUTCHERY (SINGAPORE)

29TH DECEMBER 2013 (SUNDAY)
SCUMRAID (KOREA)
BLACK ABYSS (SHAH ALAM, MYS)
RECONSTRUCT (JOHOR, MYS)
THE BOLLOCKS (KUALA PILAH, MYS)
ABRASION (SINGAPORE)
SOSIAL ILEGAL (INDONESIA)
SJANSE (SINGAPORE)
TERLARANG (PERAK, MYS)
MOLOTOV(KUANTAN, MYS)
199X (KELANTAN, MYS)
xSAXONx (SCOTLAND)

RM35 FOR 3 DAYS

https://www.facebook.com/events/133380853538114/

or

https://www.facebook.com/ChaosInRumahApi