Pahang logger to burn himself to death

A 55-year-old man threatened today to burn himself to death if the Pahang government do not pay the RM70 million in damages to his company, as awarded in a court ruling.

Gan Ee Seng, an investor in Kuantan-based logging firm Seruan Gemilang Makmur Sdn Bhd, said he will go on a hunger strike today at Padang Kota Damansara until he collapses. Then, he will burn himself to death.

“Maybe I will kill myself just to let the people know that we want justice and we hope the police can do something,” he told reporters here.

This is his second hunger strike.

In September last year, shareholders of Seruan Gemilang Makmur went on a relay hunger strike for about 10 days, resulting in two people who collapsed and was sent to the hospital for treatment.

In a May 2007 decision by the Kuantan High Court, Seruan Gemilang was awarded RM37,127,471.60 in damages with eight per cent interest per annum backdated to December 31, 2000 after it won a breach of contract suit against the Pahang government and the state forestry director.

The court ruled that state government and the state Forestry Department were in breach a of logging concession contract concerning the extraction of timber logs from a 10,000-acre plot of Umno-owned land in Mukim Bebar, Pekan district.

“Of course (it’s about the money) because I borrowed money from my friends and relatives,” Gan said, adding that he has invested about RM700,000 in the company.

-Themalaysianinsider