SEBERANG PERAI, March 4 — Kampung Permatang Tok Subuh, a quiet riverside village nestled within the maze of industrial land in Bukit Minyak here, was a flurry of activity this morning as residents prepared to face-off with bailiffs expected to arrive soon to enforce an eviction notice.

Today is their deadline to evict but the residents from 26 households — half the 52 homes that make up the neighbourhood - are bent on staying put and have been standing guard for days to prevent any demolition of buildings on the land.

“We will not move out until the landowner gives us reasonable compensation — either a house for a house or RM42,000 per household,” village action committee head Hamidah Che Embi said.

The 48-year-old said the villagers will continue to take turns standing guard to stop the bailiffs from forcing them out of the land today or any day after this.

She said the villagers understand that the land does not belong to them and do not intend to stake any claim on it but want adequate compensation for their relocation.

Hamidah Che Embi said they only wanted a house to replace their house or enough compensation for them to rebuild elsewhere.

“We only want compensation enough for us to build new homes on land that the state government had promised to provide us with,” she said.

The landowner had in 2012 purchased the 5.03-acre plot and began taking steps to evict residents the following year.

Villagers were issued notices on February 17 ordering them to deliver vacant possession of the plot by today, March 4.

After the notice, 26 households moved out and accepted compensations of between RM15,000 and RM35,000 but the remaining few refused to budge.

Anticipating possible action today, several non-governmental organizations (NGO) and student groups gathered in solidarity with the villagers.

Deputy Chief Minister I Rashid Mansor, who was also present, said the state has already made applications for the villages to rebuild their homes at a piece of temporary occupation license (TOL) land nearby but the process will take a few weeks.

He added that the state has also informed the landowner's lawyer not to proceed with today’s eviction pending further negotiations on compensation.

“By right, they must compensate them with either a house-for-a-house or give them RM42,000, the cost of a low cost housing unit,” he said.

He also warned the landowner from forcefully evicting the villagers without allowing negotiation.

“Now, they don't have any application for planning permission but if they insist on forcing the villagers out, the state government will not approve any future applications they make,” he said.

He said the state is still trying to get the landowner to negotiate and offer the compensation that the villagers deserve.

Bukit Mertajam MP Steven Sim said the landowner does not have any plan just yet to develop the land so there was no hurry for the villagers to move out.

“If the bailiff comes, we will tell them that we will be discussing with the landowner on compensation and also to give the villagers grace period until the application for them to relocate to the TOL land was approved,” he said.

In the worse case scenario, Sim said, the state government will offer alternative temporary homes for the villagers.

About 26 households in Kampung Tok Subuh have refused to move unless the landowner offers them reasonable compensation.