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THE developer and landowner of a condominium and road construction project near the landslide site in Taman Seri Rambai, Paya Terubong, must take responsibility and ensure the safety of the affected area.
Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said the parties involved must be held accountable, particularly as the landslide, which claimed the life of a doctor, occurred on land owned by the developer.
“This includes any legal implications, matters concerning development approvals and the necessary mitigation works to restore safety at the site,” he said after visiting the victim's family.
The landslide occurred around 830 am last Sunday following hours of heavy rainfall, triggering a slope collapse at the rear of a two-story residential house belonging to Dr Wong Kar Lin, 73.
The doctor, who was preparing breakfast, was killed when tonnes of red earth came crashing down on him.
The tragedy has struck a nerve here because of the many missed warnings of the impending tragedy, which took the life of the Heng Ee School alumnus.
Chow explained that the site had a lengthy planning history dating back to 1996, involving changes in landownership, developers and development guidelines.
A relative of the deceased, former Kebun Bunga assemblyman Datuk Jason Ong Khan Lee, said that the state missed out on his warnings issued in 2018 after another nearby landslide killed nine foreign construction workers.
The stretch of houses where the landslide occurred remains off-limits as police cordoned off the area to uphold safety and security.
A total of six families were relocated, as the local authorities work to ensure that the area remains secure.
“MBPP has issued a stop-work order with immediate effect. The developer has seven days to submit a mitigation plan to address the situation.
“The plan must ensure that the site is secured and that appropriate measures are taken to prevent further landslides that could endanger the surrounding neighbourhood,” Chow said.
He said he had received reports from MBPP and the Penang Town and Country Planning Department, as well as a draft incident report from the MBPP Engineering Department, with a full report expected within one or two days.
He said that preliminary findings showed the incident occurred at a section that had yet to undergo slope stabilisation works, with prolonged rainfall believed to have caused water to seep into the soil, adding to the load on the unstabilised slope.
However, Chow said the exact cause of the incident could only be determined after the relevant authorities submitted their full reports. - October 28, 2026.
