The Batang Kali landslide occurred much to the surprise of many Malaysians who never expected a tragedy of that scale to happen.
It was reported to have occurred on the land of the Father’s Organic Farm which has received heavy criticism following the tragedy which happened.
Despite having apologised in the past, the operators of the organic farm has since reiterated that although they would not absolve themselves of responsibility, the landslide did not happen within the farm.
In a press conference, Frankie Tan expressed deep sorrow for the victims and their families and said that he would assist them in whatever way possible.
Tan told reporters that he would not avoid responsibility, but clarified that the landslide did not happen within their campsite.
“However, the landslide did not happen within our campsite but on another piece of land. The landslide area belongs to a government land, which is about 2 or 3 kilometers away from the farmland we leased. Plus, the site of the landslide was a large forest that had never been developed.”
Meanwhile, Frankie also admitted that he has been facing immense pressure from all sides, from assisting the search and rescue team, to bearing the pain of the victims’ death.
“After the incident, some survivors and family members have cursed at me at the scene (of the landslide). I fully understand and all I can do is bow my head and let them vent,” he said.
He also thanked the search and rescue team for assisting the rescue mission and also a funeral service company for providing free funeral services to all the victims.
Additionally, in response to a report which stated that the slope in the area was listed among the critical locations identified by the Malaysian Department of Minerals and Geosciences (JMG) back in September, Tan said that he had never received any information or an official letter about it.
Watch the video below:
What do you think of their apology?
Also read: “Love is with us” – Father’s Organic Farm Changes FB Profile to Black to Mourn for Victims, M’sians Divided
