Squatting in Malaysia

[1] Whilst fighting for independence from the British Empire, the Malayan National Liberation Army (MNLA) found support amongst the 500,000 Chinese squatters living on the edge of the jungle.

[3] After the Malayan Declaration of Independence in 1957, squatting in Malaysia increased as the country industrialised and many people moved from the countryside to the capital Kuala Lumpur.

The Essential (Clearance of Squatters) Regulations 1969 stated that any construction on land without permission from the appropriate authorities can be considered squatting.

[4] An important case was Sidek bin Haji Mohamad & 461 Ors v The Government of Malaysia (1982, 1 MLJ 313), which confirmed squatters have no right in law.

[7] During the COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia, people from Palau squatted at Kampung Sembulan Tengah.