Article: Flat-broke breeder ‘runs fowl’ of the law

Friday September 18, 2009

By MARTIN CARVALHO

MALACCA: A 40-year-old unemployed man "ran fowl" of the law – for transforming his flat into a poultry farm.

Local councillors Alex Lye and Lim Siew Wan had a shock when they found Yong Chin Teck living with more than 50 chickens and ducks in his apartment on the second floor of the Bukit Senjuang Flats at Jalan Bukit Senjuang.

"We were called to investigate complaints by residents about the stench and noises coming from the man's apartment," Lye told reporters after visiting the site yesterday.

"We were shocked to find him breeding chickens and ducks in his squalid apartment."

Smelly enterprise: Yong thought he could make some money by rearing chicken and ducks in his apartment to sell to villagers for Hari Raya.

He said that this is not the first time Yong got into hot water with local authorities over his poultry breeding antics.

He did it once in 2006 but stopped following complaints made against him.

Lye added that Yong, who lives alone, has been given two weeks to stop his poultry breeding and clean up his apartment.

"We will also assist Yong to apply for welfare aid so he would not have to resort to such activities again," he said.

Yong, a bachelor, said he had been living in the apartment belonging to his uncle for the past two decades.

"I do not have any work at the moment so I decided to breed the chickens and ducks and sell them to villagers for Hari Raya," he said.

Each live bird was sold for RM10, he added.

He said he hoped to get the welfare aid soon to allow him to clean up his act and avoid living in such squalid conditions.

This article was taken from: The Star Online: Nation 18 September 2009