The Occupied Palestine : Take a stand!

Relieved, that I finally finished my submission.

Many things have been happening back to back for the last two weeks. One program after another. Can't look at the newspaper, it's too depressing to learn about the deliberate aggression of the Israeli military on Gaza. Have said NO to McDonalds, Burger King and the like. Realized that we can survive without those stuff, and the good news is, we get to live a healthier life.

People say, "what can a boycott do?".

For me, it's a matter of principle. If the International community can accept Economic Embargo as one of the sanctions that can be imposed on states that violate International Law, what stops us from doing more or less the same thing in our own personal capacity rather than waiting for an impossible miracle to happen from a puppet organization called the UN.

Excuses.

Tell that to the Palestinians who have been living in fear for over 60 years. Tell that to the Palestinian children who have no idea what the word "safe" means. Tell that to those who pledge their hearts and souls defending the Palestinians and their rights to their own homeland.

I had the chance to read the story of Rachel Corrie and Tom Hurndall.

If we think that we have fought hard enough for the Palestinians, think again. By reading these stories, I just couldn't help myself from thinking how small we are compared to these people. They are the real heroes, the real fighters.

The living evidence of the highest degree of human nobility. They pledged their lives for a simple reason, that is humanity. They don't share the same religion as the Palestinians, they don't share the same history and origin as the Palestinians. The only one thing that they share with the Palestinians is just a mere fact that they are human.

When we talk about the Occupied Palestine, like it or not, there are still certain quarters who choose to neutralize the whole issue. Why is that so?

Only God knows what's on their minds.

Last week, we had the opportunity to organize a public forum on the myth and reality in the Occupied Palestine. I'm so glad that many people turned up at the public forum and it's good to note that many people who attended the public forum gave positive feedback as to the content and the diversity of aspects discussed by the speakers. The public forum managed to reveal the reality or rather the truth about the whole issues that revolve around the occupation.

Imagine, for the last 60 years, there have been constant and systematic attack targeteda t Palestinian people, so the question is, when they (the illegal state of Israel and its allies) talk about ceasefire, do they really mean it? For the last 60 years, houses of Palestinian people have been deliberately and illegally demolished, (evidence can be seen in Rachel Corrie's story), leaving Palestinians to become refugees in their own homeland. What ceasefire and diplomatic talk we are talking about here?

They (the illegal state of Israel and its allies) say Hamas started it. So, are they suggesting that Hamas, being a legitimate government should just sit and do nothing when Gaza was being put under siege and the people were dying? Are they expecting Hamas government to just sit back and relax while the People of Palestine are being systematically wiped out??

And they, at the same time (the illegal state of Israel and its allies) are so busy running around championing democracy and human rights.

And they expect conscientious people to buy their stories? Not in a million years.

These hard facts demand us, the conscientious people to take a firm stand. It’s time for us to take action to ensure that the inhumane act committed by Israel and its allies will not go unpunished.

INVITATION TO TEATER BILIK SULIT
(PENANG)

In conjunction with the International Human Rights Day 2008, the Bar Council in collaboration with Gerakan Mansuhkan ISA (GMI) would like to extend an invitation to all of you to Teater Bilik Sulit which is going to be held in Penang on 17/1/09 & 18/1/09.

Teater Bilik Sulit is a play that features the untold true accounts of the nature of Police interrogation of the ISA detainees which are based on testimonials of those who used to be detained under the ISA.

Teater Bilik Sulit will be staged on these dates:

17/1/09 (Saturday) at 8.30pm

18/1/09 (Sunday) at 3.00pm & 8.30pm

Venue : The Actors Studio Greenhall (Penang), Ground Floor Zhing Zheng School Memorial Centre, 32, Lebuh Light, 10200, Georgetown, Penang.

For info kindly contact 012 520 3101/012 465 1671 @ fadiahnadwa9@yahoo.com

Reminder : space is limited, kindly RSVP via email or sms

TOP 5 LIES ABOUT ISRAEL'S ASSAULT ON GAZA

by Jeremy R. Hammond

Lie #1) Israel is only targeting legitimate military sites and is seeking to protect innocent lives. Israel never targets civilians.

The Gaza Strip is one of the most densely populated pieces of property in the world. The presence of militants within a civilian population does not, under international law, deprive that population of their protected status, and hence any assault upon that population under the guise of targeting militants is, in fact, a war crime.

Moreover, the people Israel claims are legitimate targets are members of Hamas, which Israel says is a terrorist organization. Hamas has been responsible for firing rockets into Israel. These rockets are extremely inaccurate and thus, even if Hamas intended to hit military targets within Israel, are indiscriminate by nature. When rockets from Gaza kill Israeli civilians, it is a war crime.

Hamas has a military wing. However, it is not entirely a military organization, but a political one. Members of Hamas are the democratically elected representatives of the Palestinian people. Dozens of these elected leaders have been kidnapped and held in Israeli prisons without charge. Others have been targeted for assassination, such as Nizar Rayan, a top Hamas official. To kill Rayan, Israel targeted a residential apartment building. The strike not only killed Rayan but two of his wives and four of his children, along with six others. There is no justification for such an attack under international law. This was a war crime.

Other of Israel’s bombardment with protected status under international law have included a mosque, a prison, police stations, and a university, in addition to residential buildings.

Moreover, Israel has long held Gaza under siege, allowing only the most minimal amounts of humanitarian supplies to enter. Israel is bombing and killing Palestinian civilians. Countless more have been wounded, and cannot receive medical attention. Hospitals running on generators have little or no fuel. Doctors have no proper equipment or medical supplies to treat the injured. These people, too, are the victims of Israeli policies targeted not at Hamas or legitimate military targets, but directly designed to punish the civilian population.

Lie #2) Hamas violated the cease-fire. The Israeli bombardment is a response to Palestinian rocket fire and is designed to end such rocket attacks.

Israel never observed the cease-fire to begin with. From the beginning, it announced a “special security zone” within the Gaza Strip and announced that Palestinians who enter this zone will be fired upon. In other words, Israel announced its intention that Israeli soldiers would shoot at farmers and other individuals attempting to reach their own land in direct violation of not only the cease-fire but international law.

Despite shooting incidents, including ones resulting in Palestinians getting injured, Hamas still held to the cease-fire from the time it went into effect on June 19 until Israel effectively ended the truce on November 4 by launching an airstrike into Gaza that killed five and injured several others.

Israel’s violation of the cease-fire predictably resulted in retaliation from militants in Gaza who fired rockets into Israel in response. The increased barrage of rocket fire at the end of December is being used as justification for the continued Israeli bombardment, but is a direct response by militants to the Israeli attacks.

Israel’s actions, including its violation of the cease-fire, predictably resulted in an escalation of rocket attacks against its own population.

Lie #3) Hamas is using human shields, a war crime.

There has been no evidence that Hamas has used human shields. The fact is, as previously noted, Gaza is a small piece of property that is densely populated. Israel engages in indiscriminate warfare such as the assassination of Nizar Rayan, in which members of his family were also murdered. It is victims like his dead children that Israel defines as “human shields” in its propaganda. There is no legitimacy for this interpretation under international law. In circumstances such as these, Hamas is not using human shields, Israel is committing war crimes in violation of the Geneva Conventions and other applicable international law.

Lie #4) Arab nations have not condemned Israel’s actions because they understand Israel’s justification for its assault.

The populations of those Arab countries are outraged at Israel’s actions and at their own governments for not condemning Israel’s assault and acting to end the violence. Simply stated, the Arab governments do not represent their respective Arab populations. The populations of the Arab nations have staged mass protests in opposition to not only Israel’s actions but also the inaction of their own governments and what they view as either complacency or complicity in Israel’s crimes.

Moreover, the refusal of Arab nations to take action to come to the aid of the Palestinians is not because they agree with Israel’s actions, but because they are submissive to the will of the US, which fully supports Israel. Egypt, for instance, which refused to open the border to allow Palestinians wounded in the attacks to get medical treatment in Egyptian hospitals, is heavily dependent upon US aid, and is being widely criticized within the population of the Arab countries for what is viewed as an absolute betrayal of the Gaza Palestinians.

Even Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has been regarded as a traitor to his own people for blaming Hamas for the suffering of the people of Gaza. Palestinians are also well aware of Abbas’ past perceived betrayals in conniving with Israel and the US to sideline the democratically elected Hamas government, culminating in a counter-coup by Hamas in which it expelled Fatah (the military wing of Abbas’ Palestine Authority) from the Gaza Strip. While his apparent goal was to weaken Hamas and strengthen his own position, the Palestinians and other Arabs in the Middle East are so outraged at Abbas that it is unlikely he will be able to govern effectively.

Lie #5) Israel is not responsible for civilian deaths because it warned the Palestinians of Gaza to flee areas that might be targeted.

Israel claims it sent radio and telephone text messages to residents of Gaza warning them to flee from the coming bombardment. But the people of Gaza have nowhere to flee to. They are trapped within the Gaza Strip. It is by Israeli design that they cannot escape across the border. It is by Israeli design that they have no food, water, or fuel by which to survive. It is by Israeli design that hospitals in Gaza have no electricity and few medical supplies with which to treat the injured and save lives. And Israel has bombed vast areas of Gaza, targeting civilian infrastructure and other sites with protected status under international law. No place is safe within the Gaza Strip.

You are invited to attend this special public forum:-

NOT JUST ANOTHER WAR
MYTH AND REALITY IN OCCUPIED PALESTINE

The death of hundreds of people in Gaza brought into limelight once again the happenings in the Occupied Territories . But the final solution to the conflict evades analysts and political observers particularly those working within the Western media whose portrayal of the issue has always been on this assumption: that it is a result of competing national aspirations of the Jews and Muslims for their own state. In order to understand any issue, a knowledge of its origin and background is vital. The Palestinian conflict has been given the utmost coverage, only to cover the truths and give recognition to the myths surrounding its very nature.

So what is the nature of the conflict? Who are the interested parties in the Palestinian question? What are the pitfalls of the countless solutions coming out from Arab and Western capitals? Why have the continued killings of Palestinians generated so much passion among the Arab masses but only statements of regret from their governments? How does it differ from other contemporary wars between nations?

This forum aims not only to dispel the myths and false premises which have together created a flood of analyses on the so-called ‘Israel-Palestine’ conflict, but also aims to give an overview, historical and current perspective, on the issue.

DATE
(FRIDAY) 9 JANUARY 2009

TIME
8:00PM-10:00PM

VENUE

BAR COUNCIL AUDITORIUM, BAR COUNCIL BUILDING , JALAN LEBUH PASAR, KUALA LUMPUR (behind Central Market Annexe Building)


Speakers:

1)Dr Rosli Omar

2)Hishamuddin Rais

3)Dr Farish A Noor

4)Professor Gurdial Singh Nijar


Jointly Organised By

The Malaysian Bar
&
The Malaysian Social Research Institute (MSRI)
Cakap-Rakyat Group

Who are the speakers?

Dr Rosli Omar - was trained for his Phd at Imperial College London and is now an Associate Professor at the Department of Electrical Engineering at the University of Malaya ’s engineering faculty. His areas of research are mainly on Artifical intelligence, global warming and environment etc. Even though not formally trained politically he has always been interested in humanitarian issues, especially those concerning imperialism and oppression. Due to his deep understanding and extensive reading, he had regularly contributed in various discussions and debates among fellow academicians and youth circles on issues such as globalization, global warming and the middleast conflict.

Hishamuddin Rais - He is still best known for his stewardship of the student movement in the tumultuous 1973-4 demonstrations on subjects like American imperialism and Israeli expansionism, plus the more local concerns of Kedah peasants and Johore squatters – “Baling incident”. Throughout his 20 years in self-imposed exile, he remained the Malaysian rebel with a series of adventures in Iraq , Palestine , India , Australia , Moscow , Belgium and finally England . Since his release from 2-year ISA detention during the reformasi era, Hisham is now busy writing, teaching and directing plays, films etc.

Dr. Farish Ahmad-Noor is a Senior Fellow at the Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Nanyang Technical University (NTU), Singapore where he is Director of Research for the Research Cluster on Transnational Religion in Southeast Asia . He is also guest affiliated Professor at both Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta (UMS) and Sunan Kalijaga Islamic University, Jogjakarta . He is the author of ‘Writings on the War on Terror’ (2006), ‘From Majapahit to Putrajaya’ (2005) and ‘Islam Embedded: The Historical Development of PAS’ (2004).

Professor Gurdial Singh Nijar – (to be confirmed) obtained tertiary qualification in law in King College , London and the University of Malaya . He is Barrister-at-Law, Middle Temple and a registered Advocate and Solicitor in Victoria New South Wales, Australia . He specializes in professional proactive and his current research interest includes many aspects of biodiversity law. He is professor at the Law faculty and the director of the Centre for Biodiversity Law. He has represented Malaysia and the legal profession at numerous international forums and meetings. He has published several books covering civil trial advocacy, indigenous peoples knowledge systems and drafting for lawyers.



Together with the Malaysian Bar, the 2 other co-organisers are:-

The Malaysian Social Research Institute (MSRI), a non profit organisation was inaugurated on 27 November 1959. The purpose of the institute was to produce and publish world-class academic scholarship.

Currently, MSRI continues in its efforts of humanitarian support for the downtrodden, especially for the Palestinian refugees in Lebanon . With the help of caring Malaysians, MSRI’s programmes will continue to make a difference in the lives of some of the most unfortunate people in the world.

Among its key objectives is to promote an understanding and appreciation of Muslim and other communities in various parts of the world in pursuance of humanitarian rights and to conscientise the public and mobilize support for people struggling for self-determination and/or suffer from war or other forms of dispossession. Website: www.msri.org.my


CAKAP RAKYAT GROUP - is created on 1 December 2008 by a group of young Malaysians whose main objectives are to organize live discussions, debates and public forums in order to deepen understanding of various issues affecting societies, both at global and local level. Their main target audience are the youths of Malaysia - to promote and strengthen the intellectual capacity of young activists in dealing with various human rights and social issues.

So long 2008, welcome 2009

Time really flies. People are getting older. Some are getting wiser, some have changed for the better, and some might stay the same.

2008 marks my second year being in KL after one year getting stuck in my hometown, trying to complete my pupilage. It was a compromise with my mom actually, one year in my hometown would give me a good excuse to move to KL right after I completed my pupilage. To be honest, one of the reasons that made me want to move to KL was to get myself involved in peaceful assembly. Dreams do come true. :P

2008 also marks my second year of involvement with GMI and series of campaigns that we have held for the year 2008. It has always been a good experience for me, to witness the effect of the ongoing campaigns, from 70 over detainees in early 2008 to 40 over left in Kamunting Camp in December 2008.According to Kak Laila, this showed that the campaigns have been effective. I'm happy to be among these strong, dedicated people in GMI, to be able to learn a lot of things from them. It always feels good to be treated like a little sister in the family and it always feels good that they have been so patient in putting up with my crazy antics particularly in times of distress.

2008 teaches me a lot of things on friendship, honesty, and sincerity. I realize that being all naive thinking that every one has a good intention is rather a wishful thinking. I realize that there are not many good people left in this world, good people are facing extinction I figure. So, all that we need to do is cherish those few good people around us. People who would stand by you in hard times, people who would be happy for you, people who would support you and people who would tell you what is the right thing to do. I’m glad to have these few good people around me. I truly am.

With so much love from my family and my good, close friends, 2008 indeed is gonna be remembered. I would like to ask for an apology for the wrongs that I’ve made. Happy New Year every one, let’s pray that we become a better person for the years ahead of us.

KL Teater Bilik Sulit: The Closing Night!

Last night was the closing night for Teater Bilik Sulit. Full house. I could still remember preparing for the play two weeks before it started. Before Kak Lat left for Japan, I managed to see her and sorted everything out. I was a little worried that I had to make decisions on my own during her absence.

Organizing programs is seriously no picnic. But the experience is all that matters. Decision making, communication, negotiation, having to run back and forth here and there. And i quote Billy Joe from Green day "for what is worth, it was worth all the while.."

Organizing programs, again, I reiterate here, is no picnic, as things like these are also bound to happen at the same time : miscommunication, torn in trying to make everybody happy having to make big decisons in a short period of time. But then again, this is what we call experience. A lesson worth learning.

And the best part of this play was, having great friends around to help me organize this play. For me, it is crucial to have a fun working group that can just crack up jokes and laugh and laugh and laugh, and make people around us laugh in amazement asking "what on earth could have possessed these people?".

And the fun part of this play was, the after party that we had at Mamak in Bangsar. Eat and be merry. Eat and laugh. Eat and talk about the world (??)

It's kinda sad that the staging of Bilik Sulit in KL had to end. It had been so much fun having it on 4 consecutive nights. Life is back to normal again, at least for a few days, as we have to start cracking for the staging of Bilik Sulit in Penang which is gonna be held on 9,10, 11 January!Something to look forward to!Boria Penang (as the opening act??) here we come!!:P

Special thanks to the ever committed committee members, Kak Lat, Sasha, Farhana, Nalini and Murnie for their tremendous committment to make the play a success. Seriously we couldn't have pulled it off it it wasn't for each and every one of you. And to every one who was involved directly or indirectly in the play, many thanks to you!

INVITATION TO TEATER BILIK SULIT
LAST SHOW TONIGHT!
23/12/2008 (TUESDAY)

Space is limited, kindly RSVP.

Contact Info : 012 465 1671/012 384 2972

INVITATION TO TEATER BILIK SULIT

Teater Bilik Sulit is a play that features the untold true accounts of the nature of Police interrogation of the ISA detainees which are based on testimonials of those who used to be detained under the ISA.

Dear All,

In conjunction with the International Human Rights Day, The Bar Council in collaboration with Gerakan Mansuhkan ISA (GMI) would like to extend an invitation to all of you ladies and gentlemen to Teater Bilik Sulit which is going to be held on these dates :

20/12/2008 (Saturday)
21/12/2008(Sunday)
22/12/2008(Monday)
23/12/2008(Tuesday)

Venue : Bar Council Auditorium, Level 1

Time : 830pm

Space is limited, kindly RSVP.

For more info kindly contact 012-4651671 @ fadiahnadwa9@ yahoo.com

Just got back from Indonesia...Great company, great new friends, enlightening and thought provoking discussion on asian philosophical ideals...

And now, I completely lost my voice due to constant coughing...I pray to God that i'd get my voice back before Tuesday as I have to be the emcee for the Human Rights Debate opening ceremony. Please dear God, I need my voice back, indeed it's utterly torturous to abruptly stop talking. :P

selamat hari raya aidiladha to every one. barakallahufikum.

Baby legal eagles to the rescue.

Sunday, 30 November 2008 08:40am

(From left) Fadiah Nadwa Fikri, Valen Khor Xiou Shan and Bar Council Legal Aid Centre chairman Ravi Nekoo.
©New Sunday Times (Used by permission)

• 'They never asked us a single sen'Up to 90 per cent of those charged with crimes in the Kuala Lumpur courts do not have access to legal assistance or representation. While most lawyers might choose to sit in cushy offices and ignore this is happening, Audrey Vijaindren finds out that some young lawyers are trying to correct the situation.
THEY'RE not on a payroll. They don't get a fat bonus. And they don't go on lavish company trips.
A hip bar downtown? Fancy designer clothing stores? These young lawyers could be anywhere they want.But yet, every week they choose to gather at the courthouse and Bar Council Legal Aid Centre (LAC) to help those who can't find their way around Malaysia's legal system.The primary objective in legal aid is to provide all citizens equal opportunities for the enforcement of their fundamental right to equality before the law.

The centre has spent over RM100 million this year doing just that.The centre's baby legal eagle Fadiah Nadwa Fikri and her buddies have been giving up their weekends to give back to society for the past two years."Many people think that it's too time-consuming and not worth the effort. But, that's not true."It only takes a few hours a week to make a difference in someone's life. And if every lawyer gave a little bit of his or her time, we'll be able to reach out to many."Legal awareness campaigns, human rights talks and mobile clinics are what Fadiah is most passionate about.

"We give advice on everything under the sun to anyone who needs it. Many people who come for help are those who can't afford a lawyer and have nowhere else to turn to."Not everyone has the benefit of understanding the law. But that shouldn't be a reason they have to plead guilty for a crime they didn't commit."I hope by sacrificing a part of my weekend, I'll be able to empower people and teach them how to protect themselves."Because lawyers have the privilege of reading the law, she says they shouldn't be stingy about sharing knowledge."Law is a very complex subject and it's difficult for the layman to know what it's about. Lawyers have the ability to understand it and should educate the rest."It's not only a contribution to society but also a nation-building service.

"Valen Khor Xiou Shan, 25, is another baby legal eagle who has put her social life on hold for those lost in court."It's not easy to juggle volunteer work and an office job. Most of us have just joined law firms and are trying to prove ourselves at work. Taking too much time off could make us look bad."My boss is supportive enough to allow me to excuse myself from some meetings to volunteer. But I have many friends who aren't as lucky."Khor started volunteering immediately after completing her compulsory 14 days' legal aid service while chambering."I learnt that many young lawyers stop volunteering the moment they finish chambering."After they finish the 14 days, they just leave and never come back."They should realise that it's not only about giving back to society but also a way of polishing our communication skills."In the end, I find it helps in my work as well."But volunteering, she says, is no joke."You are answerable to your clients. If you're not committed in doing a good job and helping those in need, then you shouldn't give false hopes."If you concentrate more on working than giving back to society, think twice about what you want in life and why you became a lawyer.

"Bar Council Legal Aid Centre chairman Ravi Nekoo says they have helped more than 18,000 clients so far this year alone."You can't depend on volunteers alone if you want legal aid to work. There are many people out there who can't afford legal representation."The government must step in and provide assistance."As the country develops, the legal aid centre is feeling the strain."He says it's fortunate that many young chambering pupils later come back to the centre to volunteer their services because they have the passion to serve and learn."It's hard to know how many there are because they come and go. Most of our volunteers are in their 20s. Access to justice is fundamental. In most countries, legal aid is part of the curriculum."It's sad that it's still not part of the syllabus here."Legal aid, he says, is not only a service to the poor."People think it's only the poor who need help. That's not true. Legal aid serves a larger section of society, like squatter area residents."But most of the cases we are helping with are for criminal defence."

DIFFERENT CLINICS TO SERVE DIFFERENT NEEDSTHE Legal Aid Centre (LAC) reaches out to many by offering various services:

• Legal aid clinic and syariah clinic: These clinics create awareness and educate the public on their rights and duties. Members of the public come to seek advice on legal problems such as criminal cases (client on bail or in remand in prison), family cases, domestic violence cases and syariah cases.

• Dock Brief: This programme provides legal advice, representation and assistance to unrepresented people in the magistrate courts in Jalan Duta, Kuala Lumpur, for only criminal offences. Services are provided to those clients who plead guilty and need assistance in mitigation (reducing the sentence), bail applications and remand hearings.

• Prison Clinic and Juvenile Remand Home: This programme provides legal advice, representation and assistance to remand detainees in prison and homes for the juveniles, including women. It also helps family members to post bail and to inform them of the whereabouts of clients.

• LAC/Awam Legal Information Service: This is a joint programme with the All Women Action Society (Awam), which provides legal advice and assistance on criminal and employment cases. These are mostly on matters relating to women, especially involving family cases and domestic violence cases.

• LAC/Sisters In Islam Clinic: This is a joint programme with Sisters-In-Islam (SIS) and deals mostly with syariah and other matters relating to women.

• LAC/Tenaganita Migrant Workers Clinic: This is a joint programme with Tenaganita’s Migrant Workers Desk, providing advice, representation and assistance to deserving legal migrant workers.

• LAC/UNHCR Clinic: This is a joint programme with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. It provides legal advice and assistance on refugees’ issues to refugees.•

LAC/PTF/MAC Legal Clinic: The Pink Triangle Foundation (PTF) and Malaysian Aids Council (MAC) provide legal assistance and advice to six communities, including people living with AIDS, sexworkers, gay men, lesbians, drug users and transsexuals who have been marginalised by society.* For more information on the Bar Council Legal Aid Centre, visit their new website at http://www.legalaidkl.org/ or call 03-26932072

'They never asked us a single sen'RAIN or shine, the lawyers from the Legal Aid Centre were there to help.
"Even in bad weather, they never let us down," says Sabariah Hashim, who lived in a squatter home in Kampung Semarak, Kuala Lumpur, for over 30 years.Sabariah, 40, and her family received a letter from City Hall asking them to pack up and leave."It was a complete shock to us. No one expects to be told they have to gather their belongings and find a new shelter. It was a stressful and sad time for my entire family. We didn't see it coming."Some families willingly agreed to leave, but the rest wanted to take our cases to court."
More than 300 families in Kampung Semarak, Kampung Padang Tembak and Kampung Loke Yew were asked to leave their homes in September, 2006. Almost half took the matter to court.The legal fees would have amounted to thousands, Sa-bariah says, but thanks to the Bar Council's Legal Aid Centre, it didn't cost a sen."I don't know what we would have done without them. The centre helped us with court matters until the end. The matter reached Federal Court in March last year."They were very helpful, very good and on top of that, they never asked us for a single sen."Most of the squatters could not afford to pay anything more than RM50, which was used for filing documents and photocopying."Because of the frequent trips to Putrajaya, we put money in an envelope to pay for the lawyers' petrol expenses, but they refused the money. That's how selfless and genuine they were."Sabariah says even the staff were polite and kind."There were many instances where we had to call the centre for last minute meetings."Many of the lawyers at the centre are very young and just out of college but they're so professional. We couldn't have got better lawyers even if we had the money."Sabariah today is happily married and living in a rented flat with RM2,000 spending money she obtained from the city council.