ABHA — A security source in Khamis Mushayt in the southwestern Asir Region said scuffles broke out yesterday between officials and squatters who encroached on public property. No serious injuries were reported during the clash.
According to eyewitnesses, six government officials came to evict the tenants of a house that had been illegally constructed on government land.
An elderly tenant and his children resisted the eviction with sticks and stones. Two young men of unreported age were arrested and the father was taken to a hospital to be treated for a sudden increase in blood pressure brought on by the stress of the conflict.
Abdul Aziz Mushayt, the chief administrator for the local municipality, said the incident yesterday was not isolated and that officials consistently work to enforce building regulations as per government orders.
The teams that work to evict squatters and condemn illegally constructed (and possibly unsafe) buildings comprise local police, municipal officials and representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture.
“Citizens take these lands and consider them their own, especially for (rural) lands located not far from cities,” said Mushayt.
The number of police officials accompanying the committee members varies according to the location of the land and the estimated number of squatters involved. Mushayt added that the committee doesn’t move on evictions until the municipality sends them orders listing specific properties.
Mushayt said that the royal order empowering local authorities to move against illegally constructed buildings prohibits evicting families from these properties.
However, the chief administrator for the municipality said some Saudis take advantage of this decree to rent such properties to illegal residents. It is not clear if the clash yesterday involved illegal residents or not.
