KUALA LUMPUR, Feb. 24 -- Debates over land ownership and eviction rights have intensified recently as disputes arise between long-standing occupants, registered landowners and authorities.

The Kampung Jalan Papan conflict in Klang - where decades of occupation ended in demolition orders and public protests - reflects these tensions.

Similar governance challenges have played out in disputes involving temple compounds across the Klang Valley, where legal ownership and social expectations have diverged.

These cases reveal a structural tension in Malaysia's land system - communities may exist for decades, seek regularisation or renewal, yet not legally own the land.

In Malaysia, land ownership and occupation are governed primarily by the ...