A slice of Myanmar in the heart of Kuala Lumpur

Summary: this article is from STAR online newspaper

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A slice of Myanmar in the heart of Kuala Lumpur

By ELAN PERUMAL and STUART MICHAEL

Photos by SAMUEL ONG

A WALK along the five-foot-ways of a main street at Pusat Bandar Utara Selayang in Kuala Lumpur behind Pasar Borong Kuala Lumpur can make one forget that one is actually in Malaysia.

It was an interesting discovery as, during the busy hours of the day when offices and banks are busy operating, the scene at the corridor of Jalan 2/3A is a depiction of Myanmarese community life.

Snack time: One of the Myanmarese restaurants in the area.

The sight of children running around and playing, elderly people chatting and women shopping for vegetables and daily sundry items is common there.

The presence of numerous female peddlers selling various petty items like betel leaves and nuts, snacks almost synonymous to the Myanmarese is too obvious to be missed.

Intense preparation: A trader preparing betel leaves for a customer.

A tip-off resulted in the interesting discovery of the place which can be called Little Myanmar in the midst of Kuala Lumpur.

At the colony, one can find people selling all kinds of items including clothing, imitation jewellery, fruits, vegetables and sundry items.

The businesses on the street, including its back alley which separates the three-storey building and the Kuala Lumpur Wholesale market, have been conquered by the enterprising Myanmarese community in order to serve the daily needs of thousands of people who reside in the blocks of shophouses.

“Seven Myanmar restaurants that fully employ or are operated by foreigners can be found here.

“Almost all the retail and service orientated businesses like textile shops, tailoring outlets, internet cafes, snooker centres and even a hotel in the street are also serving this population.” said a local businessman who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

In fact, he claimed they even had the services of an unofficial bank through which money is channelled back to Myanmar.

Another man who wished to be unidentified told StarMetro that the Myanmar population in the area was too big and they practically lived in their own world.

“They feel very at home here since they have businesses that support their daily needs,” he said.

While their men worked in the market and other places in the area, he said the womenfolk were involved in various kinds of petty businesses.

On display: A Myanmarese trader arranging fruits at a stall on the five-footway.

He said the Myanmar nationals have created such an impact that their businesses were being conducted round the clock.

“The backlane comes alive at night with stalls selling snacks, drinks, phone cards and various other items until 7am,” he said

In recent years, the man said the Myanmar community had taken over many of the food businesses and he felt the situation was threatening.

He said their presence was too strong and many locals had been forced out of business.

“We wonder if foreigners are allowed to operate retail businesses, and also on how many of them have legal travel documents or permits to work here.

“Local businessmen are also worried over the rising crime rate in the area and we hope the authorities will step in before it is too late,” he said.

When contacted, Sentul OCPD Asst Comm K. Kumaran confirmed that Police have detained several drug peddlers in recent raids on the Myanmarese.

He said they have also recovered weapons like swords and knives from them on several other incidents related to violent crime such as assaults and murder.

“We have been monitoring the area very closely and welcome information from the public if they know of any illegal activity taking place there,'' he said.