Headline : Foreigners crowd KL shopping centres

NST-News
Date : 11/02/2005
Page : 11
Byline :By Nurjehan Mohamed; R. S. Kamini; Devinder Singh

KUALA LUMPUR, Thurs. - If you expected a nice quiet outing in the city at the start of a long festive holiday when people are supposed to be back in their home towns and kampungs, you would have been disappointed.
Shopping centres and areas such as Kota Raya, Central Market, Suria KLCC and Midvalley Megamall are no longer what they used to be during these holidays.
Take the first day of Chinese New Year yesterday. While thousands left the city for their home towns, there were thousands others celebrating at the many shopping centres.
At Jalan Silang, a crowd had gathered as early as 8am. By noon, there were thousands, mainly foreigners: Indonesians with some Nepalis and Bangladeshis. They even caused road congestion, blocking buses and taxis.
Rath Mandal, 45, from Nepal said Jalan Silang is a meeting point for many foreign workers.
"My Nepali friends use the long holiday to come here from all parts of Malaysia," said Mandal, a construction worker in Puchong.
"We do not plan to do anthing other than talk over drinks at the roadside stalls."
Indonesian contract worker Warikin, 31, who uses only one name, said the availability of public transport in the vicinity makes the area an ideal location for a get-together.
"I came from Johor today just to catch up with some friends.
"And I plan to go back later this evening," said Warikin, who has been working in Malaysia for two years.
The huge crowd included local students like Universiti Teknologi Mara student Raja Nurul Nadiah Raja Mohd Noordin, 23, who was catching a bus to Putrajaya.
Hawkers were doing a roaring business, with one drinks vendor saying sales in the morning more than triple that of a normal work day.
"Although there's a big crowd on weekends, I have not seen this many people here before," remarked the vendor.
Mydin Wholesale Supermarket, which is located at Jalan Silang, however, saw mostly locals doing their shopping.
Its manager, S.Rajendran, said some customers found it difficult to get to the entrance as the sidewalks were occupied by foreigners mingling around. He said that, expectedly, with such a huge crowd, there were two reported snatch thefts during the rush to get in when the doors were opened.
Mydin stationed security personnel at the entrance and inside the store to control the crowd while also constantly reminding the public to guard their belongings through the public address system, said Rajendran.
For Singaporean Lim Thiam Hooi, 41, it was a fitting occasion to take his family to Suria KLCC.
Lim, who arrived from Singapore on Tuesday night for a reunion dinner, was at the Kinokuniya Book store with his daughters Vernice, eight, and Vikki, five.
Eddy Lim, a worker with Tomei Jewellery Store, said they would normally be open for business on Chinese New Year because there were always customers.
Even National Service trainees were given leave from training to enjoy the holidays. A group of 170 trainees from the Benum camp in Pahang made a trip in their uniforms to a popular shopping mall.
Others were undeterred by the hot weather and went to the parks with family or friends.
But one area was different. The usually congested Jalan Bukit Bintang saw few cars and pedestrians, making it a breeze for motorists.

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