Foreign competition puts pressure on local traders
Compiled by ZULKIFLI ABD RAHMAN, C.ARUNO and R. ARAVINTHAN
KOSMO! reported on the rising number of foreigners running businesses in Kuala Lumpur, squeezing out local traders that many of them had to close shop.
There are even foreign men who married Malaysian women so that they can run their shops using the licenses obtained by their Malaysian wives.
A check by the daily found that the foreign-owned businesses are located at Medan Imbi, Bukit Bintang and Pantai Dalam, while another hotspot is at Pusat Hentian Kajang.
A local trader who only wanted to be known as Kamal, 40, said his father's restaurant business was doing well for several years until foreigners started their trade nearby.
'My father's regular customers don't want to come and eat because the area is now full of foreigners.
'Many premises in the area including sundry shops and restaurants are run by foreigners.
'They also don't buy supplies from Malaysian traders but at shops manned by their own countrymen.
'As such, many shops owned by Malaysians are now closed,' he added.
Another trader Nadia Adnan, 38, said the flats at Medan Imbi are filled with foreigners, many of whom she claimed are illegal immigrants.
She said the area has become more dirty and unkempt since these foreigners moved in.
'The place is full of uncollected rubbish and smells bad.
'At night, they get drunk and get into fights. Although they don't bother the locals, the situation scares away customers.
> Actress Daiyan Trisha says she doesn't have a man in her life for now.
She added she has nothing to share about her future husband.
'I don't have a partner now. Maybe people are afraid to approach me, I'm not looking for anyone now. But when it comes, I accept it,' she told Harian Metro.
She said she is also busy with her song Jom Raya and she has an acting stint in May.
'That's why I don't have time to think about a boyfriend.'
She revealed that she has a close friend but that the relationship didn't work out.
(The above articles are compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with a >, it denotes a separate news item.)
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