A sundry shop catering to foreigners is pictured at the Taman Wilayah flats near the red zone area of Pasar Borong Kuala Lumpur April 21, 2020. — Picture by Hari Anggara

KUALA LUMPUR, April 23 — Residents in parts of Selayang living under heavy restrictions due to Covid-19 are pleading for the government to allow sundry shops to open within the enhanced movement control order (EMCO) zone.

A Myanmar national said this would ease the minds of residents who were starting to fear possible starvation due to difficulty in obtaining food.

He said residents were not demanding to be provided with free food, but were only asking that stores selling essential goods be allowed to open so they could stock up or resupply.

“There are sundry shops in Pusat Bandar Utara; the authorities can at least allow the sundry shops to open so that people who live there can buy groceries.

“The owner of the sundry shops are also on lockdown in the area, so I think they can work out something for those who live in the area,” the Myanmar national told Malay Mail when contacted.

Describing the situation within Pusat Bandar Utama that is currently surrounded by barbed wires as tense, he said residents were anxious and worried they might not be able to obtain food, which could lead some to try escaping the lockdown area.

“If you understand the feeling of starving without food you will understand that anything can happen.

“The atmosphere inside there is very intense at the moment, it can even lead to fights and killing if people become desperate — just to secure food supplies.

“This situation is not the same as Majid India’s lockdown where they are surrounded by resources and food is sent to them,” the Myanmar national who wanted to remain anonymous said.

He also suggested that authorities at least arrange to send some supplies so people “trapped” there could purchase essential items, especially for those who live in the Taman Sri Murni flats.

“We are not asking for free food, we understand that it’s too much for the Malaysian government to bear the cost of feeding so many people who are under lockdown at the moment.

“Right now they have money but they can’t buy food to sustain until the end of the EMCO,” the Myanmar national said.

It was reported that in other EMCO areas, authorities had provided food for those affected by the lockdown as they are not allowed to leave their homes while no business activities are allowed.

However, for some EMCO areas such as Masjid India, an exception was made for essential services such as restaurants to remain open and cater to foreign workers who live in nearby buildings such as Menara City One, Selangor Mansion and Malayan Mansion.

Police personnel man a roadblock restricting access to Pasar Borong Kuala Lumpur and Kampung Selayang on April 21, 2020. — Picture by Hari Anggara

“My friends who are staying in Taman Sri Murni, even their lifts and stairways have been locked to prevent them from coming out.

“I tried to send them food too, but they will not allow them to come down to get the food from me.

“For them they have no sundry shops in their compound,” the Myanmar national said.

According to another Myanmar national at the Taman Sri Murni flats, they only have enough rice for two more days.

The resident also pleaded with the government to at least allow them to order groceries from sundry shops in the vicinity.

“I have eight people in my family, I don’t know how long we can last like this.

“Tonight we will start preparing for the Ramadan month. I can’t imagine what we are going to do for sahur until the end of the EMCO period,” said the Myanmar national who requested anonymity.

The Myanmar national also said that they are living on the 12th floor of the flat and have no idea what was happening outside.

“We can’t see what is happening outside, we are not allowed to go out.

“They should at least inform us what they are planning to do and how we can resolve this food issue,” the person said

A local resident of Taman Sri Murni flats also expressed similar concerns about the lack of food.

A Vietnamese worker at the Selayang wholesale market for the last 17 years, he said the sudden lockdown caught residents off guard and left them no time to stock up on groceries.

“It is the third day already, and we still have not received any food aid. If they told us earlier we could have at least stocked up on supplies.

“In my unit, we are still alright as there are only three of us and we have some rice and vegetable stock.

“My neighbour, they are only dependent on instant noodles. They are a big family and I don’t think they can last any longer,” said the Vietnamese national who also requested anonymity.

The Vietnamese national said it would make more sense if they are allowed to order groceries rather than waiting for food to be distributed to them.

Armed Forces personnel patrol the locked down area of the Selayang wholesale market in Kuala Lumpur April, 21 April 2020. — Picture by Hari Anggara

“We are talking about thousands living in Taman Sri Murni flats. Not one thousand, but about 4,000 to 5,000 residents.

“On one floor there are 12 units. A rough calculation would give you that number.

“I can see a lorry parked downstairs, but I’m not sure whether that is food for us. No one has called us to go down yet,” said the Vietnamese national.

Earlier, Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said food was being sent by non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to Selayang areas that are currently on lockdown.

The minister had also on Monday announced eight parcels in Selayang will be under the EMCO are as follows: Parcel A (Jalan 6/3A, Pusat Bandar Utara), Parcel B (Jalan 6/3A and 9/3A, Pusat Bandar Utara), Parcel C (Jalan 2/3A, Pusat Bandar Utara), Parcel D (Jalan 2/3A, Pusat Bandar Utara), Parcel E1 (Taman Sri Murni Fasa 2, Jalan 1/2D), Parcel E2 (Taman Sri Murni Fasa 1, Jalan 1/2D), Parcel E3 (Taman Sri Murni Fasa 3, Jalan 1/2B) and Parcel F (Taman Batu View and Taman Batu Hampar).

Apart from the eight parcels, both the Selayang wholesale market and the Pasar Borong Harian Selayang are currently shut to allow for active Covid-19 case detections.

The government had previously imposed five EMCOs, with the first in Simpang Renggam in Johor, the second in Sungai Lui in Selangor, and the rest in Kuala Lumpur.

Four of the EMCOs were extended to April 28, while the EMCO was lifted for all seven affected villages in Sungai Lui except for a tahfiz school and a house which will be on an extended EMCO until April 28.

The EMCOs, which involve the closure of all entry and exit points to an area, have so far resulted in more Covid-19 cases being detected in the affected locations.



