The villages were internment camps for the Chinese during Malaysia's struggle with a communist insurgency.
KUALA LUMPUR – At first glance, Sungai Way looks like any other suburb in Malaysia’s Klang Valley, with a thriving wet market, a police station, a school and rows of shophouses along its main road.
Local Government Development Minister Nga Kor Ming announced on Feb 1 that preparations were in the works to seek Unesco recognition for the “cultural and historical significance” of the villages. The Unesco status would help promote Malaysian Chinese history and culture through tourism, he said. He added: “It is more appropriate to designate Kampung Baru Kuala Lumpur as a Unesco World Heritage site, because its historical value makes the country more in line with the policy and identity of Malaysia.”
Mr Nga countered the claims the same day, saying the proposal for the new villages was “not a zero-sum game” and that others were welcome to nominate Malay villages or other places as Unesco heritage sites. The new Sungai Way market. The original market was built in 1948 and upgraded in the 1970s. ST PHOTO: AZRIL ANNUAR
From the 1950s, thousands of rural villagers, in particular ethnic Chinese, had been forcibly moved into “new villages” surrounded by barbed wire and sentry towers, to isolate them from the influence of communist guerillas who were staked out in surrounding jungles. “Those interred in these camps faced hardship. They lost their freedom. Many rich Chinese in the rural areas also lost their fortunes as they had to leave everything behind in the blink of an eye,” he added.
Ms Yuri Tan with her late grandfather’s identification documents and permits to work outside the enclosed Sungai Way settlement. ST PHOTO: AZRIL ANNUAR
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