After KL grenade blast, Singaporean tourists to steer clear of Bukit Bintang

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 10 — Singaporean regulars to the Bukit Bintang shopping and tourist haven are steering clear of the area following a grenade explosion yesterday that injured 13 people and killed one, the Straits Times reported today.

According to the Singaporean daily, the island republic’s citizens frequent Jalan Bukit Bintang - the scene of the bomb blast which injured a Singaporean - for a range of activities including cheap massages, entertainment clubs and cafes.

Pan Shi Hua, 26, said her hotel of choice during her frequent shopping trips to Kuala Lumpur is located in Jalan Bukit Bintang, adding that she had felt the area was “safe” due to her familiarity with it.

“I’ll probably avoid the area for a while until the police have investigated and found the cause of it,” the marketing executive from Singapore was quoted saying.

Another Singaporean, Michelle Niam, 25, said she believed the chances of a grenade explosion happening again is not “high”, but told ST that she will not go into Kuala Lumpur and will visit Putrajaya instead.

Helmindra J.A. Halim, 32, said he will still visit Kuala Lumpur every month, but will avoid Jalan Bukit Bintang where he usually gets massage services and will stick to the city outskirts instead.

The Singaporean also said the Bukit Bintang shopping district can be “quite dodgy at night”, saying that friends have been the victims of snatch theft or had their car windows broken by local motorcycle gangs.

“Wherever you go, you just have to take care of yourself,” he was quoted saying.

In the pre-dawn explosion yesterday, a grenade went off outside the Sun Complex in Bukit Bintang, injuring 14, including 36-year-old Malaysian car jockey Tiong Kwang Yie who later died in the hospital.

Police have ruled out terrorism as a motive, saying that the deadly blast was likely motivated by business rivalry among underworld figures.

A Thai and two Chinese nationals were among four foreigners injured in the explosion, which is being probed under Section 302 of the Penal Code and Section 4 of the Firearms (Increased Penalties) Act.