PETALING JAYA, July 3 — The deterioration of the once bustling Asian Heritage Row in Jalan Doraisamy began three years ago with the shooting incident at Madurai club that saw two bouncers killed and four more injured by a gunman.
The present club owners are still reeling from the incident that caused party-goers to stop patronising the city’s once popular entertainment area as they no longer feel safe to party.
The Main Room, Echo and Aashiqui clubs are the only late-night entertainment spots now. Echo co-owns Ashiqui.
The clubs said the cold-blooded double-murder changed the mood at the Heritage Row overnight.
“The incident affected the party scene as patrons were afraid of retaliatory attacks by gangs looking to stamp their mark,” a club representative said.
“The party mood also dimmed with police constantly patrolling the area, creating unease among visitors.”
Former regulars at Heritage Row told Malay Mail another menace were the parking touts whose intimidating presence was scaring away visitors.
“They are gangsters and always bullying foreigners who come here and party,” one of them said.
“Ask the previous club owners and they will tell you of incidents where these gangsters barged into clubs and assaulted foreigners.”
Another former regular said this had been brought to the notice of the authorities “but no proper enforcement was ever conducted”.
“These gangsters even fight among themselves for territorial parking spots,” he said.
They said some clubs had even hired security personnel to accompany patrons to their vehicles so they would feel safe visiting again.
Main Room, Echo and Aashiqui are the only clubs unaffected by redevelopment in the area as the building they are in is owned by another developer.
They are situated in a row beside the KSK building and have permission to operate until 3am.
Their contracts run for another three years but other dance clubs and bars previously located along Jalan Doraisamy, such as The Loft, Vr 1, and Planx, shut down six months ago on New Year’s eve.
The famous “mamak” restaurant Buharry, where party-goers used to congregate for supper after a night out at the clubs, has also been told to relocate.
The Madurai club shooting that triggered the “demise” of Heritage Row happened on August 26, 2012, when two bouncers assaulted two of the gunman’s friends who allegedly tried to barge into the club after operating hours.
The shooter became enraged when his friends who had gone before him were refused entry at 4.30am and demanded to be let inside even after they were told the club was closed.
In the fight that ensued, the bouncers assaulted two of the six men before gunshots rang out.
Mohd Akmal Gemain and Mohd Nor Firdaus Rashid, both 21, sustained bullet wounds — one in the head and the other in the chest, outside the club.
Madurai had often been operating until 5.30am.
Police did not discount the possibility of a turf war involving rival gangs.
