Two Burmese shot, Malaysian killed in KL fight

KUALA LUMPUR, 15 January 2016 — A fight in the outskirts of Malaysia’s capital left two Burmese nationals, including a two-year-old baby, injured and one Malaysian dead.

It is believed that a long-running feud between migrant workers from Burma and local thugs had led to the gang fight at a Selayang wholesale market on Wednesday night.

The same market was in tension in 2013 when several clashes between Buddhists and Muslims from Burma were reported. The clashes were often thought to have correlated with ethnic conflicts in Arakan State, Burma.

The latest incident at the Selayang wholesale market on Wednesday started when a group of five Malaysian Indians fired at least five shots towards a group of Burmese nationals.

Five criminals immediately ran away using two cars after they injured the two-year-old infant and a 34-year-old male.

The baby boy suffered injury in his thigh while the male adult was shot in his stomach. Both of them were sent to hospital for treatment, and they were in stable condition.

Police detained a Malaysian Indian, who has a criminal record, an hour after the shooting.

Fighting continued hours later when a group of angry Burmese nationals armed with woods and machetes scrounged the market looking for Malaysian Indians, who had shot and injured their compatriots.

Two cars were damaged as Burmese workers sought revenge for the attack on their friends.

A 34-year-old Malaysian Indian, who also has a past criminal record, was later found dead with five wounds in his body.

Father of the victim believed that his son was killed after he was wrongfully identified as the person who opened fire. – Reporting by Thomas Chong