Early this week an excavator was seen in the middle of the night tearing down part of the 394 meter-long perimeter wall of the infamous Pudu Jail. For more than 100 years, this jail was the premier correctional facility for Malaysian found guilty of capital offences. Some were kept there for life, some were beaten to death and some just did their sabbatical there.
For most of us who grew up in Kuala Lumpur, Pudu Jail was a grim reminder of a place where people should avoid as far as possible. But passing through the jail daily is all right if you are a law abiding person and of good behavior.
Because it is in the heart of Kuala Lumpur, the government has decided to demolish it as it has "no heritage value" and not worthy of preservation. What a sad decision for all of us in the tourism industry. Just like the fate of The Bok Mansion in Jalan Ampang, Pudu Jail will be developed by UDA over the next ten years.
The 115 year old Pudu Prison sits on a prime land in the city centre and is therefore not a heritage site. It was the same for the Selangor Turf Club, now the KLCC, Bukit Bintang Girls School, now the Pavilion, and soon it will be the Sungei Besi TUDM Airport.
So for those of you who are planning a half day tour of Pudu Jail you can forget the idea and take your group elsewhere. In San Francisco a day trip to the Alcatraz is something you should not miss. But there is nothing like it here in Malaysia.
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