Geelong Gent

Unfortunately yes it is. My sister inlaw recently got mugged in the middle of the day in busy Bangsar shopping centre. Knife to throat, attacker came from behind on a motorscooter.

Amongest her friends some have had their hands chopped off as gangsters follow them to their compounds and use rough violence to get their means.

The more the recession bites the more these occurences will occur.

Having said that we spend alot of time there - but choose at the moment to keep the young daughters at home in Australia (they would be targets for ransom due to their mixed looks).

katongkaren

That's really awful. I think you are right - as the recession bites there will be more of this, but I think it will be everywhere, not just KL.

TheDreamer

Thank you Davess, it's just I will have to overcome the fear of ending being lonely there as I am single and in my early 50's! For that reason I really love to be in really crowded cities! Is Kuala lumpur like that at all?

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ice mocha

no crime!?? are you kidding me?!??! safest city?? i dont think so!!

however i have to agree with the very affordable food and absolutely delicious to say the least!!

TheDreamer

Can you explain how unsafe it is in KL? Is it right as someone mentioned people's hands have been chopped off by gang members? Where does a thing like this normally occur? Can it happen anywhere? The thought of it is really chilling.

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Kooky.

When I went I was warned (by somebody originally from KL) to be careful where I walked after dark, not to walk with my bag on the road side of the pavement, and not to wear my bag diagonally over my body as, if anybody on a motorbike snatched it, they would drag me down the road with them.

Another friend who lives there has a driver, as much for safety as convenience (and she's KL born and bred too).

You just have to be sensible without letting it spoil your life, but the people saying it's a safe place are doing you no favours whatsoever. It's rubbish.

TheDreamer

I really love walking on the main roads where there are big crowds and lots of shops - funny enough I can only relax where there are lots of other people about and there are car sounds etc. So would there be any dangers walking on the roads on my own for long periods of time?

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Kooky.

I haven't lived there so will have to leave it to others to advise you, but I do know that we got lost one night looking for a certain restaurant, ended up in a very dark area, and felt a little bit apprehensive.

Where are you from? How would you behave in London, for example? Inner city Leeds? The latter is my old home and I wouldn't go to some areas in daylight, nevermind after dark but you just have to know where those areas are.

Do you mind me asking why you want to move to KL? I'd move there but only if it was a great opportunity, i.e., with my husband's job. Wouldn't want to retire there - not to KL itself and I'm not sure about the rest of Msia either. In some ways it is becoming more and more extreme and as a woman that's not attractive to me.

I know what you mean about liking the city buzz - we were in Singapore for 6 years until ten months ago. Now we're in Sydney and not far from the city (just over the harbour bridge) but we can escape the buzz sometimes too, which is nice.

ice mocha

i don't and never lived in KL, but my family does. and it is very unsafe. you have to watch your bags, even more than if you're in London (as an example)

i would say crimes such as bag snatching, etc are probably higher there than in England

re hands chopped off, i cannot comment, not read, not heard, not sure how true

oh, also... when i was in my cousin's car, few years back, first thing he did before even driving off was locking all the doors! as you get people attacking you at traffic lights.. by opening your door and demanding for all sorts.. i was quite shocked back then!!

just a little something to think about...

all i can say is, as long as you're aware of your surrounding, and be vigilant, you should be fine

have fun it IS a beautiful country!!! and YUMMYLICIOUS foodddddd!!!

TheDreamer

It seems I will have to give Malaysia a miss as I thrive on going for long walks and by the sounds of it that's not going to be a wise thing to do because of the lack of safety there

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katongkaren

Going for long walks in the Tropics is not a lot of fun, believe you me (crime or no crime). We started doing this when we first moved to Singapore and it was a complete change of clothing after every walk. You soon get fed up with that.

TheDreamer

Is it not even after the sunset?

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Kooky.

It often doesn't get much cooler after sunset, Dreamer - in fact it can feel more humid and muggy, and that's what wears you down.

ice mocha

walks!?!? shall i just say... walking is the last thing on any Malaysian's list!!! we don't walk anywhere.... we get in the car, air-cond full blast, get to destination, park, get out of car straight into another air-conditioned room!

its too hot & humid a place to walk anywhere!! trust me!!

the only place i actually remember taking "voluntary" walks... is by the beach, at beach resorts

runlikethe

I would suggest you visit Malaysia and all the other places you are considering a move to before making your decision. I am extremely sceptical of some of the views espoused here by those who have never ever lived in Malaysia but feel they have the authority to speak about the place, especially those who live/used to live in Singapore. This is for two reasons:

1) Singapore is probably the safest place to live on this planet. That skews ones perception of safety elsewhere, making him less street-smart when in a different environment. Even pizzas getting stolen from a delivery bike makes the evening news in Singapore, so that ought to give you some idea of the level of safety there. Furthermore Singapore expats think JB (the Malaysian border town right across the causeway, which is a bit of a dive, although a massive regeneration project is underway in Iskandar) is Malaysia and Malaysia is JB, and are consequently put off the whole country.

2) Due to the shared history and the sometimes prickly diplomatic ties between them, the Singaporean media is famously anti-Malaysian, and to be fair the reverse could probably be said for the Malaysian media. As much as the expats like to think they are completely immune to the propaganda, you will find many of them parrotting the cliches one would expect from a brainwashed local. As such, you should take their views with a shovelful of salt.

I have never felt any more unsafe in Malaysia than in the UK or the rest of Europe. I would not go as far as saying its the safest country in the world. Yes there has been a spate of bag-snatching cases, and their share of crime which also exist in almost any other country, but it is important to maintain a sense of proportion and realise that the country is otherwise a largely safe, stable and civilised place.

I have never heard of anyone getting their hands chopped off by gangsters. As usual, these stories you hear happen to someone who knows someone who knows someone. It's up to you to believe it or not.

http://www.weforum.org/en/initiative...ghts/index.htm
Curiously Malaysia ranks quite a way ahead of the more popular Thailand?

Naturally Malaysia may not appeal to everyone, and indeed I know many expats who prefer Thailand to Malaysia, but never have I heard them cite safety and security as a factor for moving. In fact many of them bemoan the fact that Malaysia less exciting because it is more orderly and civilised and lack the "sanuuk" spirit of the Land of Smiles.