“I lost it all after my divorce. I came to Kuala Lumpur to look for a job and I’ve been here ever since,” he said as he tucked into a hot meal given to him by the Robin Hood Army Kuala Lumpur, a volunteer organisation that feeds the city’s homeless and poor.

Paul is originally from Ipoh. He is now more than 60 years old and he spends his nights on KL’s cold hard streets with other homeless people.

“It’s hard for people like us, especially those who are older, to find a job,” he said. “The only people who’ll hire us are small-time businessmen and many have closed shop in the past year or so. Furthermore, most businesses prefer to hire foreigners now because it is cheaper to do so.”

Paul, who speaks fluent English and also several Chinese dialects, said he was constantly looking for a job and was willing do any work he could get.

He said he was glad that generous Malaysians had come forward to feed the homeless.

He spoke of a number of groups that would feed KL’s poor on a weekly basis, saying this meant they would enjoy free meals about six times a week.

He also said he was grateful that some of the homeless people were nice and treated others like their own family.

“Sometimes, when they get odd jobs or get a bit of money, they will buy food to share with the rest of us. When I get an odd job and earn money, I do the same.”

He said the authorities seldom disturbed the homeless and added that this was the way it should be.

“We are not looking to disturb anyone,” he said. “We are just looking for shelter.”

Last year, Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng said a Kuala Lumpur City Hall survey found that there were some 1,500 to 2,000 homeless people in the city in 2015.