The memo, which went viral over social media, was issued on Friday by mayor Nor Hisham Ahmad Dahlan, who said foreigners would only be allowed into the market if they had a valid permit and accompanied by a Malaysian.
He said refugees holding United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) cards were also not allowed to enter.
In a statement today, DBKL said foreigners without proper documentation were not allowed to work in wholesale markets as per the city’s by-laws.
“Only workers with valid permits and who are registered with suppliers are allowed to enter the market accompanied by their Malaysian employers,” it said.
“DBKL feels there is no need for foreigners to enter the market as the shopping here is on a wholesale basis and not retail. If they want to buy their daily needs, they can obtain them at other markets such as the Selayang daily market which is located nearby.”
DBKL said UNHCR card holders were also not allowed to buy in bulk for fear they would later resell the items illegally, adding that these card holders were not allowed to operate businesses in the country.
It said the notice was a guide for those working at the wholesale market to control and monitor movements in and out of it.
The Kuala Lumpur wholesale market was one of the locations identified as a Covid-19 cluster during the movement control order (MCO) and it was closed several times to be sanitised.
DBKL said the restrictions on foreigners entering the wholesale market was also to change the public’s perception that it was “still controlled by them”, adding that it had previously issued two press releases on May 6 and May 12 to inform that there were no longer any foreign workers in the sector.
“This can not only restore the surroundings at the Kuala Lumpur wholesale market but also give it a new and clean image,” it said in the statement.
“The surroundings at the Kuala Lumpur wholesale market are now well organised and safe.”
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