Part 2/5 of a R.AGE documentary series on the May 13 riots and the lessons Malaysians should learn from it.
Leong Lai Wan, Kampung Baru
As the May 13 riots raged on, Leong Lai Wan thought she and her family would perish.
Her father had gone missing, her mother was in shock, and there was a crowd of people in red headbands hacking at her family’s laundry shop, where they were hiding.
“The situation looked so serious,” said Leong of that horrific night.
“We were all worried - we thought we were going to die.”
After two days of fear, the family managed to get in touch with a customer, a policeman, was able to safely get them out of the shop and to Chin Woo stadium, where hundreds of other families were also seeking refuge.
May 13: 50 years later | Leong Lai Wan, Kampung Baru
“I was so frazzled, I brought a pot of salt for cooking in the stadium!” said Leong with a brief smile, recalling a rare moment of levity in those tension-fraught days.
At that point, her father was still missing - the family struggled on as best they could in the makeshift refugee centre, but constantly feared the worst.
Leong considers herself and her family incredibly lucky to have emerged from the chaos relatively unscathed. Her father returned after a week - and though their shop was looted in their absence, the family remained safe.
But the mental scars remain.
“During the last general election, I was worried history would repeat itself,” she said.
“Some people don’t want us to share the story of May 13, but we should learn from our past.
“We are a multi-racial country. We should learn to respect each other and live in peace - let’s stop stirring up racial sentiments.”
May 13: 50 years later | Hassan Abdul Muthalib, Kampung Baru
Parts 3-5 of the May 13: 50 Years Later serial documentary will launch throughout the week. For more info, log on to rage.my/May13.
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