Judah (right) and a fellow trader Sumah at the market.
MIRI: The frequent presence of enforcement officers at the Lutong Open Air Market has brought a sigh of relief to the licensed traders there.
Enforcers from the Miri City Council have managed to drive away illegal traders who used to ‘squat and squeeze’ at the site to trade their goods, and have now fled the place to evade the enforcement dragnet.
“It’s a great relief and we are very thankful to the council in general for their frequent checks on the ground.
“Now our business is back to normal without having to compete with illegal traders,” Judah Menor admitted when met by The Borneo Post at her stall recently.
Another fellow trader, Sumah Baling, also thanked the council for lending an ear to their plight.
In the past, there were many traders from the rural areas trading their jungle produce illegally at the five-foot-walk at the market.
Every morning, they would flock to the market to hawk their goods, resulting in licensed traders claiming that they lost business to these ‘intruders’.
On another note, Judah thanked the relevant authorities for providing the necessary facilities at the market such as blinds and for solving the drainage problem.
“The place is cool now thanks to the blinds as they help to shade us from the sun,” Judah said.