KUANTAN: Traders at the Gambang rest and recreational (R&R) area today said businesses have suffered following the spread of a video showing a fight between a stall worker and an express bus driver recently.
One of them, Niliyana Abdul Rahim, 43. said motorists have been avoiding the R&R since the Dec 24 incident.
“Before the incident, food stall operators here can earn about RM1,000 a day but these days it is difficult to even take home RM500.“
“Supposedly, during school holidays and weekends, road users will stop by to have something to eat but now, because of the video, we (traders) have become the unintended victims in the viral incident."
Niliyana said both the east-bound (where the fight occured) and west bound R&R were badly affected by the so-called boycott.
She said since opening her food stall 13 years ago, this was the first time she saw less express buses stopping at the R&R.
“Bus and lorry drivers are our regular customers. They will always stop here but now, we hardly see them eating here anymore.
"We hope the public will not boycott the food stalls because the case is still under police investigation,” she said.
Another stall owner Amirul Alias, 23, said since his stall shared the same number as the east-bound outlet where the fight occurred, people have been assuming that he and his family were involved in the incident.
“The fight occurred at the opposite R&R but people thought it happened here. I am seeing less customers because of this even during the school holidays and weekends.” he said.
In the 1.30am incident, a fight broke out between a group of men, believed to be stall workers and an express bus driver. A video of the incident has gone viral since then.
Police have arrested seven individuals including the express bus driver to facilitate investigations under Section 147 of the Penal Code for rioting.