Bukit Bintang Kunafa Store “Staff” Takes To TikTok After Closure

August 25, 2023

Bukit Bintang Kunafa Store “Staff” Takes To TikTok After Closure

A popular Arabic store selling sweet treats such as kunafa (or knafeh) near Lot 10 in Bukit Bintang was recently raided by the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) on 19 August 2023.

The store was famous for getting customers to dance for free kunafa and it went viral on social media platforms such as TikTok.

Dah kena sita…. pic.twitter.com/jRKuLsxAe2

— MYNEWSHUB (@mynewshub) August 20, 2023

According to DBKL, the store was shut down because it allegedly operated without a proper license. It’s also alleged that the store owner is an Arab man and not a local Malaysian.

DBKL claimed the store only possessed a temporary licence (for outdoor promotion) and issued a compound notice to the store under the Licensing of Hawkers and Stalls (Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur) By-Law 2016.

The store faces immediate closure under Section 101(1)(V) of the Local Government Act 1976.

Alleged staff shared his side of the story on TikTok

A man known as Sam (@sam_sj3) on TikTok claimed he wasn’t the owner of the popular store and that he was only a staff.

In the now deleted video, Sam was addressing an individual identified as Sophian Mohd Zainn.

Prior to the raid, Sophian had uploaded several videos on his TikTok account of the kunafa store, in which he talked about “foreigners doing business in Bukit Bintang”.

Sophian visited the stall on 17 August and remarked that it was easy for foreigners to earn a living here without any action by the authorities.

“Even if they have license, it belongs to a local and it is all being handled by foreigners, this is what we call Ali Baba licence,” Sophian had said.

@sophianmohdzain7

Warga Asing bebas meniaga tanpa sebarang tekanan dan ketakutan sekitar area Bkt Bintang KL #PertahankanHakRakyat #PrihatinRakyat #TeamTerjahSurplus #LawanPATI #fyp #HakTetapHak #TerimaKasih

♬ original sound – Sophian Mohd Zainn – Sophian Mohd Zain

In another video, he highlighted the raid by DBKL afterwhich the stall was ordered to close.

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Sam, in his video, said he came to Malaysia for peace and no one complained about the store until recently. He asked why there is an issue now.

He also allegedly told the person who confronted him to stop recording him, whether it was a video or live video.

Sam claimed he came to Malaysia for work to provide for his family and it was not wrong to do so.

While Sam’s original video had been deleted, it is available on Sophian’s feed.

@sophianmohdzain7

Syria ni tak ngaku arab !!! cakap penipu dan baca ayat quran pun salah … Pelarian besar kepala dan berkahwin pula dgn warganegara … MCM mn lagi ni , ni brain lah … #PertahankanHakRakyat #PrihatinRakyat #TeamTerjahSurplus #LawanPATI #fyp #HakTetapHak #JomSupportOrangKita

♬ original sound – Sophian Mohd Zainn – Sophian Mohd Zain