Scraping through is an everyday struggle for many in Bukit Merah New Village in Ipoh

1 Houses in Bukit Merah New Village, Ipoh, typically look like this. 2 Beh cutting out shoe soles as her husband, Chung, sits next to her at their rented home.3 Lau sorting out the junk he had collected for recycling at his home.4 Leong said those who remained in the village are mostly the elderly and the poor who cannot afford houses elsewehere.5 Lee (left) visiting Liew, who is blind, and his wife Chen, who is partially deaf, at the couple’s squatter home in Bukit Merah New Village. Looking on is Lee’s wife, Chin Yoke Choo (standing).Photos:RONNIE CHIN

ALL over Ipoh, new housing schemes and high-rise condominiums sprout just about everywhere.

But it is a stark contrast at the Bukit Merah New Village where time seems to have stood still.