A look behind Kuantan's controversial 'Great Wall of China'

State of the art: One part of the operation of the Alliance Steel complex.

WHEN the Prime Minister dropped a bombshell by ordering Alliance Steel to tear down its “high” perimeter wall early this month, many of the company’s 2,600 Malaysian employees feared they would lose their jobs. Athirah Ahmad Mazlan was one of them.

“After Tun Dr Mahathir (Mohamad)’s statement, many of us panicked. We were worried the Government would close down this Chinese steel company,” said 24-year old Athirah when met last Tuesday at Alliance Steel, the first investment in the Malaysia-China Kuantan Industrial Park (MCKIP).