The Pudu Prison ( ms, Penjara Pudu, ), also known as Pudu Jail, was a prison in
Kuala Lumpur
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Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
. Built in phases by the
British colonial government between 1891 and 1895, it stood on Jalan Shaw (now Jalan Hang Tuah).
The construction began with its 394-metre prison wall at a cost of Straits $16,000, and had been adorned with the world's longest mural at one point in its history.
The cells were small and dark, each equipped with a window only the size of a shoebox.
The prison complex was largely demolished by December 2012 to make way for urban development. At the request of heritage conservationists and the public, the main gate and a portion of the exterior wall have been preserved and now form part of the park surrounding the
Bukit Bintang City Centre development and mall, which occupies the site of the former prison.
Early years
Pudu Prison, also known as Pudu Jail, was built on the site of a former Chinese burial ground. At the time, Pudu was a dense jungle area with
tiger
The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is the largest living cat species and a member of the genus '' Panthera''. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily preys on ...
s occasionally roaming around. Construction began in 1891, using convicts as workforce. It took about four years and was finally complete in 1895. The first governor of Pudu Prison was Lt. Col. J.A.B. Ellen.
A few months after its completion, in August 1895, a
cholera outbreak struck the prison and killed a few hundred inmates. Later, it was found that the plague was caused by the prison's water supply system, which relied on an old well belonging to the Chinese cemetery previously on the site. An inspection by the British colonial authorities revealed that the water in the well was severely contaminated by deadly microorganisms. The water problem was not fixed until 1898.
In 1911, Richard Alfred Ernest Clark, a former soldier of the third battalion of the
Middlesex Regiment, was one of the European warders at Pudu Prison.
Early in its history, Pudu Prison was the only prison in the state of
Selangor
Selangor (; ), also known by its Arabic language, Arabic honorific Darul Ehsan, or "Abode of Sincerity", is one of the 13 Malaysian states. It is on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and is bordered by Perak to the north, Pahang to the east ...
and used to imprison men and women with short sentences. The prison was also self-sufficient as it had a vegetable garden that could produce enough food for its inmates annually.
The prison later housed criminals including drug offenders and was a location for administering
corporal punishment by
caning. The canings were administered in a special "caning area", so marked, which was not inside the main building but on the prison grounds.
Mural
In 1984, an inmate named Khong Yen Chong used some 2,000 litres of paint to create an impressive mural of tropical scenes. It measured some 860 feet by 14 feet and was mentioned in the Guinness Book of Records as the longest mural in the world. Khong, as an inmate, was not able to complete the mural. He returned later as a free man and volunteered his time to complete his masterpiece.
Another source points to a mural painter by the name of Pang Sun Qiang, or otherwise known as Pha Tee within the Prison.
World War II and later

During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, the
Japanese occupation forces incarcerated many
Allied POWs
A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610.
Belligerents hold prisoners of ...
there.
In 1986, the
Pudu Prison siege took place. In this incident, a group of prisoners seized and held two members of the prison staff as hostages over a period of six days. The siege was resolved when Malaysian police stormed the prison. They successfully rescued the hostages and subdued the prisoners without loss of life.
As Kuala Lumpur entered the 1990s, concerns were raised about the viability of the prison's location on prime real estate. Security was a major issue due to the prison's proximity to fast-rising commercial developments such as Imbi and Bukit Bintang. Additionally, the prison layout and facilities had become obsolete.
In 1996, after 101 years as a prison, Pudu Prison was formally closed and the inmates were moved to
Sungai Buloh Prison and
Kajang Prison. It continued to be used until 2009 as a day-holding facility for prisoners attending court hearings. It was used as a museum for a period in 1997. Additionally, eight supporters of the
Hindu Rights Action Force
Hindu Rights Action Force, better known by its acronym HINDRAF ( ms, Barisan Bertindak Hak-Hak Hindu, ta, இந்து உரிமைகள் போராட்டக் குழு, Intu Urimaikaḷ Pōrāṭṭak Kuḻu); is a Hindu- acti ...
were arrested and incarcerated in Pudu Prison following the
2007 HINDRAF rally
The 2007 HINDRAF rally was a rally held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on 25 November 2007. The rally organiser, the Hindu Rights Action Force (HINDRAF), had called the protest over alleged discriminatory policies which favour ethnic Malays. The ra ...
. They were later released due to lack of evidence.
In June 2009, the government finally decided to demolish the complex by developing it in phases. When the MP for
Bukit Bintang
Bukit Bintang (; stylised as Bintang Walk or Starhill, the latter being a translation of the Malay name) is the shopping and entertainment district of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It encompasses Jalan Bukit Bintang (''Bukit Bintang Road'' in Englis ...
,
Fong Kui Lun
Fong Kui Lun (; Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: ''Fông Kui-lùn''; born 28 September 1946) is a Malaysian politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Bukit Bintang since November 1999 and Klang from October 1990 to April 1995. He is a me ...
(
DAP) asked why the building was not being retained as part of Malaysia's heritage, Deputy Finance Minister Awang Adek Hussain (
UMNO
The United Malays National Organisation ( Malay: ; Jawi: ; abbreviated UMNO () or less commonly PEKEMBAR), is a nationalist right-wing political party in Malaysia. As the oldest continuous national political party within Malaysia (since its i ...
-
BN) replied: "In our opinion, it's not something to be proud of."
The hanging chamber, along with the prison hospital, were the first structures to be torn down in October that year.
In June 2010, the eastern wall of the Pudu Prison complex was demolished to make way for a road-widening project.
By December 2012, all buildings within the Pudu Prison complex were completely demolished. The government agreed to maintain a part of the exterior wall and landmark main gate after being petitioned by conservationists and the general public. These remaining features have been incorporated into the fountain park forming part of Mitsui Lalaport Mall, which now occupies the site of the prison.
The site was redeveloped by the BBCC Development Sdn Bhd, a joint venture between EcoWorld, UDA and EPF Board, into the
Bukit Bintang City Centre. In 2022,
Bukit Bintang City Centre was opened.
Famous inmates
Botak Chin, an infamous gangster who was allegedly betrayed by his own men, was executed here on 11 June 1981 for the possession of firearms. In the 1980s Leonard Glenn Francis "
Fat Leonard" spent time interned there.
In 1986
Kevin Barlow and Brian Chambers, both Australian nationals, were executed in Pudu Prison for trafficking
heroin. In 1989,
Derrick Gregory
Derrick Gregory (1949 in Ealing, London – 21 July 1989, Pudu Prison, Kuala Lumpur) was an English drug smuggler who was hanged in Malaysia in 1989.
Gregory became the third Westerner to be hanged under Malaysia's tough anti-drugs laws. H ...
, a British national was also hanged for heroin trafficking.
Artifacts
Some artifacts from the prison, including the fountain and the gable inscribed with the year "1895", were preserved and exhibited at the Malaysia Prison Museum in
Bandar Hilir,
Malacca
Malacca ( ms, Melaka) is a state in Malaysia located in the southern region of the Malay Peninsula, next to the Strait of Malacca. Its capital is Malacca City, dubbed the Historic City, which has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site s ...
;
the museum itself being a former colonial prison opened in 1860.
References
External links
Illustrations from the 1997/98 Pudu Prison exhibitionat the World Corporal Punishment Research website.
''New Straits Times'', Kuala Lumpur, 23 December 1997.
{{Commons category, Pudu Prison
Demolished buildings and structures in Malaysia
Defunct prisons in Malaysia
British colonial prisons in Asia
Reportedly haunted locations
1895 establishments in British Malaya
2008 disestablishments in Malaysia
Demolished prisons