According to The Star, Chicken stall operators in Sibu, Sarawak, have reported that business is down by nearly 80 percent since residents collected chicken wings that were buried underground near Bukit Aup.
Pictures and videos of locals unearthing the buried chicken wings went viral on social media last Friday (31st March).
In a report by the Malay Mail, the Customs Department has finally admitted to dumping the chicken wings. Acting Sarawak Customs Director Ahmad Zainudin Drahman said the chicken wings were confiscated because there was no proper permit to import the goods.
Source: The Borneo Post
“I cannot give the rationale for their decision to dump it there. We only provide the manpower,” said the acting customs director.
He also said that confiscated goods like these are usually dumped at a garbage disposal instead of burying it.
Many villagers frantically collected as much chicken wings as they could when they discovered them. Some of them even sold the chicken for RM6 per kilogram!
What’s even more interesting is that these villagers were selling the buried chicken wings door-to-door around the neighbourhood, and gained many customers!
Source: Info Sarawak
Chairman of Sibu Central Market Hawkers Welfare Association Tan Hong Kian, stated that since the incident went viral last week, businesses were hit hard.
A seller from Sibu Central Market told The Star,
“My supplier is a licensed importer but people were still worried. They asked whether it was safe to eat chicken wings. In the end, many did not buy.”
Source: The Borneo Post
Many sellers have shared similar experiences. Customers are scared to buy the local chicken, fearful that they could be buying the chicken that was buried near Bukit Aup.
It’s understandable that people are scared of buying chicken ever since the video surfaced online. It also makes us wonder about the cleanliness of food products being sold in our local stores and markets.
Also read: Malaysian Villagers Dig Up Chicken Wings Buried Underground by Authorities
