Violence erupts in KL over water

Violence erupts in KL over water

KUALA LUMPUR (AP): Two people were injured when a squabble
over collecting water erupted into a fight between residents,
some of them armed with knives and machetes, a newspaper reported
yesterday.

With severe water rationing in effect for nearly 2 million
people in Kuala Lumpur and its suburbs, residents line up with
pails and plastic containers several times a week to draw
supplies from huge tankers deployed by city authorities. Disputes
have become common.

The fight started when people objected to three men breaking
the line to collect water from a truck in the Petaling Jaya
suburb of the Malaysian capital, the Star newspaper said.

The three offenders pulled out knives and traditional
Malaysian machetes to confront the angry crowd. Two people, who
tried to stop the fight, were injured.