The Sungai Buloh Leprosarium has been added to Malaysia’s thin tentative list only in 2019, so they must have plans for it (although these are already being threatened by yet another highway). Sungai Buloh is a town in the state of Selangor. Its Leprosarium, built in 1930, was a self-contained living and working community within the town.

I got there by a combination of MRT and GrabTaxi from the center of Kuala Lumpur, which took 1.5 hours even though there is a MRT station called ‘Sungai Buloh’ on a direct line to KLCC. The ride was free as they only inaugurated this part of the line the day before (many locals on the train were taking pictures). In the Grab app, I did not find a logical destination to direct the taxi toward for the final 3km, so I just choose ‘Hee Garden’. This is one of the many plant nurseries that nowadays occupy the area.

I visited on a sunny Friday morning and found the area pleasant enough for a stroll. The nurseries directly surround the core area of the former Leprosarium. I expected some gloomy and run-down buildings, caused by the unflattering picture in Zoë’s review, but it all looks very peaceful. There is no formal entrance, you can walk around the streets freely. Only the buildings were closed, some protected by bored-looking security guards. The community hall had a sign stating that it only opens on Sundays from 9-15.

With no interpretation signs present, I had to guess about the use of the various structures. There are tiny houses with vegetable gardens – presumably still inhabited. One of the more outstanding buildings is the pink Hindu temple; the Leprosarium distinguished itself by its multi-cultural approach and there are also places of worship for other religious backgrounds. There is a ‘School of Hope’ and something that looks like an industrial station. A corridor gallery shows photos, but the guard wouldn’t let me in.

So can this ever become a WHS? It reminded me of the Colonies of Benevolence, whose inscription also relied heavily on the background story and less on the physical remains. In Sungai Buloh, the remaining buildings and ‘town’ plan seem authentic and intact and have been protected as a national heritage site since 2011. It does not take much effort however to find stories online from the inhabitants saying that they “want to be left in peace”.