Hauntings and other paranormal activities are prevalent all across the world, including Malaysia. Given its rich history, both pre-and post-colonial, there are many known and unknown haunted places waiting to be discovered by the bravest of souls.
One such place is the Wisma Ambang Motif building located in Ipoh, Perak. Locals would definitely recognise it as one of the town’s most haunted areas! Located at the intersection of Jalan Leong Boon Swee, the long abandoned building has become a paranormal tourist feature. Are you prepared to learn more about it?
The Wisma Ambang Motif building began as a restaurant 30 years ago. It started out strong with a booming business thanks to its excellent location. However, everything changed after a tragic accident happened, involving a young pregnant lady.
She had supposedly been ordering takeout from the restaurant when an out-of-control bus careened into her. The lady and her unborn child died on impact as the bus crushed her into the building. Unfortunately, a similar accident occurred again at a later time. Coincidently, it also claimed the lives of two people.
The Wisma Ambang Motif building continued to stand, but it left its mark. Rumours about it being haunted started spreading among the public. Although the building became a home to many businesses such as a bridal shop, an IT and computer shop, security services and even a Thai restaurant, none of them lasted.
Each business however claimed to have a story of their own. One such tale was the Lady in Purple. Her story came from a boutique owner who claimed to have seen a strange lady dressed in purple standing near the staircase. Shortly afterwards, strands of dark hair could always be found on said stairs, although the owner swore they had swept the hair away.
The owner was also bewildered when customers began returning their purchases to the store without seeking any refunds. One customer however did offer an explanation. According to the woman, she had started having nightmares after buying items from the store. She had apparently dreamed of a lady who told her that the clothing she bought belonged to her. This prompted the woman to return her purchases.
The final straw came when the boutique owner found some items missing. After some searching, said items were discovered by the stairs. The owner moved out of the building shortly afterwards. However, the store’s clothes were left behind to appease the Lady in Purple and to ensure the owner would not be bothered again.
Aside from the Lady in Purple, another source reported hearing children laughing in the building. According to a staff member of the Thai restaurant, the kids often sounded like they were playing. Additionally, they claimed that their kitchen was always a mess, even though they had already cleaned it the day before.
Some employees also dreaded the night shift as it left shivers down their spine. Apparently, they claimed they would smell fried rice in the kitchen although it had already been closed. Some suspected it was a remnant of the pregnant woman. According to the stories, she had been ordering fried rice from the first restaurant before her accident. Like the others, the Thai restaurant eventually gave up their business and turned the building over to new hands.
It became a Chinese restaurant, a reflexology centre, a curry chicken bread shop and finally, a furniture shop owned by a Malay. However, each business persistently faced problems and cited having more paranormal incidents. Some owners tried to deal with the hauntings by hiring a Taoist priest to exorcise the building. The priest supposedly discovered that the deceased pregnant woman was a vengeful spirit. They claimed the reason why businesses failed was because the Thai owner had not asked for her permission when the renovated the building.
To this day, the Wisma Ambang Motif building still stands empty near the intersection of Jalan Leong Boon Swee. Aside from its notable wear and tear, an eye-catching plaque hangs on the fourth floor. It reads “Look clearly, the pavilion offers (看耐点，台亭有)”. The wording supposedly appeases the lady, urging passers-by to see her in brightly coloured clothes.
However, the plaque is apparently meant to be read in reverse: “The smaller pavilions are also attractive (小有亭台亦耐看)”. The phrase was chosen by Master Li, current owner of the Baiyun temple, a Taoist temple in China. It’s apparently intended to ease passers-by when they look at the building.
