ONE person was killed and 13 others wounded in a grenade explosion in front of a pub along Jalan Bukit Bintang in Kuala Lumpur, capital of Malaysia, early Thursday, with four Chinese women among the victims.

    An official of the Chinese Embassy confirmed that four female Chinese citizens were injured in the explosion and all of them had been sent to hospital for treatment.

    “Their injuries were not very serious,” the diplomat added.

    According to Kuala Lumpur CID chief Senior Assistant Commissioner Gan Kong Meng, car jockey Tiong Kwang Yie, 36, died in the incident.

    It was believed that a hand grenade had been thrown from the second floor of a building into the Cherry Blossom nightclub and exploded at the scene, while another grenade, which failed to go off, was recovered by the police under a car and had been detonated by the bomb disposal squad.

    Malaysian Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi called on the public to stay calm, saying that the police were investigating the incident.

    He said he could not confirm the “rumor” that the incident was purportedly linked to terrorist activities.

    Meanwhile, Deputy Home Minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said the police would take swift action on those involved in the attack.

    However, he had yet to have the information on the motive behind the blast or who was behind it.

    “It could be done by locals or immigrants. It could also have been due to business rivalry between the clubs in the area,” Wan Junaidi said.

    Later, at the Parliament lobby, Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Wan Jaafar said there was no “black area” in Kuala Lumpur as Malaysia was a safe country and Bukit Bintang a well-known tourist destination.

    (SD-Agencies)