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（華文往下拉）

The Sungai Chua area surrounding Kampung Kwan Tung Baru in Kajang has long been home to many friends from the Zomi community of Chin State, Myanmar. They have coexisted with the Chinese community, filling significant labor gaps and quietly contributing to this land.

In the restaurants or kopitiam within and around Kampung Kwan Tung Baru, we encounter them in our everyday lives. Yet, we have not truly come to know them, and we know very little about their stories.

This Monday, we held our first meeting with Zomi community leaders from the Kajang area as well as representatives from the Zomi Association of Malaysia. Community representatives from Bangladesh and the Rohingya community were also present.

I was pleasantly surprised to learn that one of the Zomi representatives is actually the head chef at a well-known Chinese restaurant nearby. He told us he has been the head chef there for nearly 15 years. I also had personally dined at that restaurant before.

It was a heartwarming meeting. I also hope that this year’s event will be more grounded in the community — what we refer to as “international” is, in fact, very much “local,” because our friends from the Zomi, Rohingya, and Bangladeshi communities live right here with us. They are our neighbors and friends.

This year, we will also collaborate with two other communities — the Indonesian and Vietnamese — both of which are also vital parts of the Kampung Kwan Tung Baru and Sungai Chua area in Kajang.

加影關東村周遭的錫米山地區一直以來都住著許多緬甸欽邦佐米族的朋友，他們與華人社區共生，填補了不少勞動力缺口，為這片土地默默貢獻著，也絕對可說是對該地區有經濟上的實質貢獻的。

關東村內或週遭的的餐廳、茶室，我們每一天的日常生活都會見到他們，然而我們並還沒有真正地認識他們，對他們的故事知之甚少。

本週一，我們與加影地區的佐米族社區領袖以及馬來西亞佐米族協會的代表展開了初次的會面。同來的也有孟加拉、羅興亞的社區代表。

當我得知其中一位佐米族社群代表原來是附近著名華人酒樓的主廚時，我頓時感到驚喜。他表示自己在那裡當了近15年的主廚。而其實我本人也曾經到過那酒樓享宴，頓時感動不已。

這是很暖心的一次會面。我也希望今年的活動可以更接地氣——所談的「國際」實則是「在地」，因為緬甸佐米族、羅興亞、孟加拉朋友，就和我們住在同一個社區裡面，都是我們的朋友。

本次另外兩個會合作的社群會是印尼和越南，他們也是加影關東村或錫米山地區不容忽視的社群之一。