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MALACCA - "Hi, I am Shasa. Want to be friends? I can take you around Malacca."
Male visitors to Taman Melaka Raya here are likely to be met with such coy greetings from some pretty faces such as Shasa, as scores of transvestites shift their operations to the busy commercial hub of the city.
They are doubling up as tour guides to entice visitors, including foreigners, as competition drives them to be more creative in getting clients.
The transvestites, commonly known as "bats", are often seen hanging around outside entertainment outlets and even banks after 9pm.
It is believed the moniker is used to describe them because they are only active at night.
They usually target visitors driving into the area in cars with outstation number plates, especially Singaporeans.
Shasa said he and his friends had to relocate their operations to Melaka Raya as the traditional spots along Jalan Hang Tuah were no longer attracting good business.
"We started coming to Melaka Raya only a month ago. Things are slow, but we are surviving. Our customers are mostly foreigners," he said.
Shasa said he would only target men without female companions.
"I had a bad experience when I first came here. An angry girlfriend chased me with one of her high-heeled shoes for approaching her boyfriend," he said.
Shasa claimed most of the transvestites were from neighbouring states and were lured to Malacca due to the influx of tourists.
"Customers like us because we are easygoing, our fees are reasonable and our clients say we are sometimes more sexy than real women," he said.
Shasa said apart from the occasional crackdowns, the transvestites did not face too much of a hassle plying their trade here.
Male visitors to Taman Melaka Raya here are likely to be met with such coy greetings from some pretty faces such as Shasa, as scores of transvestites shift their operations to the busy commercial hub of the city.
They are doubling up as tour guides to entice visitors, including foreigners, as competition drives them to be more creative in getting clients.
The transvestites, commonly known as "bats", are often seen hanging around outside entertainment outlets and even banks after 9pm.
It is believed the moniker is used to describe them because they are only active at night.
They usually target visitors driving into the area in cars with outstation number plates, especially Singaporeans.
Shasa said he and his friends had to relocate their operations to Melaka Raya as the traditional spots along Jalan Hang Tuah were no longer attracting good business.
"We started coming to Melaka Raya only a month ago. Things are slow, but we are surviving. Our customers are mostly foreigners," he said.
Shasa said he would only target men without female companions.
"I had a bad experience when I first came here. An angry girlfriend chased me with one of her high-heeled shoes for approaching her boyfriend," he said.
Shasa claimed most of the transvestites were from neighbouring states and were lured to Malacca due to the influx of tourists.
"Customers like us because we are easygoing, our fees are reasonable and our clients say we are sometimes more sexy than real women," he said.
Shasa said apart from the occasional crackdowns, the transvestites did not face too much of a hassle plying their trade here.
