WELD QUAY was once the centre of Penang Island's economic activities,to which ships from all over the world came to trade. Originally a backwater island populated mostly by pirates, Penang eventually became one of the most important British settlements in the Far East, enjoying a brief and lucrative reign over its peers.
It was short-lived, however. Singapore's emergence in 1823 and the addition of Port Klang sounded the death knell for Penang's reputation as the port of preference.
Penang's waterfront has seen a disappointing decline, culminating in the removal by the federal government of its free port status.
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