ARAU: Traders at the Perlis East Wind Festival 2025 in Kampung Lat 1000, Tambun Tulang, are counting their losses after heavy rain turned the festival grounds into a muddy disaster.

Many vendors were forced to shut down, with some incurring losses of up to RM8,000 as their stalls became inaccessible due to waterlogged conditions.

A visit to the site today found traders packing up their goods, with the once-busy festival grounds resembling the aftermath of a mudslide.

"The padi field-turned-marketplace was completely waterlogged, making it difficult for both vendors and visitors to move around.

More than 20 vehicles, including food trucks, were stuck in deep mud and had to be towed out with the help of padi ploughing machines.

Bihun sup vendor Roslan Ahmad, 44, said the disaster could have been prevented if the organisers had heeded traders' concerns. "I'm not blaming the rain but the poor organisation.

"Who would want to come to a festival when the entire place is covered in mud?

"I've already lost between RM7,000 and RM8,000 just on raw ingredients, and now I have nowhere to sell them.

"The organisers have offered an alternative site at the Perlis State Assembly Complex in Kangar, but that's only for food trucks, not vendors like me," he said.

Roslan questioned why the same padi field location was chosen for a second consecutive year despite concerns raised earlier.

"We had already asked why they insisted on using this site when there were other dry fields available, but the organisers went ahead anyway. "We had no choice but to comply," he said.

He said vendors had paid over RM1,000 each to trade at the festival for three days.

"As of now, we're unsure if we'll continue. Our priority is to pack up and leave because, realistically, we've already lost about 95 per cent of our investment here," he said.

Food truck operator Muhd Afiq Omar, 25, barely made RM30 before he was forced to shut down.

"It rained heavily for about 30 minutes, and that was enough to flood the site. My truck got stuck in the mud, and I couldn't move it.

"I've been trading at this festival in Perlis for four years, but this is the first time something like this has happened.

"I had just set up my stall yesterday, but by nightfall, the entire place was flooded," he said.

Afiq said he had to leave his truck overnight and only managed to have it towed out this morning with the help of a padi ploughing machine.

Yesterday, Perlis Menteri Besar Mohd Shukri Ramli confirmed that the festival would proceed as planned despite venue adjustments due to the flooding.