They are Christian Chin refugees who fled persecution in Myanmar.
In a room above an office on Jalan Pudu, they are belting out Christmas carols fit to raise the roof.
Sung in Hakka Chin – one of 53 dialects in Chin State – the tunes are still recognisable as Christmas favourites Silent Night and Joy to the World.
They welcome FMT to their tiny makeshift church and are happy to talk about their lives in Malaysia.
But they are very careful not to say anything which could be construed as negative by the Myanmar authorities. For always they fear for the safety of their relatives back home.
Like refugees anywhere, they get homesick. Those who have been gone the longest perhaps more so than newer arrivals. It’s something they have to learn to live with.
Speaking of the Christmas service, Pastor Jimmy Hram Chung Hnin, 51, who has been here for 23 years tells FMT, “When we reach church, we celebrate joyfully.”
The numbers that turn up on Dec 25, will testify to this.
According to one congregant, David Hmung, chairs will have to be removed to allow the expected 400-plus carolers from various Protestant denominations to crowd in.
Pastor Jeremiah Sang Dun, who will be celebrating his first Christmas in Malaysia, says December 25 is “about getting together.”
After the service there will be a sumptuous meal shared together. The general consensus is that food is better here than back home.
Then gifts will be exchanged, and that’ll be that for this Christmas.
They tell FMT that back home in Chin State celebrations would stretch from Christmas Eve till New Year. But in Malaysia, as most of them are working, Christmas starts and ends on Dec 25.
For construction worker Tluang Lian Cung, 27, Christmas is always a precious celebration as it marks the birth of Jesus Christ.
Tluang says he will celebrate the day with his family, just as he did back home in Chin State.
“I’ll attend church and after that my wife, child and I will go for KFC,” he tells FMT, with the help of an interpreter.
Tluang, who has been in Malaysia for a decade, does miss celebrating Christmas back home. After all, seven of his siblings are still there.
“But it is not possible to go back.”
Eric Van, vice-chairman of the Chin Christian Fellowship Malaysia, said returning home would be a huge risk as they would not know what fate awaited them in view of their refugee status.
Pastor Jimmy is resigned. “I would love to go back, but I cannot.”
According to the latest figures from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, there are some 20,000 Chin people in Malaysia. Other estimates put the number nearer 40,000.
Why did they choose Malaysia? The answer seems to be partly because of its proximity to Myanmar, as well as the presence of a large Chin community already in the country.
But Eric has a simpler answer.
Malaysia, he explains, is relatively welcoming, despite the community being harassed from time to time.
“The truth is,” he says, “the Malaysian government and the people are good. They allow us to stay in their country.”
“So I tell our community to celebrate the peace we have here.”