Bayan Lepas

 town, suburb

Bayan Lepas is a suburb within the city of George Town. It is situated approximately 14km south of the city centre, encompassing much of the southeastern corner of Penang Island. Home to the Penang International Airport (PEN) and an eponymous Free Industrial Zone (FIZ), Bayan Lepas is one of the most economically-vital areas within the city of George Town.

Urban legend has it that Bayan Lepas was named after a parrot which escaped from a rich Sumatran family. The 'old town' of Bayan Lepas was originally agricultural in nature; rice farming was the economic mainstay then. In 1935, the British built the Penang International Airport east of the 'old town'.

Bayan Lepas had been known as the 'rice bowl of Penang' until 1972, when the then Penang Chief MInister, Lim Chong Eu, created the Bayan Lepas FIZ. Mooted to counter Penang's economic downturn at the time, the Bayan Lepas FIZ has proven to be immensely successful, attracting various multinational companies (MNCs) to establish assembly and research facilities within the zone. The Bayan Lepas FIZ is now regarded as the 'Silicon Valley of the East', helped by the zone's strategic location between the two Penang bridges and its proximity to one of Malaysia's busiest international airports.

Concurrently, the township of Bayan Baru was built adjacent to the Bayan Lepas FIZ. As a result, Bayan Lepas has been attracting migrants from other Malaysian states, leading to the suburb's rapid urbanisation and population boom. In 2006, Queensbay Mall, the largest shopping mall within the city of George Town, was opened within this suburb, and it quickly became one of the premier retail complexes within the entire city.