Beggars and those who help them will soon have to pay a fine. According to the Malaysian Insider, the Federal Territories Ministry will impose a fine as well as other penalties, on those who give alms to beggars, and the beggars themselves, in several important areas in KL. By doing this, the Ministry hopes to reduce the “begging culture,” which is said to be tarnishing the image of the federal capital.
According to Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor, the exact amount of the fine will be decided on later.
“We will introduce a rule where we might issue a summons to those giving alms and haul up the beggars as most of them are foreigners. So we are going to tighten this legislation.”
He also said that organisations that help by distributing food to the homeless should do so in a fix area, instead of distributing the food all over.
This decision was discussed recently in a meeting with the Kuala Lumpur City Hall and other agencies.
Story and quote from: The Malaysian Insider
In a related news, The Star reported that at least four hotspots for beggars and homeless in KL will be targeted by Ops Qaseh, which is an operation to help the homeless seek shelter and to crack down on begging syndicates.
The areas targeted so far are Jalan Imbi, Masjid India, Central Market and the National Mosque.
Ops Qaseh is an operation which involves the police, the Immigration Department, KL City Hall and the National Anti-Drug Agency. The operation will ensure that the homeless will be given shelter at Desa Bina Diri (DBD), a shelter-cum-rehabilitation centre for beggars and vagrants under the Welfare Department. After a month, they will be sent to relevant institutions.
Read more:
"ExpatGo welcomes and encourages comments, input, and divergent opinions. However, we kindly request that you use suitable language in your comments, and refrain from any sort of personal attack, hate speech, or disparaging rhetoric. Comments not in line with this are subject to removal from the site. "
