KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 7 — Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) Hannah Yeoh said findings from integrated operations to address vagrancy and children in the capital will be presented to the Cabinet to seek more comprehensive solutions.
She said the KL Strike Force operation to address vagrancy and children, conducted early this morning, aimed to identify current trends, including hard-core cases involving individuals repeatedly detected in previous operations.
“We will present the findings to the Cabinet later to find a solution. We will have a team study the data first to see how many people have been detained repeatedly,” she told reporters after participating in the operation around the capital.
Also present were Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) Datuk Lo Su Fui, Kuala Lumpur mayor Datuk Seri Fadlun Mak Ujud and Federal Territories Department (JWP) director-general Datuk Muhammad Azmi Mohd Zain.
The integrated operation involved the Ministry of Health (MOH), National Registration Department (NRD), Immigration Department, Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL), Social Welfare Department (JKM), National Anti-Drug Agency (AADK) and National Security Council (MKN).
Hannah said the operation was the third conducted in Kuala Lumpur this year, while the data collected would be compared with statistics from the past two years to formulate a more effective action plan.
She said the government would also hold further discussions with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) active in fieldwork to obtain their feedback and views.
According to Hannah, following the screening process, non-citizens or undocumented individuals would be handled by the Immigration Department; cases involving mental health issues would be referred to MOH, individuals who tested positive for drugs handed over to AADK, while Malaysians without a place to stay would be assisted by JKM and DBKL.
Touching on mental health cases, she acknowledged that the lack of dedicated facilities had resulted in some individuals returning to the streets after receiving treatment and creating a seemingly endless cycle.
Hannah said the operation was also important to safeguard the country’s image in conjunction with Visit Malaysia 2026, particularly in tourist hotspots such as Bukit Bintang.
In addition, Hannah said her ministry supported efforts by the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development to formulate a new law to strengthen JKM’s legal authority in handling cases involving individuals from various backgrounds. — Bernama
