Kuala Lumpur authorities to submit vagrancy operation findings to cabinet
Minister Hannah Yeoh said the results of a joint operation targeting vagrancy and street children in Kuala Lumpur will be presented to the cabinet for broader policy action.
A coordinated operation by the KL Strike Force was conducted this morning to identify patterns of vagrancy and children living on the streets in the capital. Hannah Yeoh, minister in the Prime Minister's Department for Federal Territories, said the findings will be compiled, compared with data from the previous two years, and presented to the cabinet for a comprehensive response. The sweep involved the Health Ministry, National Registration Department, Immigration Department, Kuala Lumpur City Hall, Welfare Department, National Anti-Drug Agency and the National Security Council, among others.
Yeoh indicated that non-citizens will be referred to Immigration, mental-health cases to the Health Ministry, drug-positive individuals to the anti-drug agency, and homeless Malaysians to the Welfare Department and city hall. The ministry also intends to engage NGOs for feedback and supports a new law to strengthen the Welfare Department's authority. The operation is framed as part of efforts to protect Malaysia’s image ahead of Visit Malaysia 2026.
Why it matters
The data will shape national policies on homelessness, drug use and street children ahead of a major tourism campaign.
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