Minister Hannah Yeoh urges public to avoid vigilante actions against unlicensed foreign traders

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) Hannah Yeoh cautioned the public against vigilante measures targeting unlicensed foreign traders operating in Kuala Lumpur, noting that such actions are illegal. She explained that municipal bodies can only act within the limits of the statutes they enforce and must work with the Immigration Department, Social Welfare Department and police for coordinated enforcement.

Yeoh has directed Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) to increase licence inspections and to cancel licences that are improperly sublet to foreigners. She also called for a crackdown on homeless-operation traders and visited the area with Federal Territories officers to assess conditions. To boost accountability, DBKL will expand the use of body-cameras, with funding allocated in next year’s budget. Yeoh emphasized that DBKL regularly posts its enforcement activities online.