FT Minister: Cabinet to be briefed on findings from vagrancy, child welfare ops

On October 7th, in Kuala Lumpur, Hannah Yeoh, the Minister in the Prime Minister's Department for Federal Territories, informed the public that findings from integrated operations aimed at tackling vagrancy and children in the capital would be presented to the Cabinet. The KL Strike Force operation, carried out early in the morning, sought to uncover current trends, including persistent cases involving individuals who had been previously detected.

After participating in the operation across the city, Hannah spoke to reporters, revealing that a team would analyze the collected data to determine the number of individuals who had been detained multiple times. Key participants included Deputy Minister Hannah Yeoh's counterpart Datuk Lo Su Fui, Kuala Lumpur Mayor Datuk Seri Fadlun Mak Ujud, and the Federal Territories Department (JWP) director-general Datuk Muhammad Azmi Mohd Zain.

This third operation in Kuala Lumpur this year involved multiple government departments, including the Ministry of Health, National Registration Department, Immigration Department, Kuala Lumpur City Hall, Social Welfare Department, National Anti-Drug Agency, and National Security Council. Hannah emphasized that the government would study the data compared to previous years' statistics to devise a more effective action plan.

She also stated that non-citizens or undocumented individuals would be addressed by the Immigration Department, mental health cases would be referred to the Ministry of Health, drug-related cases to the National Anti-Drug Agency, and Malaysians without a place to stay would be assisted by the Social Welfare and Kuala Lumpur City Hall.

Hannah acknowledged the shortage of dedicated mental health facilities, resulting in some individuals returning to the streets post-treatment. The operation was crucial for protecting the country's image, particularly in tourist areas like Bukit Bintang, as Kuala Lumpur prepares for Visit Malaysia 2026. Hannah's ministry backed the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development's efforts to draft a new law aimed at enhancing JKM's legal authority in managing cases involving individuals from diverse backgrounds.