AN EYESORE: A family of beggars at a five-foot-way in Sabindo.
TAWAU: An integrated operation to rid the town from beggars is in the pipeline and is expected to commence soon.
Tawau Municipal Council (TMC) president Ismail Mayakob confirmed the council had issued a directive to authorities to take immediate action to eliminate the presence of beggars in the municipal area.
Ismail said TMC will work with the police and the Immigration Department in an integrated inspection that will be led by the Malaysia Social Welfare Department (JKMM) here.
“We have given the green light to the authorities that the integrated screening is to be performed immediately because we do not want the presence of beggars to taint the image of the town,” he said when met on Tuesday.
He said the move was necessary because the presence of beggars will give a bad impression to foreign tourists on the actual situation in the district.
He added that the inspection and screening will be done thoroughly including the modus operandi and identifying the background of each group of beggars.
“If necessary, the police and the Immigration Department will also take action to catch the beggars involved,” he said.
Elaborating further, he said it was believed that the presence of beggars in the town centre was not masterminded by syndicate activities, but more to the element of exploitation among the family members of the beggars involved.
When asked on the current status of special reports prepared by JKMM here, Ismail said TMC has not received the report and is still awaiting the results of the study.
Meanwhile, Assistant Minister for Community Development and Consumer Affairs Datuk Herbert Timbun Lagadan said
JKMM must provide a formal report or an authentic and detailed review prior to submission to the relevant parties.
“So far, the ministry has not received an official report from the district JKMM.
“JKMM need to refer the report to relevant departments beforehand.
“This report should be more detailed so there’s no conflict of facts,” he said.