KUALA LUMPUR: Kuala Lumpur City Hall has suspended the licences and shut down operations of several premises owners who misused their business licences to offer prostitution services.
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Federal Territories) Dr Zaliha Mustafa said the government takes a firm stance on this issue.
Following the revelations by Harian Metro in their June series 'Hanyir Lubuk Dosa', Zaliha said City Hall has identified and taken action against several premises.
"Most cases involved licences granted for legitimate businesses, such as restaurants, which were then misused for illegal activities.
"We have suspended their licences and closed two or three shops. We will not compromise on this," she said at the inauguration of ESG Center Kuala Lumpur and TRX City Park at Tun Razak Exchange yesterday.
Furthermore, Zaliha said her department is employing two strategic approaches to curb prostitution in the capital.
"We first need to identify and relocate the prostitution hotspots before upgrading them into local economic attraction centres.
"Inspired by Surabaya, which transformed from a notorious prostitution hub into a clean city, we aim to replicate such success," she said.
The second approach was to establish the KL Strike Force which involved several enforcements like the Malaysian Immigration Department, the police and the National Security Council.
"We have now held several meetings and are looking at how to ensure the KL Strike Force ultimately becomes a sustainable unit in handling security-related issues, including prostitution in Kuala Lumpur
"We are formalising this under the Federal Territories State Security Committee," she added.
In a related development, the Kuala Lumpur police recently raided food courts on Jalan Gelang and Jalan Kalong, arresting 27 individuals, including guest relations officers (GROs) and prostitutes offering services for as low as RM100.
Kuala Lumpur police chief Datuk Rusdi Mohd Isa said the locations of four main prostitution dens in the city have been identified: Jalan Petaling, Jalan Gelang, Jalan Pudu, and Richmoore Hotel.
The exposé by Harian Metro also caught the attention of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who acknowledged the deep-rooted issue of corruption related to prostitution in the capital.
Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Deputy Chief Commissioner (Operations) Datuk Seri Ahmad Khusairi Yahaya also confirmed that the persistence of prostitution and illegal gambling indicates protection from certain enforcement officers.
He said the issue has never been resolved despite numerous raids and arrests by the authorities because some enforcement officers are believed to have accepted bribes in return for protecting these premises.