11 Rohingya children who were forced to beg on the streets rescued by the Federal police Special Tactical Squad for Anti-Vice, Gambling and Gangsterism (STAGG

11 Rohingya children who were forced to beg on the streets rescued by STAGG at Bukit Bintang

TEOH PEI YING
New Straits Times19 March 2018



KUALA LUMPUR: Eleven Rohingya children who were forced to beg on the streets were rescued by the Federal police Special Tactical Squad for Anti-Vice, Gambling and Gangsterism (STAGG) at Bukit Bintang last night. The victims - seven boys and four girls – aged between two and 16, were rescued by STAGG under Ops Som, an operation focused on Rohingya beggars, which started at 11pm. STAGG assistant principal director Senior Assistant Commissioner Mohd Nadri Hussain said police had monitored their activities for the last three months.





Eleven Rohingya children who were forced to beg on the streets were rescued by the Federal police Special Tactical Squad for Anti-Vice, Gambling and Gangsterism (STAGG) at Bukit Bintang last night. Pic by NSTP/ courtesy of PDRM

“Monitoring and intelligence operations started in November last year to identify their activities, where they stay and their daily movements. “Every day, guardians of the kids will take them to beg, sell tissues and Quranic texts (Surah Yasin) around Bukit Bintang and KLCC area.

 “Their daily routine is taking a bus from Ampang Flat at 7pm to KLCC. From there, hop on another bus to Bukit Bintang and other tourist attractions nearby,” he said in a statement today. Nadri said while the children were begging, their guardians would sit and wait at the pedestrian lane at Bukit Bintang and KLCC. 

“Around 11pm, the guardians would wait for them at KLCC to go home. Their targets are tourists and visitors to KLCC. “They are able to collect RM80 to RM90 daily,” he said. He said the child beggars not only begged but also annoyed members of the public by pulling their clothes to draw their attention. 

The guardians, a man and four women, were detained. The case was being investigated under Section 14 of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants (Atipsom) Act 2007 and Section 6(1)c of the Immigration Act 1959/63. © New Straits Times Press