Kuala lumpur: The government will not issue permits or special licences to individuals offering unofficial photography services, or photo touts, in popular tourist areas of the capital due to safety concerns, said Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Federal Territories) Hannah Yeoh. She added that site inspections with management and security authorities revealed these locations to be high-risk for such activities.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the main concern is safety. These locations are simply not safe for taking photos, so the government cannot consider issuing licences. Hannah emphasized that it's not just about the welfare of photo touts or tourism. At the KLCC junction, for instance, a car could hit someone at any time, highlighting the safety issue. She disclosed this information after attending the Putrajaya International Language Initiative for Youth and Special Community Mobility Assistance programme today.

Hannah further noted that two inspections were conducted at the KLCC area with Kuala Lumpur Mayor Datuk Fadlun Mak Ujud, Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL), and security personnel. DBKL has installed additional CCTV cameras at the junction, and during the site visit, a noticeable drop in photo tout activity was observed. The police are also conducting ongoing joint operations with DBKL.

In efforts to curb the activity, public announcement systems in multiple languages have been set up, broadcasting every 10 minutes to remind tourists not to use the services of photo touts. Hannah mentioned that checks on detained photo touts revealed some were foreigners using false identities. This issue of operating without a licence is compounded by the fact that some individuals are not citizens, making the issuance of licences unfeasible at this time.

Media reports previously noted that photo touts had been warned to cease operations in the capital, particularly around popular tourist areas, due to various issues they posed.