Permits for KLCC ‘ulat gambar’? Minister gives a firm no! Here’s why

The government will not issue special permits to the ‘ulat gambar’ (photo touts) operating at tourist hotspots in Kuala Lumpur.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories), Hannah Yeoh said, decision was made primarily on the grounds of public safety and to ensure a regulated environment for both domestic and international tourists.

“During site visits, what we observed was a safety issue because the intersection is not safe for photography activities, so we cannot consider issuing permits,” she said today.

She added that Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) has installed additional closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras at the location to monitor the activities of illegal photographers.

“DBKL has also installed a public announcement system in five languages in the area, making announcements every 10 minutes to inform tourists not to use the services of these ulat foto,” she said, as reported by the national daily.

Public announcement systems in multiple languages have also been set up, broadcasting every 10 minutes to remind tourists not to use the services of photo touts.

Yeoh said checks on detained photo touts revealed that some were foreigners using false identities.