MCC Carried Out Enforcement Action on Illegal Hawkers at Lutong Bazaar
Due To Public Complaints and COVID 19 pandemic Safety Threat

1. Miri City Council carried out enforcement operation early this morning on those illegal hawkers who had been occupying parking lots, five-foot-way and open spaces permanently outside Tamu Lutong at Lutong Bazaar during MCO period.
2. The operation started at 6.30 am and ended at 7.30 am. 17 Council
   enforcement personnel and a team of general cleaning workers were
   involved. The operation was being carried out in a disciplined manner with passive approach in order to avoid strong resistance from a few hawkers and provocation from some general public. The operation was being carried out successfully with seizure including big trading umbrellas, vegetables, fruits and discarded boxes and etc which are now deposited at Council’s Enforcement store pending for claiming back.
3. Miri City Council wished to state that enforcement action was necessary due to the receipts of numerous public complaints regarding unlicensed hawkers that were trading at parking lots and public places permanently.
4. The latest complaints being received on 18th July 2021 informing that they were now encroaching five-foot-way of the nearby shophouses and also blocking the entrance to Tamu Lutong. The enforcement operation was being carried out after they had taken no heed to numerous verbal warnings given before the enforcement operation was carried out in accordance with the provisions under Local Authorities Cleanliness By-Laws and Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) imposed under the present Movement Control Order (MCO) for Covid-19 pandemic.
5. Apart from affecting the cleanliness and public safety under Covid-19
   pandemic, businesses of the traders and shopkeepers were also affected.
6. The Miri City Council has also resumed parking control on 14th July 2021 after Sarawak entering Phase 2 of the National Recovery Plan (NRP). Such parking lots should be made available to the public due to more business activities re-activated instead of still letting those unlicensed hawkers occupying them illegally.
7. The general public, traders and shopkeepers have been blaming the
   Council in requiring them to strictly comply SOPs under the present Covid-19 pandemic whereas seemingly taking no heed to the presence of unlicensed hawkers who have posed potential threat to their safety since the unlicensed hawkers are not obliged to observe SOPs like maintaining social distancing and avoiding close contact among the traders and customers. There is no control of screening people’s body temperature and MySejastra scanning or manual registration.
8. Miri City Council would like to seek for understanding and co-operation of the general public on this matter though it may seem “inhuman” to certain sympathizers as alleged in the social media. Nevertheless, such enforcement action will avoid the situation being getting from bad to worse of which everyone will be affected due to imminent safety threat due to Covid-19 pandemic apart from other inconveniences, especially the threat of COVID 19 Delta variant being reported to be present in Miri lately.
9. The Council will continue to adapt a delicate approach during the
   enforcement exercise so as to avoid any untoward incidents, however, in the interest of the general public at large such operation is inevitable and it will be gradually extended to other hot spots.
10. Miri City Council will look into ways and means to assist these hawkers and at the same time, to protect the health and safety of the general public at large.

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