KOTA KINABALU: There are no indications that syndicates are behind stateless children involved in panhandling in major towns, says Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Jauteh Dikun.
He said that police were keeping a close eye on stateless street children involved in begging on the street.
“However, the police will keep a close eye on the situation and take appropriate actions,” Comm Jauteh said.
The children, who are from the Palau community, are often seen at traffic intersections in Kota Kinabalu and Lahad Datu asking motorists for alms. In some cases, mothers carrying babies are also seen panhandling.
The Palau is a nomadic community that moves in waters between Sabah’s east coast and the southern Philippines.
He said state authorities had implemented various measures and approaches to deal with the presence of the children but the problem had resurfaced again.
Last year, the state government initiated a pilot project to set up a temporary shelter in Kota Kinabalu for undocumented street children, where they were provided with basic living skills for three months.
Under the programme, they were inculcated with self-care, community living, and spiritual learning.
