KUALA LUMPUR, July 8 — The government will hold a “town hall meeting” with the homeless soon, Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Mansor announced today in the wake of a firestorm over his previous plans to dislodge them from the national capital.

The Federal Territories minister said the dialogue, which is yet to be scheduled, will be an avenue for vagrants here to voice their complaints so the government can improve their standard of living.

Earlier today, the Federal Territories Ministry held talks with several organisations that have been running soup kitchens to feed the homeless in an attempt to smoothen the government’s controversial crackdown against street people.

“The meeting today has achieved a consensus between the ministry, government agencies and relevant NGOs to together frame short and long-term solutions to solve the prolonged issue of vagrants in Kuala Lumpur,” Tengku Adnan said in a statement.

He added that the government was now seeking to “work closely with all NGOs involved and make them programme partners to help the destitute”.

He also said Putrajaya will priorities the eradication of syndicates which involve these beggars.

Tengku Adnan also clarified that soup kitchens with their own premises such as those located in houses of worship will not be subjected to the 2km-radius ban around the zone of the Lot 10 shopping mall.

However, the ministry suggested the NGOs operate their soup kitchens following the Anjung Singgah model, a ministry-sponsored homeless shelter at Jalan Hang Lekiu run by the National Welfare Foundation.

Several soup kitchen premises will also be “adopted” by the ministry to make it more similar to Anjung Singgah.

The ministry will also form a special committee involving government agencies and relevant NGOs to refine the process of food distribution to the homeless.

This comes as ministry postponed its ban on those operating within central Kuala Lumpur to after Hari Raya after its nearly three-hour discussion with soup kitchens here failed to result in a final solution on the matter.

The ministry said the enforcement will only start on August 16.

One NGO however claimed that the meeting today was a frustrating affair marked by a lack of empathy towards the poor, saying that the narrow perspective adopted by government representatives frustrated attempts at proper dialogue.