KUALA LUMPUR, June 3 — The non-governmental organisation that brought up the issue of homeless people being hauled away in trucks and dumped at two locations away from the city centre insists the matter be investigated.

Pertubuhan Pembangunan Kebajikan dan Persekitaran Positif Malaysia (SEED) executive director Mitch Yusof said it was not a question of what the raid was for but that the homeless were forced to walk back from the Karak Highway and Rawang.

“This is a question of humanity,” he said.

“Why would the homeless lie about it? They have nothing to gain.”

Mitch added that two of the homeless individuals did not undergo urine tests.

“We just want to know what happened,” he added.

Mitch was responding to an MM Afternoon report yesterday in which City Hall claimed its role in the May 22 operation was merely to provide logistical support.

Executive director of economic development Datuk Mohd Sauffi Muhamad said two lorries and staff from its Bukit Bintang management department were involved in Ops Selamat.

“We did not carry out any action against the homeless on that date,” he said.

A City Hall staff, who was present that night, said he did not witness any untoward incidents, adding that urine tests were conducted by the National Anti-Drug Agency at its office in Jalan Duta.

The agency’s deputy director-general of operations Izhar Abu Talib said its Dang Wangi district office had conducted a joint Ops Selamat with City Hall, the Federal Territories Religious Department and Immigration Department to trace drug users and other offenders under the jurisdiction of the other two departments.

“The operations were carried out around Chow Kit, Pudu and other areas under Dang Wangi’s jurisdiction,” he said.

He said action was taken against 81 people who had tested positive for drugs, with some sent to rehabiliation centres while others were freed on bail.

“Ops Selamat never targeted the homeless as they are outside our jurisdiction,” he said.

The issue of people living on the streets being hauled up had surfaced following a Facebook posting by Lalita Abdullah, who said some members of the SEED community were picked up in a “massive DBKL raid” in KL.

“They were herded onto a lorry and driven out of the city, with some asked to get off at Rawang and others at the Karak Highway.

“How in the world can people be so heartless. I will never understand it. Never. My heart aches,” Lalita said in a post.

Deputy Federal Territories Minister Datuk Loga Bala Mohan yesterday said the agency must be questioned.

“They must be responsible for their actions and should not be throwing it back to City Hall or any other agencies,” he said.

He also said SEED needed to do a thorough check before accusing parties which were not involved.

He said it would not make sense for City Hall to treat homeless people terribly as they had always provided shelters for them.