KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 12 — Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) has denied its enforcement team used heavy-handed tactics when interacting with vendors engaged in illegal business activities that block the public pathways along Jalan Kuantan and in Titiwangsa Lake Gardens.

The DBKL Corporate Planning Department, in a statement today, confirmed that the incident in a video that went viral this week was recorded on August 8, during enforcement action in the area that took place from August 7 to 9.

It also stressed that all action taken by its team was done in accordance with the standard operating procedure (SOP).

“Please be informed that a week before the enforcement action, DBKL issued an initial verbal and written warning to all unlicensed businesses in the area.

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“This followed public complaints that we had received on the activity disrupting public roads,” read the statement.

The three-minute-long video showed a team of uniformed DBKL officers taking away a vendor’s table and chairs on the pathway next to Titiwangsa Lake, as two woman operators cry and plead with the officers.

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The statement explained that the vendor and bicycle rent operators were also issued a prior warning before enforcement took place as their activities might endanger pedestrians.

It added that on the day of the incident, DBKL enforcement personnel patrolled the area and found the majority of vendors and bicycle operators who were at the location to be compliant and agreed to pack up their things.

However, the vendors in the video appeared to drag their feet and continued to do business at the location, the statement added.

“When the officer approached to inform them that enforcement action was underway, the vendors pretended to pack up on the pretext of waiting for their vehicle to arrive, yet did not appear to have any intention to leave the scene.

“Because they still failed to comply with the warning issued, the seizure of the table continued.

“(However) No seizure of hawker-owned goods was carried out and throughout the enforcement action, DBKL personnel also recorded videos to ensure that the action was conducted according to the SOP set and to avoid any manipulation of the facts by those who may try to take advantage of the situation,” said the statement.