Police assure that tourist spots and public areas are safe

PETALING JAYA: Authorities have denied that various popular tourist spots in the country are being targeted by terrorists.

In Johor Baru, state deputy police chief Senior Asst Comm Datuk Mohd Zakaria Ahmad said the people should not be unduly worried when going to public areas following an article in a Singaporean newspaper which claimed that the city’s malls and tourist destinations were unsafe.

The article, he said, had caused uneasiness among the people here.

He criticised the article’s contents, which gave the perception that the police were not telling the truth or hiding the facts about any possible attack in Johor Baru.

ACP Mohd Zakaria said the police would be on high alert at all times and had placed more officers to patrol public areas, especially shopping malls.

“The increased patrols are done not only during the festive seasons but all year round,” he said after attending a Hari Raya open house hosted by Johor police headquarters’ Traffic Investigations Depart­ment here yesterday.

The article has gone viral on social media since it was published on July 10 with many, especially from Johor Baru and Singapore, voicing their concerns.

In Malacca, state Finance, Land, Investment, Industrialisation, Reli­gious Affairs and Tourism deputy chairman Datuk Ghazale Muhamad described such media reports as misleading and that could lead to public anxiety.

“The report was based on unfounded WhatsApp messages. Intelli­gence by the authorities doesn’t suggest any attempt,” he said.

The state government, he said, was also working closely with the authorities, adding that security in the historic city was at its highest level.

There was also a special task force, added Ghazale, to safeguard the security of tourist hotspots. He said hotel occupancy and tourist arrivals had not been affected by the reports.