Hustlers continue to thrive in the heart of KL

KUALA LUMPUR: In the lively streets of Bukit Bintang, even under the watchful gaze of curious onlookers, individuals suspected of engaging in the world’s oldest profession were still present.

Observations at local hotspots revealed that these sex workers continue to seek out customers in dimly lit lanes.

The presence of Kuala Lumpur City Hall officers checking on illegal vendors and vehicles parked illegally across the main road has resulted in fewer working girls appearing in public.

At a row of budget hotels near Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, several scantily clad women were seen trying to engage potential customers while a man approached a waiting lady of the night, both talking in hushed tones before he walked off to another row of hotels.

A member of the investigating team was approached by a man who tried to draw him into a massage parlour.

“Sir, you want a massage?” he said, as a sexily dressed lady stood by the corner, smiling while eyeing the reporter from head to toe.

Some women took notice of the team’s unusual presence, covered their faces, and walked away.

While soliciting customers on the streets, sex service providers avoid eye contact with the public.

On the Internet, it is a different scenario altogether.

A simple Google search will lead users to tonnes of websites proudly showing off photos of sex workers, whose charges differ depending on the nationality, location and popularity.

The average charge listed online is RM220 per hour, with a collection of reviews to help customers make their choices.

Online forum threads on the matter were also plentiful, with many offering to share contacts with trusted users. For extra security, a paywall locks most of these threads.

With the rise of social media, some “agents” leveraged a messaging application’s “people nearby” function to advertise their unscrupulous business.

A click on the feature would allow users to find chat rooms and chat accounts within a 500m radius that contain information about various services, including the flesh trade, video calls and pornographic materials.

A chat room also explicitly advertised child sex and an array of drugs, including “ice” (methamphetamine), eremin (a hypnotic drug) and marijuana.

According to an advertisement in the chat room, a round of sex service plus the room fee costs as low as RM180 per hour or RM500 for a night.