IPOH: The Manjung Municipal Council (MPM) has denied appointing any individual or association to collect fees from visitors at Pantai Teluk Senangin in Lumut.
In a statement today, MPM said the actions contradicted the policies governing public beach management.
“For your information, Pantai Teluk Senangin is a public beach open to all members of society for recreation, relaxation, and picnicking. MPM does not charge visitors for leisure activities, such as setting out mats, gathering with family, or relaxing on the beach.
“MPM has not appointed, authorised, or issued any permits to individuals, associations, or organisations to collect fees from beachgoers. Anyone claiming they are allowed to do so is acting illegally and against the law,” the statement added.
MPM said it posted a notice on its Facebook page on Aug 15 last year, stating that no charges were imposed for picnicking at the beach.
Following the issue, MPM collaborated with the Manjung District Police Headquarters to conduct an enforcement operation at the beach regarding the unauthorised rental of ring floats.
“During the seizure operation, action was taken against operators renting out chairs, tables, tents, and floats without a valid license or permission from the President of MPM. A total of six seizures were made involving various equipment, including tents set up along Pantai Teluk Senangin.
“All seized items were taken to the MPM temporary storage depot for further action according to applicable laws and procedures. The seized items included 220 chairs, 19 wooden tables, one steel table, one umbrella, 25 floats, and three tents,” the statement said.
MPM said that so far, 10 permits had been issued to operators who met the requirements. However, only three of these operators were currently active.
Yesterday, a social media post of a family being harassed by an individual demanding payment for table and chair rentals during their visit to the beach, located 32 kilometres from Sitiawan, Manjung, had gone viral.
