KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia—Malaysian
lawyers, politicians and activists lambasted the
police Saturday, accusing them of abusing
their power in chaining up and marking the
bodies of 30 foreign women detained for
alleged prostitution.
Police raided a high-end nightclub in northern
Penang state late Thursday and arrested 29
women from China and one from Vietnam,
along with eight Malaysian men. Local media
reported police officers went undercover at
the club for a week before the raid.
It triggered an outcry after local newspapers
carried photos of the women bound up with a
long chain and marked with either a tick or an
X on their chest and forehead.
"The police branded the detained women as
though they are cattle," opposition lawmaker
Teresa Kok said in a statement. "It is sickening
that the police would employ such
dehumanizing tactics as a show of power and
moral superiority over their detainees."
Women's rights group Tenaganita said the
detainees had been victimized and called for
an investigation into the police conduct.
Another rights group, Lawyers for Liberty, said
the police action was "very unusual and
inhumane" as the women were merely
suspects and not convicted of any crime.
Police have defended their action, saying the
markings served as a way to identify the
women.
Penang police chief Ayub Yaakob told the New
Straits Times that the situation was chaotic,
with the suspects trying to escape. He said
police were forced to mark the women after
some donned new clothes to try and blend in
with other female patrons of the club.
He also said the women had wrecked many
marriages and that police had received
numerous complaints from wives of men who
sought their services.
Topic: Fury over Malaysia cops cattle-branding women (Read 1465 times)