An advertisement was published in the China Press today to urge the 28 wives of Serdang MCA members who claimed their husbands frequented 'politically-protected' brothels in the area to come forward and lodge an official complaint.

The move was to check the validity of the charge which appeared in China Press and another Chinese newspaper, Sin Chew Daily , yesterday in the form of an open letter to MCA Wanita chief Dr Ng Yen Yen.

An infuriated MCA veteran and member of parliament for Serdang Yap Pian Hon dismissed the letter bearing the names of the 28 women as a political agenda by certain quarters in the party.

The advertisement stated that the women have one week to prove the validity of their letter and allegation.

The advertisement will also be published in two other Chinese-language dailies, Sin Chew Daily and

In the letter, the women said they suspected that the brothels, which allegedly operated in mini-hotels in Serdang, were backed by politicians since the police had not acted against them.

Although no names were mentioned, several popular Chinese-language online discussion groups linked Yap to the vice activities, eliciting a strong denial from the MP.