Taking a break from the far weightier issues of international war and peace that dominate the news o­n the NAM 13th Summit in KL, it is interesting to learn that:

Brothels in Selangor are of varying standards, "some dirty and smoky with rats" whilst others have bars, karaoke machine, sauna, deluxe and VIP rooms. Services are rendered not o­nly nighttime but also lunchtime as well.

Sex workers wear label/tags to show where they come from and their age - R20 means the girl comes from Russia and is of 20 years of age.

As far as price goes, those from Europe and China cost RM388, Thailand RM288 and Indonesia, RM188. I suppose that the price of Indonesian sex workers' services is lower presumably because, at least according to the reported opinion of o­ne of them, "Malaysian men, especially the younger o­nes, needed o­nly short service - about five to 10 minutes to climax" that goes to help brisker business turnover.

Brothel operators in Selangor, who are often big syndicates, have "tontos" (outlookers) who alert them in advance of a vice raid. (It is interesting who has prior knowledge to alert them in the first place.) Such advance tip will help operators to either hide the prostitutes in specially constructed "hidden rooms" or transport them to Kuala Lumpur outside the jurisdiction of the raiders.

(Indeed, o­ne may speculate that recalcitrant and uncooperative girls who give operators a hard time may in spite of the "tip" be deliberately left behind to be apprehended in the raid - so that raiders may look good - and operators are spared the expense and trouble of deporting them, as the authorities will take care of that.)

What's more - and I am not sure whether this will buttress marital relationship or sow marital mistrust or discord - wives are encouraged to check o­n husbands' shirts for lipstick stains and hotel and other receipts, so that if there were evidence to suspect that they have visited prostitutes, the wives could supply the information to municipal authorities, if not directly e-mail khir@selangor.govt.my for vice raids to be conducted by the authorities.

Yes, thanks to revelations of Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Khir Toyo, the citizens of the state now know more of the goings-on in Selangor that its denizens have always known ('Khir Toyo, brothel-buster' in StarMag, Sunday Star , Feb 23).

Now, it is important to note that the above revelations are not second-hand hearsay information but first-hand. The MB had gleaned those facts o­n various occasions when he personally led the raids with top state officials.

The information gathered will certainly make good sociological study and place the MB and state officials in good intellectual stead to take o­n and argue against those in Thailand and the UN International Labour Organisation who appear to hold diametrically opposite positions to legalise prostitution.

However even nearer home, they could debate with DAP chairperson Lim Kit Siang who asked why Mohd Khir was "not spearheading a campaign to clean up the aedes mosquito-infested areas in Selangor to make them dengue-free and save lives" and "hasn't the top Selangor officials like the state financial officer more important things to do than to indulge in the cheap thrills of such raids o­n vice dens?" (Lim Kit Siang's Home page statement of Feb 22; Khir Toyo - clean up dengue areas and save lives first instead of raiding vice den

)

In defence of Mohd Khir, I am compelled to take issue with Kit Siang's choice of words - "indulging in cheap thrills".

Admittedly, Selangor faces a growing dengue outbreak with a "record of more than 600 percent higher incidence of dengue cases than Singapore in the week from Jan 5-11" (Kit Siang's statement

of Feb 21).

If I may be permitted to add, the other long-standing problem facing the state that confounds and frustrates business and land dealings is the so-called computerisation of the Registrar of Land Titles Selangor in Shah Alam that, though near to two years has not been completed. Current registration of land dealings take as long as two years to complete.

Sure, all these are pressing problems facing the state that are incumbent upon the MB to address.

Still, given limitation of time and resources, the MB cannot be faulted if he prioritises "morality" and good principles as first imperative because it must have occurred to top Selangor officials that without morality and good principles - and here is the fine point to it - there can be no effective action taken and final resolution to problems of the kind occurring in Selangor Land Registry, and even lives saved from dengue are probably not worthwhile living.

According to the Star report, the MB expressed the need for "the support of non-Muslim society in eradicating prostitution" because "many Chinese patronise prostitutes - for example in the Damansara raid, 98 percent of the clients were Chinese while in the Ampang raid, 100 percent were Chinese".

He added, "some Chinese say that I am doing it because of Islam, but I am doing it for the sake of the Chinese".

(To be fair, the Chinese Malaysian were not the o­nly beneficiary, chosen with partiality, to receive this munificent gift of generous concern. Selangor has always been known for its strong enforcement of Islamic laws: there are regular raids o­n unmarried couples in parks and a virtual ban o­n Muslim girls taking part in beauty contests. If I am not mistaken, Michael Jackson's concert was also banned).

What about Mohd Khir's proposed move against all beer ads, logos and signage displayed in hawker centres and coffee shops o­n grounds that they might give tourists the impression that the state was a haven for drinking?

The Federated Chinese Associations of Malaysia had described the directive as "inappropriate for a multicultural country".

A spokesperson for the MB however said that o­nly liquor ads in restaurants that did not sell liquor were affected and in any case, "this is not about fighting PAS and has nothing to do with introducing Islamic rules. It is about healthy living and influencing children".

That being the case, I think cigarettes ads and signage, below the counter merchandise and point-of-sale promoting cigarettes too should be banned in all hawker centres and coffee shops in the state.

When morality and good principles are being inculcated in our children for healthy living, who could quarrel with that?

It would seem that in the state of Selangor, morality is the first virtue to be strived for, and if morality is found wanting and not sufficiently strengthened, all other virtues become secondary.

Surely such a personal mission to wipe out the thrills of commercial sex is not "indulging in cheap thrills". It is the thrill of moral righteousness.