Muslim civil servants caught having illicit relations with the opposite sex have been evicted from government housing in Putrajaya, authorities said today.

Islamic officials have launched a campaign to stamp out immoral activities in Putrajaya, a grandiose collection of ministries, wide avenues and subsidised housing which lies south of the capital Kuala Lumpur.

Che Mat Che Ali, head of the Federal Territories Islamic Affairs Department, confirmed reports that civil servants have already been ordered to vacate their homes by the syariah court, but would not say how many have been evicted.

"I can confirm that this is happening," Che Mat told AFP of the 'Towards Zero Immoral Activities in Putrajaya 2010' campaign which has nabbed government employees caught in khalwat - close proximity between an unmarried couple.

"It may seem harsh but we want the people of Putrajaya to know that we take this matter seriously," he told the New Straits Times at the weekend.

"(We) used to receive a lot of complaints from the public about syariah offences.

"Among them was that we did not monitor immoral activities around the Putrajaya mosque," he reportedly said.

"We are not going to be lenient with them any more."

Malaysian civil servants, many of whom paid only modest wages, receive accommodation, travel allowances and low-interest government loans as part of the perks of their job.

Islamic or syariah courts run in parallel with the civil courts in Malay Muslim-majority Malaysia, and sex between unmarried Muslim couples is a violation of Islamic laws.

- AFP