The Penang government has been urged to set up a task force to look into an NGO’s claim that at least 200 premises offer sex services in George Town and Butterworth.

The Episcopal Commission for Migrants and Itinerants in Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei, which issued the call, said there is need for an urgent solution.

“All parties should work hand-in-hand to tackle this problem," said Sudhagaran Stanley (left) , who heads the commission.

Sudhagaran suggested that the task force comprises representatives of the police, Immigration Department and interest groups, and that it  formulates a year-long plan to free Penang of human trafficking activities.

"This will be possible if all parties are sincere in their duty and come out in full force to protect the victims and go after criminal organisations on a full scale," he said.

"Police officers found to be connected with such criminal organisations should be sacked and charged in court.”

Pointing out the presence of private dicso rooms in a shopping mall in Pulau Tikus, Sudhagaran questioned how such businesses operate without problems.

"Are the police part of the problem in allowing such places to operate for something in return?" he asked.

State Opposition Leader Jahara Hamid also called for action and for Penangites to “be wary” of these sex spots.

“We want to promote Penang as a tourism and heritage centre, not as a sex haven or paradise, or as a place for LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transexual) activities,” Jahara told a press conference today.

She said the Penang government has to make an effort to eradicate the sex trade, and that questions would be posed at the coming sitting of the state assembly.

Search for solutions

The issues had been raised last November at the relaunch of the Penang Stop Human Trafficking Campaign in Tanjung Bungah.

These were revisited at the NGO’s seminar last Saturday on ‘Sex trafficking in Penang: What we can do about it’.

This prompted Penang police to deny that George Town is a "sex city", also saying that the survey findings cited in a presentation were questionable as it was based on interviews with taxi drivers in 2011.

"The NGO's representative will be summoned to give a statement... The report is untrue as the police and local authorities conduct daily raids on hotels and entertainment premises," Bernama quoted state police chief Abdul Rahim Hanafi as saying.

In a response today, the NGO explained that the presentation was not intended to sensationalise the existence of a sex industry in Penang.

“Instead it was to say ‘there is an issue’ and to share what we can do about it. It should be noted that one of the presentations talked about how jurisdictions across the world are grappling with tackling human trafficking, including sex trafficking," the organiser said in a statement.

"Whether in Europe, North America, Australia or elsewhere in Asia, countries, towns and cities are all seeking ways to deal with the problem.

"No one has come up with a definitive solution. Our discussions in Penang need to be put in that context: that we are just one place among thousands that are talking about how to combat human trafficking.”