'Gay' health centre raid reckless act, violates individual rights - PSM Youth

PSM Youth has criticised the Nov 28 raid of an alleged gay health centre in Kuala Lumpur, which saw 201 men arrested, as a reckless act that violates individual rights.

The wing’s deputy chairperson Aiman Sees claimed that they were informed of brutality during the raid and that the suspects’ basic and legal rights were ignored.

However, Dang Wangi police chief Sazalee Adam denied this when contacted today.

Aiman further slammed the authorities for their blatant power abuse in detaining the suspects past the 24 hours allowed without obtaining a remand order from the magistrate.

He said that despite the police remand application being dismissed on Nov 29, the detainees were not allowed to be released from custody without a bailor, and they remain under custody until Nov 30.

“This act of disregarding the law is a breach of trust against Malaysians,” Aiman added in a statement today.

He said activists, lawyers, family members, and the concerned public had gathered outside the Dang Wangi police station following the raid as a show of solidarity and for bail management.

According to news reports, the raid at the Jalan Raja Laut premises followed public tip-offs and a two-week surveillance. Those arrested were between 19 and 60 years old.

Berita Harian quoted Kuala Lumpur deputy police chief Azani Omar as saying that intelligence gathered showed there were “immoral activities” at the premises involving gay men.

Those arrested included 80 Muslims and foreigners from South Korea, Indonesia, Germany, and China, he said.

Kuala Lumpur police chief Fadil Marsus confirmed that 171 suspects have been released as the authorities failed to obtain a remand order, New Straits Times reported.

He said their remand application was dismissed as it was submitted late, which he claimed was due to the large number of detainees, and that the authorities could not proceed with their investigations under Sections 377 and 372 of the Penal Code due to a lack of evidence.

He added that the authorities could not charge any of the detainees as none of them claimed to be victims of exploitation, prostitution, or unnatural sex.

Is this a diversion?

Aiman further questioned the timing of the raid, especially since it was carried out only two weeks after intelligence was gathered.

“(We) would like to remind the public that this raid took place at a time when the latest developments regarding the mining corruption scandal in Sabah shook the country.

“We must question why the raid operation was carried out at this time after only two weeks of intelligence.

“Efforts to raise a popular issue, such as ‘fighting perverse phenomena’ as a way to divert the public attention from controversies involving the government, are common occurrences by previous and current governments,” he said.

Aiman called on the people to remain critical of all government actions and not be complacent.

He also urged the police to take responsibility for admitting that they had ignored legal procedures.

“Justice must be served to those who have been victimised by the institutions that are supposed to safeguard well-being,” he added.

‘Unethical media’

The PSM Youth leader also described the media that participated in the raid as unethical, claiming that the suspects’ identities were leaked due to extensive media coverage.

“Over the past three days, information has been circulating on social media, including regarding the suspects’ demographics, place of employment, and marital status.

“Online newspapers even published news articles that are insensitive to the suspects’ personal information, as if there were no journalistic ethics,” Aiman said.

He attributed this to negligence by the police, the Kuala Lumpur City Hall, and the Federal Territories Islamic Religious Department in inviting the media.

“It cannot be denied that this raid and the process that followed have intimidated and put suspects under mental pressure (while) at the same time, they also receive negative attention that risks discrimination, stigma, and job loss,” he added.

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