KL ‘gay spa’ raid exposes arrested men’s identities but yields no prosecutions

Under-fire police reviewing procedures after highly publicised operation backfires

- Hadi Azmi Malaysia Correspondent

Kuala Lumpur police are reviewing their procedures after a highly publicised Nov 28 raid on a city-centre spa backfired spectacularly — failing to yield any prosecutions despite arresting more than 200 people and exposing their identities to media scrutiny.

All detainees, including teachers, doctors, deputy public prosecutors and other government officials, were released within 48 hours after a magistrate ruled on Nov 30 that police could not prove anyone had been exploited or coerced into “prostitution, or abnormal sexual activity”.

The botched operation has drawn sharp criticism from queer advocacy groups in Malaysia who say police violated detainees’ privacy by bringing the media along to film partially clothed men in towels, making their identities easily traceable through disclosed job titles and workplaces.

Kuala Lumpur police chief Fadil Marsus acknowledged the procedural gaps on Dec 1, saying the authorities want to avoid situations where evidence proves inadmissible. “Every offence has its elements, and there are specific requirements that must be met. It is not easy to accuse someone, including in cases involving sodomy or other negative social activities,” he said.

Datuk Fadil told reporters on Nov 30 that no detainees admitted to being victims of coercion, conceding that “the case is gone”.