Woman filmed naked during khalwat raid

The Straits Times, March 27, 2007

Questions raised over how clip was leaked onto YouTube and treatment of couple.


EXPOSED: A clip of the woman covering herself was posted on YouTube but later removed. Religious department officials confirmed that officials video-tape raids to use as evidence in court. -- HARIAN METRO

KUALA LUMPUR - A NEW controversy has broken out over the video-taping of a naked woman during a morality raid, scenes of which were later posted on YouTube.

The 1min, 16sec online video clip has caused a stir partly because it raises the question of how it came to appear on the YouTube video-sharing website, according to a Harian Metro report on Sunday.

The clip, titled in Bahasa - Naked Malay Girl Caught By Police Team D7: Recorded For Evidence? @ Free Show - has since been removed.

Beyond that, the incident could prove problematic for the authorities because of the way the woman was treated during the raid, suggesting that the officials involved did not follow procedures after storming the room where the couple was found.

The video footage also raises questions about the taping of couples caught in acts of close proximity, or khalwat.

Mr Faizal Ibrahim, the chief of the enforcement unit of the Penang Islamic Department, told the Harian tabloid that senior officials are allowed to carry video cameras during their raids for the purpose of evidence-gathering.

'I did not see the clip. There is a possibility that it is an actual operation against sinful activities because in operations carried out by us, we do take pictures and... make video recordings,' he said.

But he said that only the chief of the enforcement officers could hold a video camera.

In the clip that appeared on Youtube, an official could be seen pulling away a blanket covering a reclining woman, forcing her to grab a towel for cover.

This may be a breach of procedure because officials conducting such raids are not supposed to shame the couples caught.

Through its interviews with Penang officials, the tabloid hinted that the raid might have occurred in the northern state.

The incident is similar to one in November 2005 where a cellphone camera was used to capture images of a girl who was told to strip and perform squats in front of a policewoman.

The images, which were also distributed as a video clip, created a huge storm.

It was first thought that the woman was a tourist from China, and an embarrassed Malaysian minister went to Beijing to apologise for what had happened.

But it emerged later that the woman was a Malay who had been picked up by the police for a suspected drug offence.

The incident raised public anger because the photos were taken by a policeman in a lock-up.

The woman is now suing the police over the issue.

Harian Metro believes the police were not involved in the latest incident as a vest with the name of another agency was shown in the clip. It did not identify the agency involved.

Meanwhile, the Penang CID's chief of investigation, Datuk Abdul Samah Mat, said those with information on the Internet video should contact the police.