Last month, the Kelantan police reported that they had detained and arrested several individuals in what they believed to be a "gay sex party" following a public tip-off. The gathering turned out to be a HIV outreach program organised under the Malaysian Aids Council, targeted at hard-to-reach minority groups. Advocacy groups have since condemned the raid, citing human rights violations and harmful media narratives that fuel stigma against HIV-related advocacy. We talk about this with Dr Afiqah Mohd Salleh, Vice President of the Malaysian AIDS Council.

Other stories we covered:

• Police intimidation in porn arrests: Following a police raid on an HIV awareness program they believed was a “gay sex party,” three men were arrested for possessing pornographic material on their phones. The arrests have raised concerns about intimidation tactics, as the raid reportedly took place after the event had ended, prompting questions about whether officers searched phones due to a lack of initial evidence. We speak with lawyer Goh Cia Yee on the legality of the police’s actions.
• Malay-language Federal Constitution: Lawyer Haniff Khatri Abdulla has filed a lawsuit under Section 160B for the Malay translation of the Federal Constitution to prevail over the English version and be recognised as authoritative text. We hear thoughts from Haniff himself and lawyer New Sin Yew for his thoughts on the situation.
• Wildlife smugglers using new tactics: As trafficking syndicates grow more sophisticated in their use of technology to evade detection, law enforcement agencies are evolving too. We speak with Kanitha Krishnasamy, the Southeast Asia Director of TRAFFIC, on how Malaysia can improve their technological enforcement to tackle this problem.
• Littering laws to be enforced: A new amendment to the Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Act has just passed in the Dewan Rakyat. It gives courts the authority to not only impose fines but also mandatory community service. We get into whether this move would work to deter litterbugs.

Image Credit: Shutterstock

Produced by: Tee Shiao Eek, Sneha Harikannan, Alia Zefri, Sudais Ferhard, Susan Tam

Presented by: Sharaad Kuttan, Susan Tam

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Categories:  government,  Law/Activism,  environment,  controversies,  health policy

Tags:  kelantan,  pdrm,  lgbt rights,  malaysian aids council,  raid,  privacy laws,  bahasa malaysia,  bahasa melayu,  federal constitution,  wildlife,  animal,  animals,  animal rights,  animal trafficking,  wildlife smuggling,  law,  littering,