Malaysia probes tattoo expo over nudity

This article is more than 12 months old

Dec 03, 2019 06:00 am

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia ordered an investigation yesterday into what the government called a half-naked tattoo show held in Kuala Lumpur, after pictures of heavily-inked men and women circulated on social media in the Muslim-majority nation.

The three-day Tattoo Malaysia Expo, which started on Friday and drew participants from 35 countries, was supported by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, the show's organiser said on its website.

But the ministry said this year's event violated its standards for the first time since it was first held in 2015 and vowed "firm action" against the organisers.

Pictures in Malaysian media blurred the private parts of men and women in the show.

"It's impossible for the ministry to approve any application for events that have obscene elements such as this, because it is not Malaysian culture, what's more when the majority of Malaysians are Muslim," Mr Mohamaddin Ketapi, the Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, said in a statement.

"We will wait for the full investigation report... and will not hesitate to take legal action if they are found to have been in violation of set conditions."