UM investigating Japanese student’s molest claim

PETALING JAYA: Complaints by a male Japanese exchange student who was allegedly molested by another foreign student while at Universiti Malaya (UM) are being investigated.

UM International and Corporate Relations Office (ICR) confirmed that the complaint had gone through the due process.

“As the investigation has not been completed, it would be inappropriate for us to comment,” ICR said in a statement.

The third-year law student, who has returned to Japan, alleged that he was molested by a male student at his dormitory on April 30.

In a statement posted online, the student claimed the perpetrator kissed him and tried to force him to touch his private parts but stopped and ran away when he threatened to call the police.

The victim reported the incident to UM’s security, International Student Centre (ISC) and the police. But he claimed ISC did not take his complaint seriously and had instead accompanied him to withdraw his police report, purportedly so that the university could carry out a smoother investigation.

The student further claimed that a Taiwanese student was also molested by the same perpetrator, and accused UM of doing little to protect its foreign students.

However, the university assured the public that the matter was being taken seriously, and that all complaints would be processed thoroughly.