Tattoo expo organisers apologise for semi-nude incident

PETALING JAYA: The organisers of the recent controversial Tattoo Malaysia Expo 2019 have apologised for a semi-nude incident during the event that went viral on social media recently.

The founder of Blackout Trading, who wanted to be known only as Carlos, said the incident was "truly unintentional" and they took full responsibility for it.

He also said that they were taking the necessary steps to prevent it from happening in the future.

“Our genuine intention for organising such international event was to promote the tourism industry, especially in Arts & Culture. Tattooing is an art form practiced worldwide.

“We would like to take this opportunity to apologise to all of the people of Malaysia who have been affected by the recently viraled posts regarding the event. The lack of due diligence on our end should not have happened.

“We have clearly failed to protect the interests of the public. We now only ask for forgiveness for us to set things right and fix what can be fixed. Rest assured, history shall not repeat itself as we have learned from our mistakes and will only come back stronger, ” he said in a statement on Tuesday (Dec 3).

He said that while they had obtained the support from Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB), they had failed to provide a full disclosure on the activities happening during our event.

MyCEB is an agency under the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture Malaysia (MoTAC).

Carlos said that despite the shortcoming from their end, they understood that it did not and will not amount to a defence.

“We will respect the decision made by the Ministry and MyCEB and will accept the consequence of our lack of disclosure. The Ministry and MyCEB also shall not be blamed for the inconvenience caused by us.

“We would like to apologise to all affected parties related to this event. This hiccup has taught us an invaluable lesson. We, as the Sole Organising Committee of Tattoo Malaysia Expo 2019, are truly sorry and would once again like to apologise to all involving parties for the lack of disclosure. We take full responsibility and accountability for the inconvenience caused. We vow to only improve in the coming future, ” said Carlos.

On Monday (Dec 2), Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Mohamaddin Ketapi said a probe was ordered into the Malaysia Tattoo Expo 2019, after pictures depicting models in a state of near-undress in the event made its rounds on social media.

The event, which featured participants from over 35 countries, was held at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre from Nov 29 to Dec 1.