PETALING JAYA: The management of the entertainment club in Kuala Lumpur scheduled to host a controversial event featuring cross-dressing Thai men has issued a public apology.
The apology came after the club, Privacy Club Tun Razak, cancelled the event following a warning from the police.
In a statement posted on its Facebook page, the club said it respected the religious sensitivities in the country and would not violate the law.
It also disavowed all promotional material for the “Thai Hot Guy” event that had been distributed online previously, saying it was done without its consent.
“We once again apologise for any inconvenience caused and, on the grounds (of) respecting racial and religious sensitivities, the programme has been cancelled,” it said.
At least 60 police reports were lodged over the event that would have featured waiters clad in lingerie from a popular Bangkok restaurant.
The Prime Minister’s political secretary, Azman Abidin, said checks by Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) found that the premises only had a licence to operate as a restaurant and not as an entertainment outlet.
The licensee was apparently a company named Beijing 9 Sdn Bhd, he added.
“The company’s restaurant licence expired on Feb 4, 2021. The premises also does not have an entertainment licence nor did it apply for one to hold entertainment activities,” he said in a statement yesterday.
Azman said DBKL was now reviewing the situation and would take appropriate action if the organisers were found to have broken its rules and regulations.
Wangsa Maju OCPD Supt Ashari Abu Samah said the event was cancelled following a meeting between the police and organisers yesterday.
“We gave the organisers a stern warning and directed them to cancel the event,” he said in a statement.
He said although the organisers had cancelled the event, police would still monitor the venue.
He said reports lodged complained that the event had gone against religious and racial sensitivities and might disrupt public order.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Dr Mohd Na’im Mokhtar criticised the organisers for planning an event that was contrary to Islamic teachings and Malaysian culture.
He said the Federal Territories Islamic Religious Department had been directed to work with the authorities in its investigations.
Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the “Thai Hot Guy” event should be cancelled as it could cause discomfort among Muslims who had begun to observe the holy month of Ramadan.
“We will find out where the organisers got their approval from (and also contact) the local authorities on this matter,” he said after attending the ministry’s monthly assembly in Putrajaya.
In the Dewan Rakyat, Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Sabah, Sarawak and Special Affairs) Datuk Wilson Ugak Kumbong said the event had nothing to do with the Malaysia Madani agenda.
He told PAS MP Ahmad Fadhli Shaari the organisation of any programme needed to take into account the diversity of races and religions in the country.
