Unusual Friday: The crowd waiting to witness the public caning at Masjid Al Muktafi Billah Shah in Kuala Terengganu. — AZLINA ABDULLAH/The Star
PETALING JAYA: A crowd gathered at Masjid Al Muktafi Billah Shah in Kuala Terengganu to witness the country’s first public caning, but it was over in just two minutes, Majoriti reported.
The 42-year-old man was caned six times for khalwat (close proximity).
Mohd Affendi Awang, a father of five, arrived at the mosque at 2.28pm yesterday, escorted by prison officers and police.
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He first underwent a health examination for 20 minutes, and was brought out at 2.48pm where a medical officer declared him fit to proceed with the punishment.
He was then brought before three observers – a medical officer, prison officer and syariah court officer.
After the confirmation of the name and identification number, the punishment was carried out at exactly 2.50pm and the strokes were administered by an officer from Marang Prison.
The three observers monitored the caning, which was held in a closed hall within the mosque complex.
Mohd Affendi stood upright with his back turned to the public and hands behind his back.
Six strokes: Mohd Affendi arriving at the mosque for his punishment.
The caning officer swung the thin cane towards the man’s waist level for the first stroke, and the subsequent strokes were on different parts of the body, but still at the waist and above.
The prison escort observed Mohd Affendi’s face each time a stroke was administered.
The interval between each stroke was three to five seconds.
After receiving the six strokes, Mohd Affendi, who was silent throughout the caning, was escorted back into the examination room before being taken back to Marang Prison.
Among those who witnessed the caning were state information, preaching and syariah empowerment committee chairman Dr Muhammad Khalil Abdul Hadi, representatives from Malaysian Muslim Lawyers Association and the Syariah Lawyers Association of Malaysia, representatives of the Malaysian Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) and the media.
Those who witnessed the caning were not allowed to bring mobile devices.
Mohd Affendi was punished under Section 31 (a) of the Syariah Criminal Offences (Takzir) (Terengganu) Enactment Amendment 2022.
He had pleaded guilty to being with a woman in her 30s who is not his wife or “mahram” on Jan 25 on the third floor of a building undergoing renovation in the Kemaman district.
The whipping sentence was imposed on Mohd Affendi as it is his second offence.
He was fined in July last year for a similar offence.
