KUALA TERENGGANU: The Terengganu Islamic Religious Affairs Department (JHEAT) detained 23 people for allegedly committing ‘khalwat’ (close proximity) and behaving indecently in public in an operation in Pulau Redang.
The four-and-a-half hour operation in collaboration with the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) ended at 2.30am on Saturday.
The suspects, aged between 20 and 39, comprised 13 men and 10 women.
One woman suspect was detained in a hotel room with three men while some other couples claimed that they were siblings or engaged to avoid being arrested.
Twenty-one people would be investigated under Section 31 of the Syariah Crime Offences (Takzir)(Terengganu) Enactment 2001 for close proximity and the rest under Section 34 of the same enactment for behaving indecently in public.
Upon conviction, they could be fined up to RM3,000 or imprisoned two years or both.
State Religious Affairs Commissioner Datuk Wan Mohd Wan Ibrahim told Bernama that JHEAT would always monitor the activities that contradicted Islamic teachings on the islands of Terengganu from time to time.
“Do not try to make the islands in Terengganu as a location to commit immorality and to avoid being caught by authorities. Such an act will only tarnish the image of the islands in Terengganu,” he said. — Bernama
