Those who frequent Malaysia

[Wish1719]

SHAH ALAM, MALAYSIA: The state government will investigate claims that some budget hotels in the state have installed hidden cameras in rooms to capture sexual acts of unsuspecting couples.

 

The images are then said to be burnt onto video compact discs and sold.

 

State Tourism, Environment and Consumer Affairs Committee chairman Elizabeth Wong said she would be holding meetings with the Association of Budget Hotels soon to determine if the allegations were true.

 

"Such activities can adversely affect tourism and cannot be condoned."

 

As a matter of policy, closed-circuit television cameras should only be installed at the entrance of hotels and hallways, but never in rooms, Wong said after the weekly state executive council meeting.

 

The matter came to light yesterday in a Harian Metro front-page report which claimed some budget hotels in several states had hidden cameras installed in rooms for the purpose of recording the sexual activities of guests.

 

The report stated that the recordings were then sold to DVD and VCD pirates for between RM1,000 and RM3,000.

 

On another matter, state Local Government and Research Committee chairman Ronnie Liu said a show-cause letter had been issued to a newly-appointed local councillor in Klang who allegedly stopped enforcement officers from demolishing a tea stall purportedly belonging to his daughter. -NST

 

THE police will investigate claims that budget hotels in Klang are being used to film couples having sex before selling the footage to pornographic VCD and DVD sellers.

 

Klang OCPD Asst Comm Mohamad Mat Yusop said police had not received any reports of rooms at budget hotels in Klang being fitted with hidden cameras to capture couples in action before this.

 

"The report in the Malay daily is the first that we have heard of such incidents taking place and since it is illegal to have such cameras in hotel rooms we will definitely carry out investigation soon," he said.

 

He said fitting rooms with cameras without the knowledge of the occupants was a serious offence as it was an invasion of privacy.

 

He said the making and selling of pornographic VCDs and DVDs was another offence and the police wanted to put a stop to it if the claims were true.

 

He said police would also interview the journalist who wrote the article to shed more light on the matter and assist in investigations.

 

It was reported in a Malay daily yesterday that some budget hotels in Klang had special rooms fitted with hidden cameras placed in the television set and the air-condition unit.

 

The DVDs and VCDs were sold for between RM10 and RM18 each and featured mostly teenagers and students from institutions of higher learning.

 

The journalist, who claimed to have gone undercover and spoken to some hotel owners, wrote that a 23 volume set of DVDs of the sex romp was worth up to RM3,000, besides the royalties on each copy sold. -The Star

Edited July 11, 2008 by Wish1719