Share

Malaysia hunts for 'nude games' participants

Kuala Lumpur - One woman has been arrested and more than a dozen are being sought by Malaysian authorities after images of a nudist sports festival triggered outrage in the Muslim-majority country, police said on Friday.

A video of the gathering, called the "Nude Sport Games 2014", first appeared on social media earlier this week and went viral.

It shows participants frolicking on a secluded Penang beach in late May, engaged in a range of activities including body painting, dancing, relay races and various other contests, all in the nude.

In one scene, a woman is seen riding horseback on a man, while in another, a woman crawls over three men lying next to each other in the sand.

"A Malaysian woman was arrested on Thursday to assist police in the investigation of the naked festival", Lai Fah Hin, local police chief in the northern state of Penang, told AFP.

Lai said 18 people, most of them foreigners, took part and that police had learned the identities of 15 and were seeking them.

He would not specify whether the arrested Malaysian woman was a participant.

Those being sought include seven Malaysians, four Singaporeans, two Myanmar nationals, a Filipino and an Indian national, he said.

The gathering has been condemned by Muslim conservatives but also many non-Muslims, and triggered heated online exchanges between critics and supporters of the nudists.

Lai said they could face up to five years in prison for taking part in an "obscene act".

About 60% of Malaysia's nearly 30 million people are Muslim ethnic Malays.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Do you think corruption-accused National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula will survive a motion of no confidence against her?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
No, her days are numbered
41% - 509 votes
Yes, the ANC caucus will protect her
59% - 719 votes
Vote
Rand - Dollar
18.90
+0.2%
Rand - Pound
23.86
+0.2%
Rand - Euro
20.36
+0.3%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.31
+0.3%
Rand - Yen
0.12
+0.2%
Platinum
908.05
0.0%
Palladium
1,014.94
0.0%
Gold
2,232.75
-0.0%
Silver
24.95
-0.1%
Brent Crude
87.00
+1.8%
Top 40
68,346
0.0%
All Share
74,536
0.0%
Resource 10
57,251
0.0%
Industrial 25
103,936
0.0%
Financial 15
16,502
0.0%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE