Travel and tourism is big business in Malaysia and well needed, but there are limits to it. The footage on a recent YOUTUBE video showed over a dozen naked tourists engaged in different activities on a remote beach in Malaysia’s northwestern state of Penang.
Eight people have been arrested for participating in a nudist sports festival in Malaysia, with the organizer apologizing to the public of the Muslim-majority state for staging the event.
Video from the festival – entitled “Nude Sport Games 2014” – quickly went viral after appearing on social media in early August.
According to the video, the program for the naturist event included body painting, dancing and relay races.
The popularity of the video landed its stars in big trouble, causing outrage among Malaysia’s Muslim population.
Those appearing on the video are now being investigated by the police for acts of public obscenity and “insulting the modesty” of others, which may lead to prison terms of up to five years.
Eight people – including one of the organizers, Albert Yam – have already been arrested by Malaysian law enforcement.
Yam, who currently remains in custody, has written an open letter to the Penang authorities and expressed his apologies, the New Straits Times reports.
The police are still looking for seven other Nude Sport Games 2014 participants, including citizens of Myanmar and the Philippines, said Lai Fah Hin, Penang district police chief.
