December 2, 2025
KUALA LUMPUR – Kuala Lumpur police are reviewing their procedures after a highly publicised Nov 28 raid on a city-centre spa backfired spectacularly – failing to yield any prosecutions despite arresting more than 200 people and exposing their identities to media scrutiny.
All detainees, including teachers, doctors, deputy public prosecutors and other government officials, were released within 48 hours after a magistrate ruled on Nov 30 that police could not prove anyone had been exploited or coerced into “prostitution, or abnormal sexual activity”.
The botched operation has drawn sharp criticism from queer advocacy groups in Malaysia who say police violated detainees’ privacy by bringing the media along to film partially clothed men in towels, making their identities easily traceable through disclosed job titles and workplaces.
Kuala Lumpur police chief Fadil Marsus acknowledged the procedural gaps on Dec 1, saying the authorities want to avoid situations where evidence proves inadmissible. “Every offence has its elements, and there are specific requirements that must be met. It is not easy to accuse someone, including in cases involving sodomy or other negative social activities,” he said.
Datuk Fadil told reporters on Nov 30 that no detainees admitted to being victims of coercion, conceding that “the case is gone”.
The police were investigating the suspects under Section 377A of Malaysia’s Penal Code, which is a British colonial-era law that criminalises “carnal intercourse against the order of nature”. This includes anal and oral sex, and is punishable by up to 20 years’ imprisonment and whipping. The police had also attempted to investigate the suspects under Section 372, which handles the exploitation of any person for purposes of prostitution.
Mr Fadil said that the police, the local authorities and the religious department are now working to ensure that the wellness centre, which operated as a gym with its upper floors converted into a sauna and jacuzzi, ceases operations permanently.
Meanwhile, the Education Ministry said on Dec 1 that it has already taken action against the teachers caught in the raid, saying they have been removed from the schools they were working at pending the completion of investigations.
“All department heads are reminded to strengthen monitoring efforts and ensure that such immoral activities are eradicated at every level,” the ministry said in a statement, stressing that it does not tolerate “unethical conduct” within its ranks.
A total of 201 men were detained during a joint enforcement operation at a wellness centre in Jalan Raja Laut in Kuala Lumpur after the authorities suspected the premises were being used for illicit activities. The men, aged between 19 and 60, were picked up in a surprise raid involving Kuala Lumpur police, Kuala Lumpur City Hall and the Federal Territories Islamic Religious Department. Fifteen of them were foreign nationals.
While all the detainees have been cleared from any criminal probe following their release, 103 of them who are Muslim are still being investigated under syariah law.
Religious Affairs Minister Mohd Na’im Mokhtar said on Dec 1 that the men are still accused of sodomy under the Syariah Criminal Offences (Federal Territories) Act 1997.
“This act is unacceptable, not only legally, but even more so from a religious standpoint,” Datuk Mohd Na’im told reporters.
Queer advocacy groups have criticised the raid. In a joint statement, they accused the media of “derogatory and harmful” reporting that has had a negative impact on the lives and livelihoods of the people involved.
“The men were seen being hauled up in various parts of the building – in the sauna, pool and gym – completely violating their right to privacy,” said the statement on Nov 29.
“The stigma and criminalisation of LGBTQ people in Malaysia through laws such as Section 377 and vague laws under the state Syariah Criminal Offences Act allow such violations to take place with impunity.”
On Nov 29, a separate raid in Perai, Penang, saw 13 men arrested for alleged involvement in unnatural sexual and prostitution activities.
In June 2025, Kelantan police raided what they publicly described as a “gay sex party”, but civil society groups clarified it was actually an HIV health outreach event providing medical information, condoms, voluntary testing and health talks for marginalised communities.
A coalition of more than 25 organisations had in July 2025 condemned the police’s stigmatising statements, and alleged human rights violations during the raid, noting that all attendees tested negative for drugs and no sexual activity occurred.
While acceptance of LGBT rights has grown globally, a 2023 survey by US-based Pew Research Centre found that eight in 10 Malaysians oppose same-sex marriage; Singapore was split at 51 per cent against and 45 per cent in favour.
In a series of Instagram Story posts, queer activist Numan Afifi congratulated the community for its mobilisation effort, after they successfully supported those affected by the raid.
Mr Numan thanked lawyers, volunteers, civil society organisers, and supporters who provided legal aid, food, information and solidarity for those arrested. He also joked that Kuala Lumpur’s “first pride march” had happened in front of the police station during the two-day ordeal.
“We may be exhausted but we are not defeated,” he said.
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