Nude squats on S'pore women: Officer did her work well, says Hisham

Malaysian Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said the female Immigration officer who carried out a body search on two Singaporean women, who were asked to strip naked and perform nude squats, carried out her responsibilities and duties well.

"The probe also found that both the Singaporeans had entered the country via a closed counter on June 9. At that time, no officer was on duty," he said in a written reply to Fong Po Kuan, the DAP MP for Batu Gajah.

The women, said Hishammuddin, were detained under Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act for entering and being in Malaysia without a valid pass.

"Both were then taken to the Pekan Nanas detention depot, where they had to undergo an inspection, a procedure for all new arrivals," he said.

The inspection, added Hishammuddin, was according to that stated under the depot's Standard Operating Procedure.

Humiliating and ridiculous

According to a Singapore Straits Times report, the two women had driven to Johor Baru for supper on July 9. They were stopped, questioned by Malaysian immigration officials, handcuffed, thrown behind bars and made to do squats while naked.

The two women claimed they drove through uninspected because the immigration lane was unmanned, and that no one answered the intercom.

Following their punishment, they were allowed to return to Singapore after 48 hours with a warning.

Both women have reportedly vowed never to return to Malaysia after the incident, which drew criticism from opposition MPs who called the act “humiliating and ridiculous.”

One of the women, known as Chang, said she would take legal action.

Two Immigration officers were suspended following the incident but the department has insisted all along that the detentions were legal under the Immigration Act as they had entered the country without a valid pass.

Malaysia Chronicle