NRI Satyanarayan Prasad Papoli fined US$1,168 by Malaysian court
for wearing 'support' for LGBTQ
Los Angeles/Oct 07, 2024
NRIpress.club/Ramesh/A.Gary Singh
Two foreign men were each fined 5,000 ringgit (approximately US$1,200) by a Malaysian court after pleading guilty to wearing inappropriate attire during a controversial running event. The men, identified as Satyanarayana Prasad Papoli, 70, from India, and Arthur Wang, 66, from Taiwan, admitted to the charges before Magistrate Nurkhalida Farhana Abu Bakar on Monday.
men were charged under Section 294 of Malaysia’s Penal Code for public indecency, an offense punishable by up to three months in prison, a fine, or both. The indecent behavior occurred between 4 pm and 6 pm near a hotel in Jalan Utama Jalan Desaru, Pengerang, during the running event on Friday.
Prosecutors, led by Johor state prosecution director Abdul Ghafar Ab Latif, called for a harsher sentence due to public grievances caused by the incident. Abdul Ghafar emphasized that the penalty should serve as a warning to both visitors and locals to respect the country’s cultural norms.
Wang, who is unemployed, defended himself by stating that he was unaware of Malaysian customs and had no intention of offending anyone. He apologized to Malaysians, saying, "For the past 10 years, I’ve been promoting the aboriginal culture of Orchid Island in Taiwan. Had I known the clothing would be considered indecent here, I would not have worn it."
Satyanarayana, a retired lawyer, also expressed regret, explaining that it is common for men to wear women’s clothing during certain charity events like the one they were participating in. He admitted his mistake, saying, "I came with the pure intention of doing charity but admit my fault in wearing women's attire."
The court fined each man 5,000 ringgit, with the option of a one-month jail sentence in case of non-payment. Both paid the fine.
The incident gained public attention after Johor police arrested three men, including the two foreigners, following the controversial event. Johor police chief M. Kumar stated that the arrests were related to public indecency, and authorities seized items like a red sari, a red skirt, and props from the suspects.
Johor’s chief minister, Onn Hafiz Ghazi, confirmed that the state government would investigate the event after public outrage over participants’ inappropriate clothing went viral on social media. He clarified that the event was not organized by the state government or its agencies.
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