Tag Archives: Malaysia

The Associated Press reports: Malaysia’s government said Thursday that all Swatch products that contain lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer elements — including watches, wrappers and boxes — were banned, warning that anyone found with one could be jailed for up to three years. The ban has been published in the Federal Gazette — which makes it official — as …

The Washington Post reports: Dutch prosecutors said Wednesday that it was likely Russian President Vladimir Putin personally signed off on a decision to supply long-range antiaircraft missiles systems to pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine before they shot down Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 in July 2014, killing all 298 passengers and crew. However, while the prosecutors said they had documented “strong …

The South China Morning Post reports: Five men in Malaysia were sentenced to jail and canings on Thursday by an Islamic court for attempting to have gay sex, local media and a rights group said. Sodomy and same-sex acts are illegal under Islamic law in Muslim-majority Malaysia, although convictions are rare. The Selangor Shariah High Court sentenced four men to …

The Malay Mail reports: Opposition leader Ahmad Zahid Hamidi expressed concerns about efforts needed to stem lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) activities in the country, saying a recent earthquake in Indonesia was caused by such behaviour. Speaking at the Dewan Rakyat today during Question Time, Ahmad Zahid said he was worried that Malaysia might similarly incur the wrath of …

NPR reports: A Danish citizen in Malaysia has pleaded guilty to maliciously publishing fake news by posting a YouTube video critical of police, making him the first person punished under the country’s new, controversial Anti-Fake News Act. Salah Salem Saleh Sulaiman, 46, is a citizen of Denmark. He posted on YouTube on April 21, after a Palestinian lecturer was shot …

The New Strait Times reports: A contest at a leading Malaysian university seeking ideas to “convert” gay students sparked anger Wednesday, with activists warning it could drive people in the Muslim-majority country to suicide. It was the latest example of what rights groups say is growing intolerance towards Malaysia’s gay community as religious fundamentalism increases, eroding the multi-ethnic country’s traditionally …

The BBC reports: The Malaysian government is encouraging young people to make videos about “preventing” homosexuality by offering cash prizes. A competition launched on the health ministry’s website offers up to $1,000 (£780) for the best videos tackling “gender confusion”. The entries should explore prevention and control; issues and consequences; and how to get help, said the site. It is …

Fortune reports: Walt Disney has decided that it will simply pull its latest movie Beauty and the Beast from Malaysian distribution rather than allow the film’s so-called “gay moment” to be censored. Contradicting earlier reports that the musical, starring Emma Watson, had already been censored, Disney told Bloomberg via email that “the film has not been and will not be …

The Independent reports: Malaysia’s Government has endorsed gay conversion therapy after federal authorities claimed sexual orientation can be changed with extensive training. A video produced by the country’s family, social and development department explains how Muslims can change their approach to the LGBT community so that it does not promote hate against a minority, but the video has sparked anger …

(Via Christian Nightmares)

Via the Los Angeles Times: Searchers recovered bodies from the Java Sea on Tuesday and found what officials said wreckage from Indonesia AirAsia Flight 8501 as the three-day mystery over the plane’s whereabouts reached a heartbreaking resolution for the families of 162 people aboard. “I am absolutely devastated,” Tony Fernandes, AirAsia’s chief executive, said in a statement. “This is a …

Via USA Today: The fate of an AirAsia Indonesia jet that disappeared Sunday over the Java Sea with 162 people aboard remained a mystery more than 16 hours after it disappeared in violent weather, authorities said.Flight QZ8501 was bound for Singapore from Surabaya, Indonesia, when it lost contact with air traffic control at about 7:24 a.m. (6:24 p.m. ET on …

Three Malaysian transgender women have won a landmark civil rights case. Via Agence France-Presse: A three-judge appeals court panel ruled that a state provision that bars Muslim men from dressing as women was unconstitutional, saying it “deprives the appellants of the right to live with dignity”. “It has the effect of denying the appellants and other sufferers of GID (gender …

Two Malaysian women were arrested this week and charged under Sharia Law of being lesbians.  J. Lester Feder reports at Buzzfeed: Reports by the Malaysian newspaper Sinar Harian suggest the two women were swept up in a broad morality raid launched around the Southeast Asian country’s annual celebration of its independence from Great Britain. The police had gone to what …

This afternoon President Obama held a press conference on the shooting down of the Malaysian airliner. Here’s an excerpt of his statement via a transcript provided by the White House: Here’s what we know so far. Evidence indicates that the plane was shot down by a surface-to-air missile that was launched from an area that is controlled by Russian-backed separatists …

Story developing…

Via the Associated Press: The director of a movie based on the Malaysian Airlines plane disappearance is apologizing for a trailer that suggests a love triangle among members of its crew. Rupesh Paul announced “The Vanishing Act” at the Cannes Film Festival. A brief trailer for the film, which has not yet been cast, shows two crew members kissing as …

USA Today reports: Authorities in Australia are investigating two objects in the Indian Ocean spotted by satellite imagery that may be related to the missing Malaysian airliner, in what is being described as the most credible lead in the hunt for the plane that vanished nearly two weeks ago with 239 passengers and crew aboard. A Norwegian ship was the …

CNN has a breaking report: Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 was hundreds of miles off course, traveling in the opposite direction from its original destination and had stopped sending identifying transponder codes before it disappeared, a senior Malaysian Air Force official told CNN Tuesday. If correct, these are ominous signs that could call into question whether someone in the cockpit might …