One juicy piece of news has just come to my hearing. It’s from a friend who frequently travels between Perth & Kuala Lumpur. It is not as though I have had no such news before, for I lived in Malaysia for a greater part of my life.
Born & lived there, I am a Chinese by descent but now an Australian by consent.
Back in the 70s, even in a lesser known town like Ipoh to the north of Kuala Lumpur, prostitution though strictly illegal in Muslim Malaysia, flourished in no small measures under the guise of massage parlours, bars, girlie barber shops and private residential areas. As long as the police were/are in the coffers of the seedy operators, the show went/goes on undiminished & unperturbed.
Prostitution is as old as mankind. The scenario in South-east Asian countries as elsewhere is no different. I remember Taipei in 1970, right across from our hotel room window, loomed flashing signs of “VD Clinic/Hospital”. In Ipoh, men often talked of “tiger show” performances by the then infamous Rose Chan. New arrivals from foreign lands always command & demand more for their services. In keeping pace with the whims & fancies of demanding customers or clients, seedy operators are constantly flashing out new schemes of services.
However, this is one attracting scheme which was unheard of in the past. Hailed as the “ultimate loyalty program”, the promotion of ‘free sex’ is based on a number of cumulative ‘cash wash’. Such a roaring loyalty trade, however, is not remotely legal. Recently, a car wash & brothel in Kuala Lumpur was questioned over its questionable loyalty scheme, when the police caught wind of its operation.
Slideshow of Malaysian Service Stations & Tourism in their Various Promotions . . .
For one operator caught, more as a “window show case”, others just go more underground. In fact, I was told that Muslim Malays are allowed to have sex with prostitutes under the guise or pretence of multiple or trial marriages. Devious or not, the ingenuity of men to suit his own convenience & pleasure will always come up with “legally acceptable” schemes.
As reported by the Malay Mail:
When authorities raided the operation, they found nine Vietnamese women in the back of the building and storeroom, all without proper working permits. The women and the operators of the car wash were immediately detained and taken into police custody.
Authorities are still investigating the situation. Prostitution, as mentioned, is illegal in Malaysia.
In Europe as far as I can remember in the 1950s, “legal” prostitution took to operating in specially condoned areas like Reeperbahn in Hamburg (there’s even a new place on the Kiez ‘Reeperbahn’ right next to McDonald’s). In the Netherlands, authorities condone brothels in the interests of civil & social order. There are several permitted or tolerated areas of sex shops in Amsterdam, and you’ll find sex customers “sex-window” shopping openly. Sex industries are in operation in Amsterdam, Paris, Copenhagen, Hamburg and others in Europe – and no doubt in the US.
What of the sex scenario in the Philippines, Indonesia, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Taiwan, Hong Kong or Singapore?
“Sex-window” shopping areas exist in Kalgoorlie, the Australian mining city in Western Australia. And in Perth, sex shops are also a common sight.
The question is: Should sex operation be made legal at all?
How would authorities cope with prevailing sex-slaves & human trafficking in Asia?
Paul Chong's Blog 
For your information, constitutionally Malaysia in NOT an Islamic country yet. Only the majority (not a big one though) of the people are Muslims.
Yes I agree that constitutionally, Malaysia is not Islamic but very much so
when it comes to practice. Through the process of political manipulation, UMNO
has added a lot more Muslim number(voters) to consolidate its position. Citizenship
seems to be freely & readily available to all who pledge them political support.
We are old Paul.
How can we stop or even lawfully forbid when the almighty, omnipresence and all knowing God only gives the safety rules and guidance?
My response , though not closing my eyes nor turning deaf ears, is: it’s not a matter may or may not but will or will not. So is with any other God’s law, prescriptions etc.
We already know what it is, but knowing doesn’t equate to obeying! “Rules” are just like railways. It is just whenever we are obeying the rules, made by God, that we can enjoy truly free life and happiness.
CC
Effective. I agree.
Regulated and (government) taxable prostitution is a viable alternative preferable to the present mostly crime controlled prostitution
Hi i aam kavin, its my first occasion to commenting anyplace, when i read this article i thought i could
also reate comment due tto this good paragraph.
Is prostitution really illegal in Malaysia? If so, name me the Act and the Section in the Act which explicitly prohibit the selling of one’s body for money or other payments in kind. Forget Islamic laws because the laws do not apply to non Muslims..
Also provide an example of a prostitute who was prosecuted for providing sexual services. What is often reported is the prosecution of a person for living on the immoral earnings of another, or for forcing certain women to become prostitutes, or for running a brothel in a prohibited area/premise, or for harbouring illegal immigrants, or for breaching the conditions of their passport/visit pass.
Thank you.