Health outreach or ‘gay party'? Kelantan urges facts before judgement
Published on: Sun, Jul 20, 2025
By: Malay Mail Text Size: KOTA BHARU: The Kelantan government has today called for a thorough investigation, after the police was criticised for raiding an HIV outreach programme which it had alleged as a 'gay sex party'. Deputy Menteri Besar Datuk Mohamed Fadzli Hassan ( pic ) said in a statement that all parties must remain open-minded, and everyone must be afforded the right to justice with wisdom and fairness.
Advertisement 'To resolve this matter, the Kelantan state government calls for a thorough and comprehensive investigation to ensure that no party becomes a victim of misunderstanding, slander, or public judgement before the truth is fully established. 'If investigations confirm that the police's actions were justified and based on facts, stern measures should be taken against those involved,' he said in a statement here. 'Conversely, if the NGOs' and individuals' claims are proven true, corrective steps must be taken. The principle of justice must prevail,' he added. However, he insisted that anyone planning potentially controversial events to seek proper approval from authorities. He added that if participants were from outside Kelantan, this should be clarified to protect locals from undue blame. 'Transparency is essential to prevent baseless assumptions and unwarranted judgement within society,' he said. Fadzli's remark came as some locals blamed the media and the police for casting Kelantan in a bad light by falsely claiming that a 'gay sex party' had taken place in the state. On Friday, the MAC confirmed that it conducted a night outreach session here on June 17 under the Differentiated HIV Services for Key Populations model. MAC said the session was in collaboration with Kota Jembal Health Clinic and part of a strategic approach introduced by the Health Ministry. It said the session was held from 8pm to 2am and had reached over 70 high-risk individuals, with services scheduled outside office hours to improve accessibility. This comes as a coalition of civil society groups had also urged Kelantan police to revise their statement on a June 2025 raid of an alleged 'gay sex party' here, which they clarified was in fact a health outreach event. The groups, led by transgender rights advocacy group Justice for Sisters, said media reports following the raid resulted in harmful and stigmatising remarks that have intensified fear among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) individuals seeking health services. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available.
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