Kelantan open to talks with AIDS council, cops over LGBT event
PETALING JAYA : The Kelantan government has expressed its willingness to meet with police and the Malaysian AIDS Council regarding the recent organisation of a programme related to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities in Kota Bharu.
Deputy menteri besar Fadzli Hassan said they were seeking to discuss and gain a clearer understanding of the event so the matter can be resolved diplomatically, and to dispel any unfounded allegations.
'Perhaps the mistake was not the organiser's. That's why it needs to be investigated first so that police are not wrongly blamed by the public.
'The police have their job, the AIDS council also has its responsibilities.
'Any programme that goes against the state government's policies and the customs of Kelantan's people is something we simply cannot accept,' Bernama reported him as saying at the Kota Darulnaim Complex today.
Fadzli said programmes touching on sensitivities, especially when held within village communities, require permission from the relevant authorities such as the Kelantan Islamic religious affairs department, police and others.
He said the state government can also take appropriate action if any event is found to have violated any of its regulations
In mid-June, Kelantan police raided an LGBT-related event involving more than 20 men at a bungalow on Jalan Kemumin in Kota Bharu.
Kelantan police chief Yusoff Mamat was reported as saying the operation was conducted based on tip-offs and intelligence gathered by a special task force, following complaints.
A search of the premises uncovered hundreds of condoms and several boxes of HIV medication stored in a special room believed to be used as a storage place by the organisers.
The Malaysian AIDS Council said it had conducted an outreach session on June 17 in Kemumin to engage with high-risk communities as part of HIV prevention efforts before the police raid.
The programme, which ran from 8pm to 2am, was part of a strategic approach by the health ministry to deliver more inclusive and community-centred HIV treatment services.
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