• Diving Instructor held for kissing Chinese Tourist Underwater

    OffBeat

     One of the photographs depicts the woman being kissed.....

    Digital Desk: A Malaysian
    diving instructor was arrested after a 24-year-old Chinese tourist accused him
    of molesting her while underwater. According to Assistant Superintendent Arif
    Abdul Razak, the acting officer in charge, the woman was assaulted by a
    27-year-old male working freelance while diving off the coast of Semporna in
    Sabah state at around 1 p.m. on Friday, according to the South China Morning
    Post.



    The story quickly went viral
    on social media. Screenshots of alleged exchanges between the diving instructor
    and the victim are included in the photos. One of the photographs depicts the
    woman being kissed.



    Mr Razak in a statement
    said, "The victim had lodged a complaint with Semporna police before
    flying back to her hometown in China."



    The accused was apprehended
    around 12.50 a.m. on Sunday at a residence in a water hamlet in the district,
    according to the police. He has been accused under Section 354 of the Penal
    Code with employing criminal force to offend a woman's modesty. The accused has
    been remanded in custody until Thursday to allow for further investigation.



    Christina Liew, Sabah's
    tourism, culture, and environment minister, said on Monday that the event had
    harmed the state's tourism business just as it was beginning to recover from
    the pandemic. "Incidents like this have a significant impact on the image
    of tourism in the Semporna district in particular and Sabah in general,
    especially as the tourism industry recovers from the Covid-19 pandemic."



    “I call on all travel agents
    in this state to play a role in providing quality service,” she said. “They
    must be responsible to ensure incidents like this will not happen again.”



    Sharing details about the
    incident, the minister revealed that the incident had occurred outside the area
    of Sipadan Island Park and Tun Sakaran Marine Park which was under the
    management of Sabah Parks.