Seven locals identified in nude festival - police

Seven locals are among 15 individuals identified to have taken part in the nude sport festival which allegedly took place at the Teluk Kampi beach in the Penang National Park here recently.

The others had been identified as four Singaporeans, two Myanmar nationals, a Filipino and an Indian national.

Penang police chief Datuk Abdul Rahim Hanafi, when exposing the nationalities of those involved in the nude festival, said they comprised nine men and six women.

"The police is currently identifying all the individuals involved to assist in the investigation and so far 12 police reports had been received relating to the issue," he told reporters when met at the Penang police contingent headquarters here today.

The video entitled 'Nude Festival In Teluk Bahang, Penang', which went viral on social websites, showed a group of men and women body painting, dancing and doing sport activities in the nude at the beach.

Based on a report issued by the Penang National Park office to reporters during a media conference by Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng today, the organisers had hid behind the guise of a nature conservation activity.

"The department condemns the immoral activity. It will be seriously investigated and appropriate action will be taken," said the report, which was submitted to the state government.

It said the national park also requested the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to assist in conducting a detailed internal probe on the matter.

At the press conference Guan Eng said the nude festival was held without the knowledge of the state government.

He said the national park was outside the jurisdiction of the DAP state government, which had handed over the case to the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry to conduct investigation.

Meanwhile, Teluk Bahang state assemblyman Datuk Shah Headan Ayoob Hussain Shah said the park ranger on duty had not lodged any police report due to the possibility that he might have been threatened.