In Malaysia, a diving instructor kissed a 24-year-old tourist from China just underwater when they were diving near the town of Semporna in the state of Sabah. The man was arrested for this act, the South China Morning Post reports.
The diving instructor, a 27-year-old resident, has been charged with harassment, police officer Arif Abdul Razak said. A Chinese tourist wrote a statement to him before leaving for her hometown. She also shared the story on social networks, attaching to the message a screenshot from the camera, which recorded the moment of the kiss underwater.
The police said that the criminal will be in custody for several days to facilitate the investigation. He faces punishment under Article 354 of the local Criminal Code regarding the use of criminal force to insult the modesty of a woman.
Sabah Tourism Minister Christina Lew said: “Incidents like this have a huge impact on the image of tourism in the Semporna area in particular and Sabah in general, especially as the tourism industry is still recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic.”
Christina Lew called the incident “sad” and said she wants everyone involved in the tourism business to be responsible for protecting the industry’s image. “I urge all travel agents in the state to play their part in providing quality services. They should be responsible for ensuring that similar incidents do not happen again,” she said.