Malaysian authorities confiscate ‘LGBT’ rainbow-coloured Swatch watches
Swiss watchmaker stated that their 164 rainbow-coloured watches, worth a total of US$14,000, were seized by the Malaysian authorities from its Pride collection.
People from the LGBTQ community face discrimination in Malaysia where homosexuality remains forbidden and people caught engaging in sodomy can face imprisonment as well as corporal punishment, although the law is rarely enforced.
The authorities raided 11 shopping malls which had Swatch outlets across Malaysia, including the ones present in the capital Kuala Lumpur, on May 13-14, stated the company said. Swatch Group CEO Nick Hayek said, “We strongly contest that our collection of watches using rainbow colours and having a message of peace and love could be harmful. This has nothing political."
Will replenish the stock, says Swatch's marketing manager
Marketing manager for Swatch Malaysia Sarah Kok said, “As per instruction from Switzerland HQ, we will still replenish the stock and display them on-shelf. We wonder how the home ministry's enforcement unit will confiscate the many beautiful natural rainbows that are showing up thousand times a year in the sky of Malaysia."
A summons notice was sent against one Swatch outlet, in which the law enforcement unit of Malaysia's home affairs ministry stated "22 Swatch watches with LGBT elements" were confiscated, AFP reported.
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As per the notice, the authorities seized the watch on the basis of the Printing Presses and Publications Act of 1984 which has been condemned by the critics as draconian. Often, the law is used to ensure that content does not undermine or offend race relations.
A ministry official, defending the seizing of watches, said that the items letters “LGBT” and had six colours and not seven in a rainbow.
Unsettling level of intolerance: LGBTQ-rights group
Meanwhile, the Malaysian LGBTQ-rights advocacy group JEJAKA posted a statement on Twitter which condemned the raid and stated that it revealed “a deeply unsettling level of intolerance”.
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Malaysia's Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution, speaking to the Associated Press news agency, said that a full report on the incident is awaited and that he will comment on the matter only after going through it.
In October 2022, an LGBTQ-friendly Halloween party in Kuala Lumpur’s Chinatown was raided by the police and 20 Muslim men were arrested for cross-dressing.
The six-colour pride flag has been the most famous LGBT symbol across the world.
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