In Malaysia, stated the absence of gays and something like that

News24xx.com - A Malaysian official during a visit to Europe said that there were no gays in his country, which caused a storm of criticism. About it reports «Daily Mail».

Malaysian Tourism Minister Datuk Mohammaddin bin Ketapi spoke at the ITB Berlin International Trade Fair in the German capital and described the natural beauty of his homeland. At that time, he was asked if it was safe to travel to the country for gay and Jewish travelers.

The politician tried to evade the answer, but finally he declared: “I don’t think there is anything like this in our country”. The minister added that he couldn’t be exactly sure, but "one thing can be said: we don’t have such a situation".

As noted, despite Ketapi’s efforts to smooth out his words, his comment could disrupt Malaysia’s attempts to attract more tourists. In 2019, the country set a goal to attract 30 million travelers.

The source noted that the statement by the minister is his personal opinion, but it is fully consistent with the official government policy, which doesn’t recognize the LGBT community. At the same time, he stressed that Malaysia welcomes any tourists, regardless of their religion, sexual orientation and color.

Earlier, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad stated that homosexuality is a part of Western values that should not be imposed on the citizens of his country. He also called the Jews hook-nosed, and in response to criticism, he noted that Malaysians are considered to be fat-nose, but this is not a reason to fight.

By law, homosexuality is considered an unnatural phenomenon and as crime in the country. You can get 20 years in prison for it, whipping or a fine.

In October 2018, the leader of the Malaysian opposition, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, stated that the earthquake and the tsunami following it in Indonesia were punishment for gay activities.