KUCHING: The Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC) is taking seriously the claims made by foreign tourists regarding hidden cameras discovered in a Sabah homestay where they were staying.
Its Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing said he is aware of the issue and has asked the Sabah government, MOTAC Sabah and relevant agencies to take appropriate measures in response to these allegations.
“Strict and appropriate punishment must be imposed on any party found guilty, because this kind of reprehensible act not only violates the law, but also affects the image of the country’s tourism industry,” he said in a Facebook post today (Sept 24).
Tiong also reminded all homestay operators or owners registered under MOTAC to be graded by the ministry.
“Should they be found to be breaking the law and convicted, MOTAC will take strict action against them including revoking their registration and withdrawing their grading,” he said.
At the same time, he urged all homestay operators or owners registered under Airbnb to pay serious attention to discipline and conduct background checks on their respective employees.
“There is no denying that things like this may happen due to personal actions by irresponsible homestay or Airbnb workers.
“MOTAC will not compromise in incidents like this and will continue to monitor the situation from time to time,” he said.
Tiong also noted that these allegations surfaced on September 14, on a Shanghai-based social
media platform called Xiaohongshu.
