- Title: Australia F1 strippers set for court appearance
- Date: 5th October 2016
- Summary: SEPANG, SELANGOR STATE, MALAYSIA (FILE - APRIL 30, 2015) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF SEPANG COURT SIGNAGE READING (English) "SEPANG COURT COMPLEX" ENTRANCE SEPANG COURT
- Embargoed: 20th October 2016 07:56
- Keywords: Australia FI court strippers
- Location: Sepang, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- City: Sepang, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- Country: Malaysia
- Topics: Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA00152Q9EMD
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Nine Australian men who stripped down to their underwear at the Formula 1 Grand Prix in Malaysia at the weekend are set to appear in court on Thursday (October 6).
The nine men were being held on remand pending investigations for public indecency and provocation, state news agency Bernama reported, quoting local police.
Photos and videos of the group drinking beer from their shoes while wearing underwear emblazoned with the Malaysian flag at Sunday's (October 2) race drew an outcry on social media and in the Malaysian press, with many calling it a sign of disrespect.
Malaysia's deputy home minister Nur Jazlan Mohamed told reporters on Tuesday (October 4) that police would investigate before recommending charges to the attorney-general.
If found guilty they could face a two year jail sentence.
People on the streets of capital Kuala Lumpur were not sympathetic towards the men.
"In my opinion the police must be fair regardless of nationality, if they are found to be guilty the police must act accordingly. As foreigners, they should have done their homework because their behavior might seem acceptable in their country but not here. So they need to do their research first," said freelance photographer, Mohamad Ishak, 30.
In June 2015, four Western tourists were fined and deported from Malaysia after posing naked on the peak of Mount Kinabalu in Sabah, angering locals who consider the mountain sacred. - Copyright Holder: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL)
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