KUALA LUMPUR: Two sex workers were fined in separate Magistrate Courts here today for offering sex services to two police officers last month.
Chiangmai Wilaiwan, 36, from Thailand, was fined RM1,800, while Indonesian national Junita Ketaren, 33, was fined RM1,500 after both pleaded guilty when the charges were read before Magistrates Atiqah Mohamed @ Mohamad Saim and Illi Marisqa Khalizan.
The charges stated that the two women offered sex services to the officers in separate hotel rooms on Jalan Pudu, Dang Wangi, at 6.30pm on Nov 22, reported Harian Metro.
They were charged under Section 372B of the Penal Code, which carries a penalty of up to one year in prison, a fine, or both.
The court also ordered Chiangmai to serve two months in prison, while Junita will serve one month if they fail to pay their fines.
Deputy Public Prosecutors Nurainizatul Farhana Zainal and Syafika Azwa Fikri had requested the court to impose a deterrent sentence to prevent the women from repeating the offence.
In June, an exclusive report by Harian Metro exposed a long-standing prostitution hub in the capital, including the oldest one in the Pudu area.
Following the report, Kuala Lumpur Police Chief Datuk Rusdi Mohd Isa stated that four locations in the city had been identified as prostitution hotspots offering sex services at low prices. These locations included Jalan Petaling, Jalan Gelang, Jalan Pudu, and Hotel Richmoore.
The issue also caught the attention of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who suggested that corruption has hindered efforts to address this longstanding problem, a view shared by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).
In contrast, Indonesia successfully shut down the largest prostitution center in Southeast Asia, Dolly, in Surabaya, while many of Kuala Lumpur's old prostitution hubs remain operational.
The MACC has acknowledged that prostitution activities in Malaysia persist due to alleged protection from certain law enforcement agencies.
MACC Chief Commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki stated that investigations found that these activities were shielded by authorities.
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department for Federal Territories, Dr Zaliha Mustafa and Kuala Lumpur mayor Datuk Seri Dr Maimunah Mohd Sharif, have been tasked by the Prime Minister to tackle the issue of prostitution in the capital.