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Days before the raid, TV3's 999 programme showed a 7-minute clip of a reporter going undercover with a concealed camera in a gay massage centre and a raid on an establishment in Cheras where the authorities stormed occupied private rooms.

Malaysia’s state-run news agency Bernama reported on Saturday that a gay fitness centre at a shopping mall in Pulau Tikus, Penang wasraided by police on Friday night.

Seven men - a caretaker and six workers - aged between 20 and 30 were arrested. The report quoted Penang CID Chief SAC II Wan Abdullah Tunku Said as saying that police also seized three towels, massage oil, tissue boxes and a tube of lubrication jelly believed to be used during gay activities.

The Star also reported that the men would be investigated for committing acts of gross indecency under Section 377D of the Penal Code.

He added that the venue did not have a business licence and had been raided three times before in five months this year and 10 times last year

The same weekend, the police raided two massage centres in Kuala Lumpur. The Star quoted the Malay-language tabloid Harian Metro as saying that the walls of the centres were plastered with pictures of male masseurs available to serve male clients.

Read the full article on fridae.com.  [Full article includes the YouTube video of the TV news story (in Bahasa Malaysia) at one of the raids.]

Caption for photos: Images are screen captures of a raid of a gay venue shown by TV3. The raids appear to involve the police and the the Federal Territory Religious Department's (JAWI). Photo credit: Video captures by Fridae.com.