KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia is reviewing how it enforces laws banning same-sex activity after the authorities failed to charge about 200 men arrested in a recent raid, a sign of pressure by Islamic parties on Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s government to enforce religious conservatism.

The men were detained on Nov 28 in a

raid on a Kuala Lumpur wellness centre

that police believed served as a meeting point for sex.

Most were released the next day after a

court rejected the remand application

because it was filed too late. The authorities later said they could not proceed with charges because no one had come forward as a victim.

Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said on Dec 2 he was briefed on the case by the Kuala Lumpur police chief and told that existing laws were insufficient for action – an assessment Mr Saifuddin endorsed.

“Is there a need to review the current laws to handle such cases? The answer is yes,” he said, adding that the government would determine the specifics of any revisions.

The police had been investigating the men under Section 377B of the Penal Code, which criminalises “carnal intercourse against the order of nature” and carries a maximum penalty of 20 years’ imprisonment and whipping.

The case comes as Malaysia experiences a surge in religious conservatism.

Mr Anwar has previously said the country would never recognise LGBTQ rights, while the opposition Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party, or PAS, has capitalised on moral issues to win broad support.