THE Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry (Motac) said it was taking seriously foreign tourists’ claim that a hidden camera was installed inside a wall socket at a Sabah homestay.

Its minister Tiong King Sing said he asked the state government, Sabah Motac and other agencies to take stern action following the allegations, which were spread on Xiaohongshu on September 14 and later shared by local news portals.

“Stern and appropriate punishment should be imposed on any party found guilty because this reprehensible act not only violates the law, but also affects the image of the country’s tourism industry.

“I would like to remind all homestay operators or owners registered under Motac and obtain a grade from the ministry that if they are found to have broken a law and are convicted, stern action will be taken, such as revoking their registration and grade,” he said in a Facebook post today.

Tiong reminded all homestay operators or owners registered under Airbnb to run background checks on their employees.

“There is no denying things like this may happen due to the personal actions of irresponsible homestay or Airbnb workers. Motac will not compromise on such an incident and will continue to monitor the situation,” he said. – Bernama, September 24, 2023.