Man arrested after allegedly urinating near prayer room of Johor immigration building

JOHOR BAHRU — A 69-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly urinating near a prayer room at the Johor immigration building linked to the Woodlands Causeway.

In a statement on Tuesday (May 10), Johor chief minister Onn Hafiz Ghazi said: “I am aware of the issue regarding a man who behaved lewdly at the ablution area in the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) Complex of Bangunan Sultan Iskandar (BSI). 

“For everyone's information, the 69-year-old male suspect was arrested immediately after the incident was reported yesterday evening,” said Mr Onn Hafiz. 

“I hope that we all become more responsible and refrain from any actions that may disrupt public order,” he added. 

An 11-second video of the incident shows the man relieving himself at the ablution corner near the prayer room. Muslims typically use the ablution area to do ritual washing of face, hands, arms, and feet before performing prayer.

A man filming the video can be heard telling the suspect that this was a room for prayers and that he was not showing respect. The suspect apologises before the clip was cut off. 

The video is being circulated on Facebook, with one post garnering more than 17,000 views.

In a Facebook comment on one of the videos, Mr Onn Hafiz wrote that the suspect has been arrested under section 295 of the penal code. 

Section 295 states that any person who defiles a place of worship may be imprisoned for up to two years, be fined or both. 

This case follows a separate incident of a woman who was caught on video urinating behind a closed counter at the CIQ complex in BSI. 

On Monday, Johor’s Immigration Department said it was investigating the incident. 

Department director Baharuddin Tahir was quoted by The Star condemning the alleged incident. 

“It is wrong to relieve yourself in public, especially since BSI is a highly secured government building.

“If the person could no longer hold her bladder, then she should have asked for assistance from authorised personnel at BSI to go to the public toilet,” said Mr Baharuddin, according to The Star. CNA