Malaysia's highest court has decided that two young people accused of kissing and hugging in a public park can be taken to court for "indecent behavior."
The federal court in the mainly Muslim nation made the decision in a hard-fought case involving Ooi Kean Thong, 24, and Siow Ai Wei, 22.
According to city hall officials, the couple were caught hugging and kissing in August, 2003 in a park at the well-known Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur.
PHOTO: AFP
The students have said they were accused of indecent behavior when they refused to bribe two city hall officials, who have denied asking for bribes.
Their lawyer argued that hugging and kissing were expressions of love that should be encouraged, and that city hall had no right under Malaysia's constitution to take the couple to court for indecency.
But federal court Chief Justice Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Halim said such behavior was not the norm for Malaysians.
"So they should be given freedom to live as they like? The constitution allows all citizens to do that (hugging and kissing) even by the roadside, in (a) public park?" he said.
"In England, those acts are acceptable to the people in that country, but is kissing and hugging acceptable to Malaysian citizens? Is the act according to the morality of the Asian people?"
Ooi and Siow will now be taken to court for indecency at Kuala Lumpur's city hall's court. If they are found guilty, they could be fined up to 2000 ringgit (NT$17,600), jailed for up to a year or both. (AFP)
馬來西亞最高法院決議，將以「行為不端」的罪名起訴兩名在公園接吻擁抱的年輕人。
這個以回教為主的國家之聯邦法院就這件難纏的案子做出決議。案件當事人是二十四歲的黃建通與二十二歲的蕭愛薇（音譯）。
市政府官員指出，這對情侶二○○三年八月在吉隆坡著名的雙子星塔旁公園被逮到正在擁抱接吻。
這兩名學生曾表示，由於他們拒絕賄賂兩位市府官員，所以遭指控行為不端。這兩位官員已否認要求行賄。
這對情侶的律師表示，接吻擁抱是愛意的表達，應該受到鼓勵，依馬來西亞憲法市政府無權以行為不端的名義讓這對情侶接受審判。
不過聯邦法院的首席大法官阿默德．哈能表示，這樣的行為並非馬來西亞人的準則。
他說：「所以，他們應該被賦予為所欲為的自由？憲法允許人民在路邊、在公園做這種事（接吻擁抱）了嗎？」
「在英國，大眾可以接受這些行為，但是馬來西亞的國民可以接受親吻擁抱嗎？這樣的行為符合亞洲人的道德觀嗎？」
黃建通與蕭愛薇目前因行為不端在吉隆坡市政府法院接受審訊。假如他們獲判有罪，可能被處以兩千元馬幣（新台幣一萬七千六百元）罰金或一年以下有期徒刑，也可能兩者並行。
（法新社／翻譯：賴美君）
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