S'pore man remains under detention in Malaysia

[HereIsTheNews]

Updated: 08/14/2013 23:45 | By Channel NewsAsia

S'pore man remains under detention in Malaysia

SINGAPORE: A Singaporean man remains detained by Malaysian police for allowing Buddhists to use a Muslim prayer room in his resort.

According to Malaysian media, the courts have granted approval for him to be detained for another four days.

Thirteen Buddhist devotees from Singapore were at a holiday resort in Kota Tinggi last Friday. The group meditated in a prayer room in the resort.

The incident has triggered discontent among Muslims in Malaysia.

The Singaporean man, who is a Muslim, has been charged under Section 295 of Malaysia’s Penal Code, which comes under the heading of "injuring or defiling a place of worship with intent to insult the religion of any class".

The Singapore Buddhist Federation said it believes the group was on their own private tour to Malaysia, and hopes that other Buddhist groups can learn from this experience.

Venerable Seck Kwang Phing, secretary-general of the Singapore Buddhist Association, said: “We should, in various aspects, try to understand the teachings of, taboos, or customs of other religions. A deeper level of understanding will prevent past mistakes from being repeated.”

Venerable Ji Zun, general affairs, Malaysian Buddhist Association said: "In future, anyone who wants to visit Malaysia, if you pay a visit to the Buddhist Association, we can see if we have someone we are familiar with to perform the hospitality of a host and alert the other party on issues to note." - CNA/jc