THE factory involved in the “Allah” socks controversy has ceased operations today following a raid by authorities the day before.
According to an Oriental Daily News report, closure of Xin Jian Chang Sdn Bhd’s factory in Batu Pahat, Johor was carried out a day after management had issued a statement regarding concerns about the leakage of personal data of its employees and threats to burn down the premises.
The closure notice was communicated through a notice posted at the main entrance without specifying the date for resumption of operations.
The closure is believed to be aimed at calming the situation and ensuring the safety of workers following pressure and demands to publicly apologize for its actions.
The Chinese daily also reported that the factory had followed up its apology statement on Tuesday (March 19) by hanging an apology banner at its main gate, with Xin Jian Chang apologising to Malaysians for the incident.
This was after several NGOs had a flash mob protest in front of the factory yesterday.
Following police mediation, the group submitted their demands to the company’s representatives, including hanging an apology banner in front of the factory for one month and recording an apology video for social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
They also want the company to make donations to orphanages, Islamic schools or other organisations for the needy in the area.
In the banner sighted today, Xin Jian Chang apologised and promised to uphold its commitment to ensure the sensitivity of the multi-religious society is preserved, maintain harmony and enhance quality-control efforts.
The controversy came to light last week when images of the socks bearing the word “Allah” being sold at KK Mart’s Bandar Sunway outlet went viral on social media.
Following the uproar, KK Mart had issued an apology to all its customers, particularly the Muslim community, and confirmed that immediate actions had been taken to halt the sale of the socks.
This included terminating its contract with Xin Jian Chang.
The supplier had, in turn, pointed fingers at manufacturers in China for erroneously sending the socks to it, which it then overlooked.
Police, in a raid and inspection of the Xin Jian Chang factory yesterday, said it had only found five pairs of the “Allah” socks, all of which were the ones recalled from KK Mart.
Batu Pahat district police chief, Assistant Commissioner Ismail Dollah meanwhile said they have received nine reports made in the district, so far.
Ismail was reported as saying that investigations are still ongoing, including taking statements from those involved in handling the operations of the factory.
“We are in the process of taking statements from the owners and workers who are involved in handling the supply of these socks,” he remarked.
“This morning, we made three recordings of conversations to complete the investigation into the controversy.” – March 20, 2024
Main pic credit: Oriental Daily News
