A CHINESE tourist known only as BEAUTY, revealed on XiaoHongShu how they came across a hidden camera in a Malaysian vacation guesthouse in Sabah that they booked through the Airbnb platform.
After the news went viral, Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister (MOTAC) Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing said the Sabah government, the state MOTAC and related agencies have been asked to take stern action against the allegations which were revealed on the Shanghai-based social media platform Xiaohongshu on Sept 14 and later shared by local news portals.
“Stern and appropriate punishment should be imposed on any party found guilty because this kind of reprehensible act not only violates the laws but also affects the image of the country’s tourism industry,” said Tiong.
The tourists wrote, “On Sept 6, around 2am, we landed at the Kota Kinabalu Airport. Arriving at the Airbnb took until three in the morning. I requested that my companion look for a camera. The socket opposite the bed is where we found it.”
They discovered a mirror inside the socket by using the torch on their phone. They took the socket’s panel out and discovered a hidden camera inside pointed towards the bed.
As for Tiong, he said in a Facebook post that if premises registered under MOTAC are found to have broken the law, their registration and grading will be revoked.
Tiong stated in a Facebook post on Sunday (Sept 24) that homestay operators or owners registered under Airbnb should pay serious attention to discipline and check the backgrounds of their respective employees.
“There is no denying that things such as 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 from time to time.” – Sept 24, 2023
Main photo credit: Facebook
