Sex Spies in Malaysia

The word spy generally invokes images of men in sunglasses ferreting nuclear secrets out of a foreign country or other such acts of intrigue and international espionage. The Malaysian government in Terengganu, however, is about to embark on a different kind of espionage – spies to make sure Muslim couples don’t engage in illicit sexual activity. The government hopes to recruit spies to operate in public places and watch for people who are giving off signs that they may take their relationship in a lascivious direction. The agents would then inform the morality patrols who could then move in to stop any indecorous sex from occurring. The chief official of Terengganu’s Islam and Welfare Committee has insisted that these agents will not act as ‘peeping toms.’