Pondan beauty contestants rounded up


Tawau: Twelve transvestites, including nine who took part in a mak nyah (pondan) beauty contest, spent their Merdeka Month/Malaysia Day celebration in the lock-up after being rounded up during an operation on Friday night.

A tip-off led six officials from the Sabah Islamic Affairs Department (Jheains), accompanied by nine police personnel, to conduct a raid under "Ops Mak Nyah" on an entertainment outlet here at 10.15pm.

The transvestite beauty contest was organised to commemorate the closing of the Merdeka Month celebrations.