Semporna, Sabah is a diving paradise with its crystal clear waters and exotic aquatic animals. Sadly, there is one black sheep among the diving instructors who tarnished the reputation of the place as he recently molested two foreign tourists last month.
Source: Weibo
According to Weibo, two Chinese women from Shenzhou came to Malaysia in March 2019 and had visited Semporna for a quick diving session. Since an instructor is required to accompany them at all times when underwater, the local tourism agency had arranged a male instructor to be their guide.
Not long after the trio went underwater, the instructor started harassing them sexually by touching their sensitive body parts but he made his gestures look like unintentional touches. Here’s what one of the victims said.
“Since this was my first time diving, I wasn’t sure what was going on. The instructor kept tapping my right backside and I was thinking whether he was asking me to move forward. I knew something was wrong when his hand slowly moved towards the centre,” the victim said.
Source: Weibo
Another victim said the instructor was holding her hand at first and may have unintentionally touched her breasts. Towards the end of the session, it was clear that he did it on purpose as he didn’t bother to hide his intention.
“He went straight for my breasts a few times,” she said.
They filed a complaint to the agency and after investigation, the instructor was indeed proven to have taken advantage of the women and both parties agreed to settle the case with RM3,000. However, they never received a single sen after returning to China.
This incident has garnered a lot of attention on social media with many netizens labelling Southeast Asia countries as “dodgy” and “unsafe”. Diving experts also advised tourists to wear less-revealing attire when diving to protect themselves against perverted instructors.
Source: Weibo
Well, this is certainly the kind of publicity our tourism industry can do without. If you know anyone who loves diving, remember to share this article with them!
Also read: Bajau Kids in Sabah Shockingly Climbed Into Tourist’s Boat to Beg for Food in Viral Video
