April 25,
2007
HUMILIATION of the highest degree.
That's what 18 female students at the Institute Kemahiran Belia
Negaraa in Kuala Terengganu had to undergo last Thursday.
They were ordered to remove their bras and panties by two female
instructors, reported The New Straits Times (NST).
The forced stripping was said to be punishment for a fellow
trainee's disobedience.
The girls, who were enrolled for a course in beauty treatment,
alleged that they were also made to stand for four hours and listen
to abuses hurled at them.
According to a trainee who wanted to remain anonymous, they were
called into class at 8am to answer charges that another student had
left the institute without permission a day earlier.
She said: 'The instructors told us that they had received orders
from their superiors to instil discipline in us. They confiscated
our handphones before instructing us to remove our clothing. They
become furious when we didn't follow their orders.'
Another student, who did not want to be named told Harian Metro:
'They called us pigs and dogs over a problem we were not even
involved in.
'Of course we were ashamed. When we protested, the instructors
threatened they would do something worse.'
She added that they had no choice but to comply. They got more
humiliated when male trainers passed the class they were in.
NST added that some parents of the affected students lodged police
reports after hearing of the incident.
District police chief superintendent Hud Abdul Rahman confirmed a
number of police reports had been lodged.
Meanwhile, the institute's service faculty head Ms Rubiah Kassim
said the incident was a result of a 'communication breakdown
between me and my staff'.
She said: 'It was not our intention to humiliate the trainees and I
admit the trainers had gone a little overboard.'
She added that the institute had been facing disciplinary problems
from the students, from drinking liquor to lewd behaviour. 'We had
to do something about it.'