KUALA LUMPUR (Malaysia) — Swiss watchmaker Swatch announced Tuesday that Malaysian officials raided their stores and confiscated 164 Pride Collection watches.
The Ministry of Home Affairs said that officials from the Ministry raided their outlets at various malls in Malaysia on May 13-14 and confiscated the watches, because they had “LGBT connotations.”
The straps of the watches are decorated with two rainbow loops and come in six different colors that match those found on the gay pride flag.
In a press release, Nick Hayek Jr., CEO of Swatch Group said: “We strongly dispute that our collection using rainbow colors with a message of love and peace could be harmful to whomever.”
“Swatch promotes the opposite, a positive message about joy in living. It’s not political. “We wonder how the Regulatory and Enforcement Division will confiscate all the beautiful natural rainbows which appear in the skies of Malaysia a thousand time a year,” he said.
Malaysia, a predominantly Muslim country, criminalizes same-sex relations. Penalties range from caning to 20 years imprisonment for sodomy in colonial civil laws. Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party, an opposition party in Malaysia, recently criticised a concert by British band Coldplay scheduled for November because it supports the LGBT movement.
The AP reported that Saifuddin Nasution, the Home Minister, is waiting to receive a complete report before making a public statement.
Swatch has re-launched the sale of the Pride Collection and its legal department is investigating the seizure.
The gay rights group Jejaka condemned the confiscation, calling it “a deeply disturbing level of intolerance.”
It’s more than just colorful watches. In a press release, it stated that the issue was about respecting diversity, freedom to express oneself, and most importantly love. It called on the government to promote an acceptance and understanding culture rather than one of repression or discrimination.
