Malaysian state separates shopping sexes

The hardline Islamist rulers of a Malaysian state will punish supermarkets and department stores that ignore strictures on separate checkout lines for men and women shoppers.

Nik Aziz Nik Mat, head of the Parti Islam se-Malaysia (PAS) in northern Kelantan state, has ordered state officials to slap fines of up to 1,000 ringgit ($304) on store operators who do not tell customers to queue separately.

"I see many regulations that we had introduced are not being observed, like the separate counters and the sale of pornographic VCDs and DVDs, which are still going on secretly."



But the offending customers themselves would escape.

Stores launched separate counters to comply with a 1996 ruling, but did not force customers to use them, Nik Aziz said, adding the order was meant to discourage "social ills", such as young couples kissing in public or perverts who groped women.

"We want to nip the problem in the bud", Nik Aziz said. "Other shoppers are hesitant to step in and tell these people off for fear of being reprimanded."