Updated: November 4, 2008

The police in the northern Malaysian state of Penang have arrested 70 men including locals, Americans, Europeans and a Chinese national on Saturday night following a raid at a gay sauna on the mainland, and a gay sauna and two massage parlours in Georgetown on Penang island.

The Star newspaper reported on Monday that the police had stumbled on the parties while on a "blitz to weed out vice activities" while the raid in Seberang Jaya near Butterworth was based on public tip-offs.

According to sources Fridae contacted about the raids, the gay sauna in Seberang Jaya was raided for the first time although they have been operating for more than five years. The raid is also the first on mainland. About 45 men were detained at the Bukit Mertajam police station after the raid. All except the sauna owner, staff and two patrons who were not caught in a sexual act but literally "pants down" in the dark room during the raid have been released on Monday. They face up to 20 years imprisonment and whipping if convicted under Section 377A of the Penal Code which prohibits "carnal intercourse against the order of nature."

The owner may face charges for having pornographic materials such as DVDs and magazines that were being sold at the sauna, and additional charges for pirated non-pornographic DVDs.

The Star report quoted the police who said they found used condoms, pornography DVDs, gay magazines, lube and boxes of condoms although sources deny the presence of used condoms and lube.

The 10 men arrested at the gay sauna in Georgetown, which has been raided five times in the past, have been released and will not be charged. According to Fridae's source, the Police did not find anything questionable at the premises.

The source also told Fridae that there were no sex parties in progress during the police raids although it was reported in local and foreign media as such.

"There were no sex parties going on. In fact, the raids in last Nov and May this year weren't sex parties. It was just regular business hours for saunas and massage parlours. Perhaps it's the media's deliberate attempt to sensationalise the stories." Said the source who declined to be named. "One can just go to a gay sauna to relax, socialise or work out; not all go for sex."

In two recent high-profile cases, police raided and arrested 14 men in a fitness and sauna centre in May this year while 37 men were arrested at a "sex party" held at a fitness centre-cum-sauna last Nov.