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MALAYSIA GAMES: Call to beef up security

SPORTS Minister Khairy Jamaluddin has asked hosts Perlis to ramp up security for the May 24-June 4 Malaysia Games to ensure that incidents like the alleged rape case that marred last year's edition does not happen again.

Khairy, who visited various Games venues in Perlis on Monday, stressed the need to ensure the safety of athletes and announced that random breathalyzer tests will be introduced for the first time this year.

"The accommodation for athletes has been separated into five or six different places at colleges (hostels). When it is not centralised, we fear that unsavoury incidents could happen again," said Khairy when met at an appreciation lunch he hosted for media personnel that had covered the recent Myanmar Sea Games in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

"I have asked that we not only depend on the police a hundred per cent (to secure the area). The secretariat and volunteers must also need to be on patrol.

"We will be adding a random breathalyzer test to detect alcohol use in addition to doping tests already conducted by the National Sports Institute.

"Athletes who gather in groups outside their dorms at night and behave suspiciously will be tested (with a breathalyzer).

"We want to send a message that discipline is not only about anti-doping but also their behaviour in the Games village."

The alleged rape incident at the Games in Kuala Lumpur last year had occurred when those involved were under the influence of alcohol.

Khairy added that his only other worry in regard to the preparation of the Games in Perlis was the aquatics complex which is behind schedule.

Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin at an appreciation lunch for the media personnel that covered the Myanmar Sea Games in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. Pic by Hasan Ismail

Read more: MALAYSIA GAMES: Call to beef up security - Other - New Straits Times

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