JOHOR BAHRU: The brawl during the Desaru International Bike Week (DIBW) 2023 festival in Kota Tinggi on Saturday is seen to affect the image of the country’s tourism sector, said Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing (pix).
He said the incident should not have happened and organisers of large-scale and international events should be more professional and wise in handling any issues or situations that crop up during the programmes to avoid an untoward incidents.
“I have not received further reports (on the incident). However, the advice to any organiser especially involving international programmes is that we must be honest and any issue must be brought to the table to be discussed and resolved as the country’s good image is at stake,“ Tiong told reporters at Thistle Hotel here last night after the appreciation ceremony for officers of the Pulai parliamentary and Simpang Jeram state by-elections.
“We will not intervene because it is already a police investigation,“ he said this when asked to comment on the DIBW 2023 brawl in Kota Tinggi.
Earlier, several videos of the purported incident were posted on social media showing a group of individuals fighting at the event. The altercation involved chairs and sticks being thrown.
Yesterday, Johor police chief Datuk Kamarul Zaman Mamat was reported to have said that his team detained two men, between the ages of 30 and 50, who were believed to have been involved in the fight and police are looking for others involved.
According to him, the brawl that took place at about 9 pm was believed to have been the result of a misunderstanding between two motorcycle groups -- a local group and another from the United States. - Bernama