TGM Events reportedly blacklisted following controversy over B1A4’s January fanmeet in Malaysia
On April 2nd, it was announced that Putrajaya, a government planned city south of Kuala Lumpur, has officially blacklisted TGM Events which organized the B1A4 fanmeet in January.
Controversy began when fancams went viral showing several female Muslim fans embracing band members with a news media titled “Malaysian girls molested by K-Pop idols on stage last night.”
While there were no formal charges against B1A4, TGM Events did not leave the incident unscathed as Putrajaya has officially blacklisted the company. Communication and Multimedia Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek made a statement today saying, “In the K-pop concert (Fan Meeting B1A4 Acer Special) on January 10, 2015 at KL Live in Kuala Lumpur, we have blacklisted the organiser of the concert for breaching set regulations” according to The Malaysian Insider.
Almost all of Malaysia’s governmental ministries are located in Putrajaya, and the city has a formal co-operation agreement with Sejong City in South Korea.
This controversy gave rise to huge outcry from the religious community, calling for the three young fans to come forward. The girls were also reported to be under investigation, facing up to 6 months in jail for the incident.
According to The Malaysian Insider, Jawi director Paimuzi Yahya said that they would use a softer approach of counseling towards the girls before eventually dropping their search for the fans stating, “There is nothing we (JAWI) can do. Nothing. If they turn up, we can give them advice. But if they don’t, and for now, they have not turned up, we cannot do anything.” It was unclear whether or not the fans have come forward to the meet with the religious institution following this statement.
WM Entertainment released an official statement shortly after the incident saying, “The event took place after consent from those who participated. The video in question was from the fan-meet’s special corner ‘Imitating famous moments in K-Dramas.’ The atmosphere during the event was great and the MC asked the girls once more of their consent, being considerate of their Muslim culture. We understand that it could be perceived in such a way from certain perspectives and from now on we will take cultural differences into careful consideration in order to provide a more global fan-meet that all fans from different cultures can enjoy.”
Source: The Malaysian Insider, The Star Online, and Today Online
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