Prostitution: a study on probable improvements in law enforcement to eradicate prostitution activities in Malaysia / Umi Farhanah Mohd Nasir ... [et al.]

The concern arises when the issue of prostitution in Malaysia remains unresolved. This has driven us to look into the issue of prostitution in greater depth. In our research, we discussed on both the civil and Syariah jurisdiction. From our research and the interviews conducted, we have discovered the similar main problems in both the civil and Syariah jurisdiction, which cause the difficulties in eradicating prostitution activities in Malaysia. The problems are difficulties in collecting evidences, lack of enforcement and the light punishment imposed on the offences relating to prostitution. Based on the findings, we analyzed the laws governing prostitution in Sweden as legal benchmarks as it had been proven that prostitution in Sweden is under control and it is the only country that succeeded in reducing its prostitution activities by using its unique technique. It is undeniable that many countries in the world are trying to adapt the Swedish approach in handling the issue of prostitution. Therefore, in the closing stage of this project paper, we proposed that Malaysia should take the identical approach as Sweden that is to punish the purchaser of sexual services instead of punishing the woman providing that the issues of social, culture and sensitivity of the Malaysian people be taken into consideration

Preliminary Studies on Species Diversity of Coastal Bivalves and the Traditional Knowledge on Bivalve Fishery in Sedili Kechil, Johor

Research on bivalves in Malaysia and documentation on bivalve fishery is still lacking in the recent years. Study on the diversity of bivalves will help contribute to the Malaysian database and the documentation of traditional knowledge on bivalve fishery will prevent the knowledge from going extinct. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine the species diversity of bivalves present in Sedili Kechil, Johor and also to gain access to the traditional knowledge of the fishermen involved in bivalve fishery practiced in the area. Bivalves were handpicked randomly throughout the coastal region and a total of 10 respondents make up the sample size of this study. The traditional knowledge were gathered with the aid of a semi-structured questionnaire through a combination of non-participant observation and in-depth interview method. This study has collected the first record of species of bivalves in Sedili Kechil. The bivalves’ diversity in Sedili Kechil is medium to low diversity by using Shannon Wiener Index (1.26) and Pielou’s Index of Evenness (0.41) and the traditional knowledge is documented regarding the variety of habitat preferences, fishery seasons, and exploitation and preservation methods. It is discovered that most bivalves occupy sandy substrates with four periods of availability and also with different exploitation methods with respective to species. No preservation method is practiced by the villagers. The association with abiotic components and non-abiotic components and preference timing and depth for bivalve fishery are also noted. This record on species diversity and the documentation of traditional knowledge is hoped to be contributing to the Malaysian database and become preliminary data for future researches

Species Identification and Relationship of Sea Cucumber species from Pulau Tinggi and Sedili Kechil, Johor Based on Ossicle Shape

Sea cucumbers are an abundant echinoderm group in Malaysia which provides commercial and medicinal values to local people. Due to the lack of data on sea cucumbers status in Johor coastal seawaters, this study was conducted. This study aimed to identify the species and relationship of sea cucumber from two selected Johor coastal seawater; Pulau Tinggi and Sedili Kechil based on ossicle shape. The current study recorded 53 individuals of sea cucumbers, of which 23 individuals were from Pulau Tinggi, Mersing District and 30 individuals were from Sedili Kechil, Kota Tinggi District. A number of 10 species of sea cucumber were found in the coastal waters of Pulau Tinggi, Mersing and three species in Sedili Kechil, Kota Tinggi, Johor. A total of 10 ossicle shapes were observed and extracted from the sea cucumber samples namely button, perforated plate, table, C-shaped rod, rosette, anchor, spider, I-shaped rod, boomerang, and J-shaped rod. The species relationship based on ossicle shapes was analysed using clustering option of PAST (PAleontological STatistics) software version 4.03. The analysis concluded that two groups of sea cucumber families i.e. Holothuriidae and Stichopodidae were present, although S. chloronotus clustered closer with the members of family Holothuriidae.. Although more specimens are required to generate better conclusive results, the outcomes provided updated data on sea cucumber species in Johor seawater

Species identification and relationship of sea cucumber species from Pulau Tinggi and Sedili Kechil, Johor based on ossicle shape

Sea cucumbers are an abundant echinoderm group in Malaysia which provides commercial and medicinal values to local people. Due to the lack of data on sea cucumbers status in Johor coastal seawaters, this study was conducted. This study aimed to identify the species and relationship of sea cucumber from two selected Johor coastal seawater; Pulau Tinggi and Sedili Kechil based on ossicle shape. The current study recorded 53 individuals of sea cucumbers, of which 23 individuals were from Pulau Tinggi, Mersing District and 30 individuals were from Sedili Kechil, Kota Tinggi District. A number of 10 species of sea cucumber were found in the coastal waters of Pulau Tinggi, Mersing and three species in Sedili Kechil, Kota Tinggi, Johor. A total of 10 ossicle shapes were observed and extracted from the sea cucumber samples namely button, perforated plate, table, C-shaped rod, rosette, anchor, spider, I-shaped rod, boomerang, and J-shaped rod. The species relationship based on ossicle shapes was analysed using clustering option of PAST (PAleontological STatistics) software version 4.03. The analysis concluded that two groups of sea cucumber families i.e. Holothuriidae and Stichopodidae were present, although S. chloronotus clustered closer with the members of family Holothuriidae.. Although more specimens are required to generate better conclusive results, the outcomes provided updated data on sea cucumber species in Johor seawater