Over the week, a group of 19 people including a newly married couple were detained and fined by police in Langkawi for doing a wedding photoshoot in violation of the Movement Control Order (MCO)
Of the 19 people, 16 were bridesmaid and one was the best man.
The people, aged between 17 and 28, were slapped with an RM1,000 compound each for flouting the standard operating procedures (SOPs) by taking group photographs at the riverside in a housing area.
According to Langkawi district police chief ACP Shariman Ashari, police on patrol spotted the group taking photographs at about 6.30pm on Wednesday, 3 February.
“Investigations found that some of them were living in nearby residential areas while the others came from different locations around the island,” he was quoted as saying by Bernama on Friday, 5 February.
In photos and videos circulating on social media, the wedding party is seen packed in a police van and being taken to the Kuah Police Station
In sharp contrast to the sight inside the police van, none of the people involved in the photoshoot by the riverside was seen wearing masks
Back at the police station, the group was seen sitting around the compound with one of them making a video of their misadventure
Wedding receptions, engagement ceremonies, parties, retreats, etc are not allowed under the latest MCO SOPs for social events
Married couples living in different states, however, are allowed to cross state borders after obtaining authorisation from the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM).