- Written by Joel Gento and Pajar Anogera
- in Singapore and Jakarta
image source, Miss Indonesia
Controversy haunts Miss Indonesia a week after her coronation night
Several Miss Universe Indonesia candidates have registered complaints with the police accusing the organizers of sexual assaults.
The contestants were asked to take off their shirts for “physical examinations” and photos two days before the finals on Aug. 3, one of their attorneys said.
It was alleged that the organizers told the women that they had to “examine any scars, cellulite or tattoos on their bodies”.
“I feel like my rights have been violated,” said one contestant.
“It affected me psychologically. I had trouble sleeping,” she said, speaking to the media, along with two other complainants, earlier this week. Local television obscured their faces in the broadcast to protect their identities.
Many more will come forward, said Melissa Anggrani, the attorney representing three of the contestants who have complained.
Police in the capital, Jakarta, issued a statement saying they would continue the investigation. Her celebrity owner, Bobby Kabila, said in a statement that the Miss Universe Indonesia Organization would investigate the allegations. The Miss Universe International Organization also said it was looking into the matter and took allegations of sexual impropriety “very seriously”.
Former Miss Indonesia Maria Harvanti said that while body scans are normal in the country, contestants are not usually required to undress. She added that the organizers often ask contestants for their BMI, or BMI, to check their body proportions.
At Monday’s news conference, one of the complainants said the body scan took place in a locked room, but that there were some men there as well. She added that the door was not fully closed, which gave people an outside view.
While beauty pageants have long been permitted in Indonesia, the organizers are careful not to offend conservative sections of society. In 2013, the Miss World pageant canceled its bikini tour when it was held in the Muslim-majority country.
Miss Universe, now in its 73rd edition, is popular in Southeast Asia, especially in Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand, with winners becoming celebrities and social media influencers.
Owner Ann Jakragutatep, a transgender woman and Thai media mogul, has sought to revamp the brand to make it more inclusive by allowing married, transgender women and single mothers to compete.
Bijar Anugera is a correspondent for BBC News Indonesia
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