Malaysia slams tattoo expo as 'porn' over half-naked pics

Malaysian officials on Monday slammed a tattoo exhibition held in the country as "porn" unsuitable for a Muslim-majority country, after images of half-naked men and women went viral.

The "Tattoo Malaysia Expo" in the capital Kuala Lumpur attracted people from all over the world, and photos circulating online showed many heavily-inked participants wearing few clothes in order to display their designs.

The tourism minister had initially supported the three-day show which ended Sunday but after seeing the pictures said it did not reflect the Southeast Asian nation's "polite and decent" culture.

"It is impossible for the ministry to approve of any programme that contains porn such as this," Tourism Minister Mohammadin Ketapi said in a statement.