Malaysia travel-restriction plan for women sparks anger

Kuala Lumpur: A government proposal to restrict women in Malaysia from traveling overseas on their own sparked outrage among Malaysian women's groups on Sunday.

If the proposal is approved, women in Malaysia will have to get a written consent from families or employers before they can travel alone, according to news agency Bernama.

"It is totally ridiculous and it's a totally regressive proposal with regards to women's right to movement," said Norhayati Kaprawi, spokeswoman for Sisters in Islam.

The National Council for Women's Organisations called it unfair. "This is an infringement of our rights," said council deputy president Faridah Khalid.

The foreign and home ministries defended the idea, saying it is a response to a string of cases where women traveling alone were used by syndicates to smuggle drugs across borders.