'Budgie Nine' Malaysian F1 strippers return to Australia
- Published
Eight of the nine men arrested in Malaysia for stripping off at the Formula One Grand Prix have returned to Australia.
The men, branded the "Budgie Nine", were detained on Sunday after posing in swimwear decorated with the Malaysian flag.
Budgie smugglers is an Australian term for the swimwear they were wearing.
On Thursday, they were charged with public nuisance and fined but avoided jail.
Malaysia has strict rules on any display of public indecency and foreign offenders are typically issued a fine before being deported.
One member of the group, Nick Kelly, warned other Australians to be aware of "cultural differences" when travelling.
"We are very glad to be home," he said at a brief news conference at Sydney Airport.
"We would like to urge all Australians travelling overseas in the future to be very aware of the cultural differences and sensitivities that exist in other nations."
One of the men, Jack Walker, who is an aide to Australian Defence Industry Minister Christopher Pyne remains in Kuala Lumpur.
Earlier this week, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said he will be talking to Mr Pyne about Mr Walker's future as a ministerial adviser.
The prime minister told Adelaide radio station 5AA on Friday that the Malaysian authorities were "very lenient" and that the men had been "very repentant".
"They apologised to the court, and that was appropriate, and they're home or on their way home and that's good," Mr Turnbull said.
"It's just a reminder ... when you're overseas you have to respect the laws of the country you're visiting, just as we expect foreign visitors to respect and comply with the laws of Australia when they're visiting us."
Last year four foreign tourists were jailed in Malaysia for taking naked photographs at the peak of Mount Kinabalu in Malaysia.
- Published6 October 2016
- Published6 October 2016
- Published3 October 2016