National sex offenders registry beset by privacy issues

PUTRAJAYA: Privacy issues are delaying the introduction of a national registry to track convicted sex offenders.
This comes amid the focus on the return to Malaysia of convicted serial rapist Selva Kumar Subbiah and calls for him to be monitored by the authorities.
Deputy Home Minister Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohammed has revealed that the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) has reservations on the possibility that the registry would infringe on the rights of the people in it.
"There is some concern that the privacy of those named in the list will be compromised," he told theSun today.
Attorney-General Tan Sri Apandi Ali could not be reached for comment on the status of the proposed register.
Civil society and women's groups have in recent days stepped up their calls for a list containing the record of offenders following reports that Selva Kumar, 56, had been released and will be sent back to Malaysia by Canadian authorities after serving a 24-year jail term.
He is expected back in Malaysia on Sunday.
It was reported that Selva Kumar, who is suspected of assaulting up to 1,000 women and girls, was convicted in 1992 of 19 counts of sexual assault, 28 counts of administering a drug or noxious substance, 10 counts of various kinds of assault and a dozen other charges, including extortion.
Stressing that while the right to privacy is important, Nur Jazlan felt the community has the right to information as well in matters of safety and security.
"The community has the right to know who is the dangerous person living among them," he said.
He reiterated that the sexual offenders registry or list should be made public and should come under the purview of the police.
"In most countries, it is done to protect the community. At least the community that he (the offender) is living in, is aware that he is a sexual offender," he said.
Nur Jazlan said sexual crimes these days are easily exposed due to social media and have become trans-border.
"All I am saying is in today's open world with the Internet, everything will be exposed anyway. People can disseminate the information in any way, so you might as well have the sexual offenders' list.
"But the sexual offenders also must be protected. What if some people take the law into their own hands? That list should also protect the rights of the offenders," he said.