He said the sentence would be imposed on local offenders as well as visitors to the state.

Speaking to reporters after attending the shariah lawyers certification ceremony at the shariah department in Tunjong here yesterday, Daud said a man who dressed or behaved like a transvestite was committing an offence under Section 7 of the Kelantan Shariah Criminal Code Enactment.

He said he was not sure whether the laws regarding transvestites were the same in other states, but that Kelantan laws were clear that any man who dressed or behaved like a transvestite in a public place could be fined or jailed under the enactment.

“It is up to them if they want to be seen as women in their own homes, but not in a public place. It is a serious offence,” he added.

Daud said he believed there were transvestites in Kelantan as there were several factors such as the free mingling between men and women as well as a lack of parental attention to children.

“This group exists in this state but I am not sure how many there really are. When I was head of the state religious enforcement unit, there were between 40 and 70 transvestites in the state.

“That was in the 1980s. To rehabilitate them, we constantly held dialogues and counselling sessions. I believe their numbers have reduced since the 1980s,” he said.

He voiced his belief however that the drop in enforcement operations had encouraged transvestites to be more free in conducting their activities.