Baldgate is a Malaysian scandal that began on January 30, 2006, when Malaysian police

Police

The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...

 detained eleven senior citizens for playing mahjong

Mahjong

Mahjong, sometimes spelled Mah Jongg, is a game that originated in China, commonly played by four players...

, a gambling

Gambling

Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods...

 game, and shaved their heads. Gambling with chips is common among Malaysian Chinese

Malaysian Chinese

Malaysian Chinese is a Malaysian of Chinese origin. Most are descendants of Chinese who arrived between the fifteenth and the mid-twentieth centuries. Within Malaysia, they are usually simply referred to as "Chinese" in all languages. The term Chinese Malaysian is also sometimes used to refer to...

, but gambling for money is illegal without a license. The incident came only a few days after the independent commission reviewing the Malaysian lock-up detainee abuse scandal

Malaysian lock-up detainee abuse scandal

The Malaysian lock-up detainee abuse scandal is a scandal involving the abuse allegations of detainees under the care of the Royal Malaysian Police which occurred in 2005....

 of 2005 released its findings.

The suspects, Chee Kit Sing, 65, Chi Kong Eng, 31, Tee Boon Kiah, 55, Lee Chu Heng, 63, Lim Kee Swee, 64, Lee Swee Fong, 49, and Lim Yew Bee, 54, were arrested at a coffee shop in Kajang

Kajang

Kajang, is a town in the eastern part of Selangor, Malaysia. Kajang is the district capital of Hulu Langat. It is located from of Malaysia's capital, Kuala Lumpur.The current locational gravity of growth in Kajang would be Sungai Chua...

, Selangor

Selangor

Selangor also known by its Arabic honorific, Darul Ehsan, or "Abode of Sincerity") is one of the 13 states of Malaysia. It is on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and is bordered by Perak to the north, Pahang to the east, Negeri Sembilan to the south and the Strait of Malacca to the west...

, on the second day of the Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year – often called Chinese Lunar New Year although it actually is lunisolar – is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. It is an all East and South-East-Asia celebration...

. All of the 103 detainees in the same lock-up had their heads shaved. The eleven men were released the day after their arrest.

A spokesman for the Kajang police defended the head-shaving as "standard procedure," the same rationale provided for the scandal of 2005. He also stated it was in accordance with Section 9a of the Lock Up Rules. Malaysian Parliamentary

Parliament of Malaysia

The Parliament of Malaysia is the national legislature of Malaysia, based on the Westminster system. The bicameral parliament consists of the House of Representatives and the Senate. The King as the Head of State is the third component of Parliament....

 opposition leader Lim Kit Siang of the Democratic Action Party

Democratic Action Party

The Democratic Action Party, or DAP is a secular, multi-racial, social democratic Malaysian political party.The DAP is one of the three major opposition parties in Malaysia, along with the PKR and PAS, that are seen as electable alternatives to the Barisan Nasional coalition of parties...

(DAP) gave the incident the moniker of "botakgate".