Boot camp in Malaysia for effeminate boys slammed

The Terengganu state Education Department picked 66 boys for the camp this month, part of a program to help boys deal with identity crises, media in the Asian nation reported.

The camp offers physical training and other activities and is designed to prevent the boys from developing feminine traits, The Star newspaper reported, quoting Razali Daud, the education department's director.

"The boys involved were selected from most schools in the state," Daud is quoted as saying. "They were carefully vetted before a final selection was made."

Daud said there could be big problems for such boys if their behavior was not addressed. He cited a couple of factors contributing to the issue -- parents dressing boys in girl's clothing "as they had really wanted a girl" or boys "surrounded by female siblings."

The move smacks of homophobia to many.