Malaysia seizes pig-bristle paint brushes

A domestic trade enforcement officer checks paint brushes believed to be made with pig bristles at a hardware store outside Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Wednesday.(AP photo)

KUALA LUMPUR -- Malaysian authorities have seized more than 2,000 paint brushes believed made with pig bristles and sold without labels, in a crackdown following complaints from Muslim consumers.

Pigs and dogs are considered unclean by Muslims, who make up some 60% of Malaysia's 30 million people. It is illegal to sell products made from any part of a pig or a dog unless the goods are labeled and kept separately.

Domestic trade enforcement official Zarif Anwar said on Wednesday that officials were inspecting shops selling paint brushes for art and commercial use. Seized brushes would be examined to determine whether they used pig bristles.

He said traders who flout the rule could face up to three years in prison and/or a fine of 100,000 ringgit (about 790,000 baht).