Blackout Trading, the organiser of the Malaysia Tattoo Expo 2019, has come forward to apologise over the semi-nude incident during a competition which went viral on social media.

Its founder, known as Carlos @ Benny, said the incident was unintentional and said that the tourism ministry and Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB) should not be blamed for the incident.

He profusely apologised to all parties, including the members of the public for the event hiccup.

"On behalf of the organising committee of Tattoo Malaysia Expo 2019, Blackout Trading, we would like to sincerely apologise for the shortfall that had happened during the recent Tattoo Malaysia Expo 2019," Carlos said in a statement.

The event was held from Nov 29 to Dec 1 at Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, with participants from more than 35 countries.

He added: "We now only ask for forgiveness for us to set things right and fix what can be fixed. Rest assured, history shall not repeat itself as we have learned from our mistakes and will only come back stronger."

Carlos said the organiser had obtained the support from MyCeb, but admitted that they failed to provide full disclosure on the activities during the event.

"The Ministry and MyCEB also shall not be blamed for the inconvenience caused by us," he said.

Yesterday, the tourism minister Mohammadin Ketapi said he had ordered a probe into the event following viral photos of the models in a state of near-nakedness.

He noted that tattoo expos have been held in Sabah in previous years without untoward incidents.

"I understand it was done behind closed doors, but this contravenes etiquette.

"Hosting international events is good for the tourism industry, but not this way. It doesn't reflect the true image of Malaysia, which is mannerly and decent," Mohammadin said.