The search for a US-based comedian who made fun of Malaysia and made jokes about the missing Malaysia Airlines aircraft MH370 will be assisted by Interpol, according to Malaysian police.
Jocelyn Chia will be looked into for violating the nation’s laws against insulting language and abusive or obscene online content, according to Malaysia’s official news agency Bernama.
Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani, the chief of police, was quoted as adding that the police would contact Interpol for help in determining her entire identity and whereabouts. Chia stirred some controversy after a video of her making fun of the rivalry between Singapore and Malaysia went viral online, according to her website, which claims that she is originally from Singapore.
About the island state’s 1965 split from Malaysia, she remarked that Singapore had been “dumped” by Malaysia, but that Singapore had the finest “break up revenge” because it had developed into a “first world country” whereas Malaysia was “still a developing country” during the performance at the New York club. She continued by saying that Malaysians have not traveled there in years due to its “unflyable airplanes.” When several audience members appeared to be holding back their laughter, she continued: “What Malaysian Airlines going missing not hilarious, huh? Jokes sometimes fall flat. With 227 passengers and 12 crew members on board, Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 vanished from air traffic radar in 2014 while flying over the Indian Ocean.
Her words were condemned by the foreign ministries of Singapore and Malaysia after criticism of the video. Vivian Balakrishnan, the foreign minister of Singapore, expressed his shock at Chia’s “horrendous statements” and noted that Chia did not speak for Singaporeans. He expressed regret for the insult and hurt caused to all Malaysians and apologized to them on behalf of the country last week. He added that we value our relationships with family and friends in Malaysia and are sorry for this. Chia told CNN that her comedy was based on a long-standing friendly rivalry between Malaysia and Singapore.
She also said that her piece had been done “more than a hundred times” for a year and a half without any issues. She continued by pointing out that important context was lost when the clip was edited for social media. Reflecting, Chia was quoted as stating, “I do see that having this as a clip that gets viewed out of a comedy club context was risky.”
Amnesty International said that between January 2020 and June 2022, there were 87 prosecutions of people, including artists, entertainers, and political activists. Rights groups have accused the Malaysian government of employing repressive policies to restrict free speech and critical voices.
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