Screengrab from the viral video of the set performed by Jocelyn Chia at a New York Club. Source: Twitter
Screengrab from the viral video of the set performed by Jocelyn Chia at a New York Club. Source: Twitter
Malaysian police is reportedly planning to seek assistance from Interpol to trace a New-York based comedian who mocked Malaysia and made jokes on disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370.
According to Malaysia’s state news agency Bernama, Jocelyn Chia will face an investigation under Malaysia’s laws pertaining to offensive or obscene online content and insulting speech.
Police Chief Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani stated that they would seek Interpol’s aid in uncovering Chia’s complete identity and whereabouts.
Originally from Singapore, as stated on her website, Chia stirred controversy after a video clip of her standup at a New York club, in which she joked about the rivalry between Singapore and Malaysia, went viral online.
During her performance, she made remarks about Malaysia having “dumped” Singapore, alluding to the separation of Singapore from Malaysia in 1965.
Chia further commented that Singapore had achieved the best “break up revenge” by transforming into a “first-world country,” while Malaysia remained a “developing country.”
She also joked that Malaysians had not visited Singapore in years because their “airplanes cannot fly.” Upon receiving a lukewarm response from some members of the audience, she added, “What, the Malaysian Airlines going missing isn’t funny, huh? Some jokes don’t land.”
I don't know why Jocelyn Chia's direct hate speech is popular with American audiences
It sucks to joke on flight MH370
American values seem to be ingrained in her mind
So it doesn't matter, she would happy to see her citizenship was removed by Singapore. #JocelynChia #MH370 pic.twitter.com/2ttcyAMCgx
— Meoww^^ 🇲🇾 (@SarahSa245) June 8, 2023
Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 went missing in 2014, disappearing from air traffic radar somewhere over the Indian Ocean, with 227 passengers and 12 crew members on board.
The video clip sparked a wave of criticism in both Singapore and Malaysia, leading to the foreign ministers of both countries denouncing the comedian’s remarks. Singapore’s foreign minister,
Vivian Balakrishnan, expressed his dismay at the offensive statements and clarified that Chia did not represent the views of Singaporeans.
Balakrishnan further stated, “We value our connections with our family and friends in Malaysia and apologize for the offense and distress caused to all Malaysians.”
Chia, in response, told CNN that her joke was based on the longstanding, amicable rivalry between Malaysia and Singapore.
She mentioned that she had performed the same set over a hundred times for a year and a half without any issues. Chia added that when the clip was edited for social media, the relevant context was omitted.
Meanwhile, Chia acknowledged the potential risk of circulating the clip without the context of a comedy club setting. She was quoted as saying, “Upon reflection, I do understand that featuring this clip outside the context of a comedy club was a risky move.”
According to Amnesty International, from January 2020 to June 2022, there were 87 prosecutions of individuals, including artists, performers, and political activists.
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