Jocelyn Chia probe: No request for assistance from Malaysia, says Interpol

KUALA LUMPUR: There has been no request for assistance from Interpol by Malaysia in locating comedian Jocelyn Chia as of Wednesday (Jun 14). 

“As of today, Wednesday Jun 14, no request for a notice or diffusion from Malaysia has been received in relation to this individual,” an Interpol spokesperson told CNA. 

The spokesperson added that if any request for assistance is made, it must be “compliant with Interpol’s Constitution which forbids any activities which are religious, racial, military or political in nature”.

“Any request associated with offences related to freedom of expression would also be assessed in line with international human rights standards,” said the Interpol spokesperson. 

Requests which do not comply with the rules or offence criteria would be refused, the spokesperson stressed. 

Earlier on Wednesday, Johor police chief Kamarul Zaman Mamat said in a statement that a request for assistance from Interpol was sought on Tuesday.

“A request to Interpol was made on Jun 13, 2023 to get information about the suspect for our investigations,” said Mr Kamarul. 

Malaysian police added that Chia was being investigated for offences under Section 504/505(c) of the Penal Code as well as Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act. 

Chia made headlines recently after a video clip of the stand-up comedian during a routine at a comedy club in New York City where she poked fun at the missing Malaysia Airlines MH370 flight went viral. 

MH370 was an international passenger flight operated by Malaysia Airlines that left Kuala Lumpur for Beijing in March 2014 but never arrived at its destination. 

The flight had 239 passengers and crew onboard. 

The US-based comedian also made jokes about Singapore's relationship with Malaysia as part of her routine. 

In an interview with the BBC, Chia said that involving Interpol was “ridiculous”. 

"I just wish I could have seen the face of the Interpol officer who received this request.

"Honestly, if Interpol does do something about this request and things escalate, can you imagine how famous it is going to make me?” she was quoted as saying by the British broadcaster. 

Chia remains defiant on her Twitter feed.

In a post on Wednesday, she listed the various international news outlets that have interviewed her about the controversy, including BBC, CNN and The New York Times.

“So actually Malaysia, you can keep going,” she wrote. 

In another post on Thursday, Chia said that she has released a “full, unedited version of (the) joke on my Patreon so social media can’t take it down”. 

Patreon is a membership platform where content creators are able to run a subscription service. 

Last week, TikTok removed Chia’s viral video clip which contained insulting remarks about Malaysia due to its breach of community guidelines and depiction of discriminatory content. 

Additional reporting by Rashvinjeet S Bedi.