Global Courant
JOHOR BARU – Johor Police confirmed on Wednesday that two charges have been received so far against stand-up comedian Jocelyn Chia for insulting and belittling Malaysia.
“An Interpol request was made on Tuesday to get more information about the suspect to aid the investigation,” police chief Kamarul Zaman Mamat said in a statement on Wednesday.
He said the investigation was conducted in accordance with the legal provisions of Article 504/506(C) of the Penal Code. If convicted, offenders could face up to two years in prison and a fine or both.
Commissioner Kamarul Zaman said the case is also under investigation under Section 233 of the Multimedia Communication Act 1998. If found guilty, offenders could face a fine of up to RM50,000 (S$14,530), a year in prison or both.
“The Johor Police Force welcomes any information from the public on the case,” he said.
He added that the Johor Police was determined to carry out the investigation and the public was advised not to bring this matter to a head that could disturb public order and peace.
Chia made a joke about the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 during an April 7 performance at a comedy club in New York’s Manhattan.
Her jokes about Malaysia and MH370 drew the ire of the country and Singapore, where she joked about the flight’s disappearance and uttered profanity at the Malaysian public while praising Singapore.
In an interview with the BBC, Chia said she was “not joking about the tragedy” and the victims of such events. She said she tried to find humor in the tragedy instead.
Chia was born in the United States and raised in Singapore.
Her remarks were criticized by Singapore’s Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan and the High Commissioner of the Republic in Malaysia.
It was previously reported that Inspector General of Police Acryll Sani Abdullah sought Interpol’s cooperation to access Chia’s full identity and location.
Chia’s reaction to the move was that it might just make her more famous.
“I would like to see the face of the Interpol officer who received this request,” she wrote on Twitter.
