A U.S. comedian is making international headlines after a video of her joking about the missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 at a New York comedy club went viral.
Backlash towards Jocelyn Chia’s joke prompted statements from the foreign ministers of both Malaysia and Singapore, where Chia was raised, and has since escalated to involve the world’s largest international police organization.
Malaysian police are seeking Interpol’s help in trying to locate Chia, according to Royal Malaysian Police Inspector-General Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani. Chia is currently being investigated for infractions against Malaysia’s laws governing speech and offensive or obscene online content, according to government news agency Bernama.
Meanwhile, Chia has told the BBC that the reaction to her joke has been “overblown” and the fact that the Malaysian police are seeking Interpol’s help is “ridiculous.”
She said her joke was “not making fun of tragedy” and has been “taken out of context when consumed on social media.”
The joke in question was captured in a TikTok posted by Chia’s own account, though it was removed by the app for violating its guidelines on hate speech. The video has since been reuploaded by other users.
Chia begins by referencing the rivalry between Malaysia and Singapore, joking that Malaysia “dumped” the small island state in 1965 when the two nations split, but Singapore got the “best break-up revenge.”
“Forty years later, we became a first-world country. And you guys, Malaysia, what are you now? Still a developing country.”
“Now, Malaysia you’re trying to come around, like, ‘Hey Singapore, you’re looking good lah.’ And we’re like, ‘I know, but why haven’t you visited me in 40 years? And Malaysia’s like, ‘Yeah I tried, but you know, my airplanes cannot fly,'” Chia continued to mixed laughs and groans.
“Why, Malaysian Airlines going missing not funny huh? Some jokes don’t land,” Chia said with a grin. “This joke kills in Singapore.”
Chia’s joke references the still-missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 that disappeared from air traffic radar on March 8, 2014, while en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. Onboard the flight were 227 passengers and 12 crew. They are all presumed dead.
Authorities searched the Indian Ocean for four years but were never able to locate the missing Boeing 777’s main fuselage, though some pieces of debris were allegedly found.
Online commenters accused Chia’s joke of being insensitive to the victims of the tragedy and their families, and prompted Singapore’s foreign minister Vivian Balakrishnan to state that Chia does not speak for Singaporeans.
“I am appalled by her horrendous statements,” the minister tweeted. “We treasure our ties with family and friends in Malaysia, and are sorry for the offence and hurt caused to all Malaysians.”
Singapore’s High Commissioner made a Facebook post to clarify that Chia is no longer a Singaporean citizen.
Malaysia’s foreign minister Zambry Abdul Kadir also hit back against the joke, saying Chia’s video “clearly depicts behaviour that is contrary to the values of Asian countries that are known for their manners and morals.”
On Friday, about 100 protestors demonstrated in front of the U.S. Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, calling for an investigation into Chia and for the Malaysian government to ban Chia from entering the country, the Strait Times reported.
Chia told the BBC that she has performed the joke in question “hundreds of times” before and “it always cracks the audience up. I wouldn’t used it again if it didn’t work.”
“Americans can appreciate humour that is harsher, edgier and more in-your-face, as compared to in Asia where the stand-up comedy scene is still in its early days. You won’t find a lot of edgy comedy in Asia,” she said.
Interpol has not stated publicly if it will collaborate with Malaysian police in its investigation. One of Interpol’s main functions is to bring criminals back to the country where they have committed a crime.
“I just wish I could have seen the face of the Interpol officer who received this request,” Chia told the BBC.
“Honestly, if Interpol does do something about this request and things escalate, can you imagine how famous it is going to make me?”
The Malaysian government has run afoul of human rights groups for repressive laws on free speech. Amnesty International reported that between 2020 and 2022, Malaysia prosecuted 87 artists, performers and political activists under the Communications and Multimedia Act, under which Chia is now being charged.
In February 2022, police detained a political activist for two days after he posted artwork on his Twitter page that satirized a government minister. A few months later, local authorities ordered the closure of a comedy club after a performance was allegedly offensive to Islam.
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