14-6-2023 (KUALA LUMPUR) Malaysia’s police announced on Wednesday (Jun 14) that they have enlisted the assistance of Interpol to help locate comedian Jocelyn Chia, revealing that two reports have been filed against her thus far.
Johor police chief Kamarul Zaman Mamat stated in a released statement that the request for Interpol’s assistance was made on Tuesday.
“We made a request to Interpol on Jun 13, 2023, to gather information about the suspect for our ongoing investigations,” Mr. Kamarul explained, urging the public to refrain from exacerbating issues that could potentially disrupt public order.
Chia gained significant attention recently after a video clip of her stand-up routine at a comedy club in New York City went viral. In the routine, she made jokes related to the missing Malaysia Airlines MH370 flight.
MH370 was an international passenger flight operated by Malaysia Airlines that departed Kuala Lumpur for Beijing in March 2014 but never reached its intended destination. The flight carried 239 passengers and crew.
The US-based comedian also incorporated jokes about the relationship between Singapore and Malaysia into her routine.
The police announced on Wednesday that Chia is currently under investigation for offenses under Section 504/505(c) of the Penal Code, as well as Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act.
Chia had previously clarified to the BBC that she did not intend to mock the MH370 tragedy or its victims. Instead, she claimed that she was attempting to find humor in the incident.
She maintained that she stood by her joke and insisted that the video clip had been taken out of context.
Chia also expressed surprise at the involvement of Interpol, stating, “I just wish I could have seen the face of the Interpol officer who received this request. Honestly, if Interpol does take action based on this request and things escalate, can you imagine how famous it’s going to make me?” This statement was reported by the British broadcaster.
