She made a joke about MH370. Now Malaysia is trying to get Interpol involved.
Michael S. Schwartz/Getty Images
- US comedian Jocelyn Chia made a joke about the missing Malaysian Airlines plane MH370 during a set.
- A clip of the performance went viral and caused an uproar in Malaysia due to the insensitivity of her comments.
- Now, the Malaysian police are planning to seek Interpol's help to track her down.
US comedian Jocelyn Chia caused an uproar in Malaysia last week, when a clip of her making jokes about the missing Malaysian Airlines plane MH370 during a stand-up comedy set went viral.
Now, the Malaysian police are planning to seek Interpol's help to find her, Royal Malaysian Police Inspector-General Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani told local Malaysian news outlet Bernama on Monday.
Chia was born in the US but raised in Singapore, per Singapore's national paper the Straits Times.
In the video, Chia starts off by making fun of the friendly rivalry between Singapore and Malaysia, before she addresses how differently both nations have developed even though they were once part of the same country.
"Now, Malaysia you all are 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?'" Chia said, per a clip viewed by Insider. "And Malaysia's like, 'Yeah I tried, but you know, my airplanes cannot fly."
"Why, Malaysian Airlines going missing not funny huh? Some jokes don't land," Chia added, to a mix of both laughter and shock from the audience.
Her punchline was a reference to the missing Malaysian Airlines MH370 plane that took off from Kuala Lumpur on March 8, 2014. There were 239 people on the flight that was bound for Beijing, but the plane never arrived at its destination.
MH370 has not been found, even though pieces of debris from the plane have occasionally washed up ashore.
Adli Ghazali/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
Although the original clip — which was posted to Chia's TikTok account — has since been removed, it has been uploaded by other users on the platform.
The video caused a furor among Malaysians shortly after it made its rounds online, with many netizens and public figures criticizing Chia for her insensitivity towards the victims and their families, including Malaysian Foreign Minister Zambry Abdul Kadir.
"This video also clearly depicts behavior that is contrary to the values of Asian countries that are known for their manners and morals," he said in a statement to the Malaysian news outlet Bernama. "I believe this is not a stance or action accepted by any country let alone reflect the official stance of any government."
Minister for Foreign Affairs of Singapore, Vivian Balakrishnan, also condemned her remarks in a tweet last Thursday: "I am appalled by her horrendous statements. She certainly does not speak for Singaporeans. We treasure our ties with family and friends in Malaysia, and are sorry for the offence and hurt caused to all Malaysians."
Vanu Gopala Menon, Singapore's High Commissioner to Malaysia, has since clarified in a statement uploaded to Facebook that Chia is no longer a Singaporean.
Despite that, the outrage surrounding the comedian showed no signs of dying down.
About 100 protesters gathered outside the United States Embassy in Kuala Lumpur to call for an investigation into Chia, the Straits Times reported on Friday.
"We urge the government to ban Ms Jocelyn from entering Malaysia," Umno Youth chief Muhamad Akmal Saleh, who was the main speaker during the protest, told reporters onsite, per the Straits Times.
At the time of publishing, some of Chia's social media accounts had been deactivated, including Instagram and TikTok.
Chia, the Malaysian police, and Interpol did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment, which were sent outside of regular hours.