Last week, a stand-up comedy performance by US comedian Jocelyn Chia caused a significant uproar in Malaysia when a video clip of her making jokes about the missing Malaysian Airlines plane MH370 went viral. The Royal Malaysian Police Inspector-General, Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani, has now announced plans to seek Interpol’s assistance locating her, as reported by local Malaysian news outlet Bernama on Monday.
Jocelyn Chia, born in the US but raised in Singapore, gained attention through Singapore’s national paper, the Straits Times. In the video, Chia initially jokes about the friendly rivalry between Singapore and Malaysia, highlighting the divergent paths the nations have taken despite their shared history. However, when she brought up the missing MH370 airliner, her comments took a divisive turn.
Chia joked as she went through her routine, “Why, Malaysian Airlines going missing not amusing, huh? Some jokes don’t land,” prompting the audience to laugh and gasp in unison. The joker’s punchline alluded to the tragic Malaysian Airlines aircraft MH370, which vanished on March 8, 2014, bound for Beijing after taking off from Kuala Lumpur with 239 passengers. Sadly, the plane never made it to its intended location.
Despite continued search operations, MH370 is still missing; occasionally, pieces of the plane’s wreckage have washed up on the shore. Although the original video, which was initially placed on Chia’s TikTok account, has since been taken down, other users uploaded it to the service, which caused it to become widely popular.
Following the video’s dissemination, Malaysians expressed outrage, with numerous netizens and public figures condemning Chia for her insensitivity towards the victims and their families. Malaysian Foreign Minister Zambry Abdul Kadir stated, “This video also clearly depicts behavior that is contrary to the values of Asian countries that are known for their manners and morals,” emphasizing that such actions do not reflect the official stance of any government.
I am appalled by her insensitive words, tweeted Vivian Balakrishnan, Singapore’s Minister for Foreign Affairs. She certainly does not speak for Singaporeans. We treasure our ties with family and friends in Malaysia and apologize for the offense, and hurt caused to all Malaysians.” Singapore’s High Commissioner to Malaysia, Vanu Gopala Menon, further clarified in a Facebook statement that Chia is no longer a Singaporean citizen.
Jocelyn Chia’s status as the subject of the dispute has stayed the same, notwithstanding her clarification. According to the Straits Times, around 100 protesters gathered outside the US Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, demanding a probe into her comments. The protest’s keynote speaker and Umno Youth leader Muhamad Akmal Saleh pleaded with the government to prevent Chia from entering Malaysia.
Some of Chia’s social media accounts, including those on Instagram and TikTok, have been shut down since this writing. Insider’s attempts to contact Jocelyn Chia, the Malaysian police, and Interpol for comments outside of regular working hours have yet to be answered.
