Current:Home > MarketsMalaysia wants Interpol to help track down U.S. comedian Jocelyn Chia over her joke about disappearance of flight MH370 -RiskWatch
Malaysia wants Interpol to help track down U.S. comedian Jocelyn Chia over her joke about disappearance of flight MH370
View
Date:2025-04-15 07:44:06
Malaysian police said they asked Interpol on Wednesday to help track down a U.S. comedian after she made a joke about the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 — a request the comedian called "ridiculous."
Jocelyn Chia told the joke during a set at the Comedy Cellar in New York City, reportedly in April, as she riffed on the historically testy relationship between Malaysia and Singapore, where she was raised.
MH370 went missing in March 2014, and is one of Malaysia's deadliest aviation incidents, with all 239 people on board presumed dead.
Such was the outrage over Chia's joke that Malaysian police began an investigation under incitement and offensive online content laws.
On Tuesday Malaysia's police chief Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani said they would ask Interpol to help locate her, according to Malaysian news agency Bernama.
The head of police in the southern state of Johor said in a statement that a request had been filed on Wednesday. Kamarul Zaman Mamat said they were seeking "further information regarding the suspect to assist in investigations."
Chia is being probed under public mischief laws that carry a jail term of up to two years, as well as communications legislation under which offenders face up to a year in prison.
Malaysia and Singapore were briefly one state after the end of British colonial rule, but they separated in 1965.
Chia, who was born in the U.S., said in her routine that the city-state had since become a "first-world country" and that Malaysian "airplanes cannot fly."
"Malaysian Airlines going missing not funny, huh," she continued. "Some jokes don't land."
It caused an uproar on social media, followed by condemnations by top Malaysian officials including the foreign minister.
"I am appalled by her horrendous statements," Singapore's foreign minister Vivian Balakrishnan tweeted last week.
"We treasure our ties with family and friends in Malaysia, and are sorry for the offence and hurt caused to all Malaysians."
Chia, however, has stood by her joke despite the intense backlash.
The former lawyer told BBC News that the reaction was "overblown" and she was "not making fun of tragedy" and victims, but was trying to find humor in tragedy.
Chia told BBC News that "roasting" or poking fun at the audience is part of comedy club culture in New York, where she is now based. She said American comics have in the past used the September 11 terror attacks as fodder for their jokes.
"Americans can appreciate humor 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.
Chia was defiant even after Malaysia's move to involve the international police body, tweeting: "Would love to see the face of the Interpol officer who received this request."
American born actually. Would love to see the face of the interpol officer who received this request. pic.twitter.com/Mn3boAKp2x
— Jocelyn Chia (@JocelynChia) June 13, 2023
Later, she tweeted: "My @netflix special is writing itself. Thank you Malaysia!"
- In:
- Singapore
- Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- Malaysia
veryGood! (1)
Related
- Kylie Jenner Shows Off Sweet Notes From Nieces Dream Kardashian & Chicago West
- Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott Put on United Front in Family Photo With Their Kids
- Jason Wahler Shares Rare Glimpse Into His Friendship With Kristin Cavallari After Laguna Beach
- China's Xi Jinping meets old friend Henry Kissinger in Beijing to talk challenges and opportunities
- Brianna LaPaglia Reveals The Meaning Behind Her "Chickenfry" Nickname
- 10 Cruelty-Free Beauty Brands We Love to Love
- Australia says most Great Barrier Reef coral studied this year was bleached
- A new Iron Curtain is eroding Norway's hard-won ties with Russia on Arctic issues
- Justice Department, Louisville reach deal after probe prompted by Breonna Taylor killing
- See an Iceland volcano erupt for 3rd time in 3 years, sending bursts of lava in the air amid seismic swarm
Ranking
- From family road trips to travel woes: Americans are navigating skyrocketing holiday costs
- Foresters hope 'assisted migration' will preserve landscapes as the climate changes
- Heat wave in Europe could be poised to set a new temperature record in Italy
- Vacuuming carbon from the air could help stop climate change. Not everyone agrees
- $73.5M beach replenishment project starts in January at Jersey Shore
- Turkey agrees to Sweden's NATO bid
- More than 50 million people in the U.S. are under excessive heat warnings
- Lawsuit alleging oil companies misled public about climate change moves forward
Recommendation
Woman dies after Singapore family of 3 gets into accident in Taiwan
How can we tap into the vast power of geothermal energy?
China executes kindergarten teacher convicted of poisoning students
Fed nominee Sarah Bloom Raskin withdraws after fight over her climate change stance
Finally, good retirement news! Southwest pilots' plan is a bright spot, experts say
Foresters hope 'assisted migration' will preserve landscapes as the climate changes
Love Is Blind’s Bartise Bowden Shares Adorable New Footage of His Baby Boy
Get ready for another destructive Atlantic hurricane season