Malaysia probes dozens over virus misinformation

Several Asian countries have made arrests over the spread of falsehoods, and Singapore this week ordered Facebook to block an anti-government page in the city-state that it says was peddling misinformation about the pathogen.

Of the 27 people under investigation in Malaysia, four have already been charged in court and another four were expected to be charged Friday, officials from the communications ministry and prime minister’s department told AFP.

No details were provided about the misinformation they are accused of spreading. Officials warned a broader crackdown was planned.

“If you are found to be involved in any act (of) spreading lies… we will go after you and we don’t care who you are,” Mohamed Hanipa Maidin, deputy minister in the prime minister’s department, told reporters.

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Earlier this month, a Malaysian journalist was charged for making statements that could cause public alarm over social media posts related to the virus, including one in which she raised concerns about the arrival of Chinese tourists on a cruise ship.

Officials have warned that false information about the virus could be “inflammatory” in Muslim-majority, multi-ethnic Malaysia, where race and religion are considered sensitive topics.

Some observers have raised concerns that overzealous crackdowns could curb civil liberties.

“There is a thin line between the government taking proactive steps against (misinformation) and the government infringing on rights to free speech,” Asrul Hadi Abdullah Sani, a political analyst from BowerGroupAsia consultancy, told AFP.