Jocelyn Chia: US comedian calls Malaysia's reaction to MH370 joke 'ridiculous'

A US comedian who offended Malaysian authorities with a gag astir missing formation MH370 says the absorption from officials has been "overblown".

Jocelyn Chia told the BBC she was "not making amusive of tragedy" and victims, but was trying to find humour successful tragedy.

Ms Chia - who grew up successful Singapore - called involving Interpol "ridiculous".

Interpol told the BBC it had not received a petition for assistance successful the lawsuit from Malaysian police.

Ms Chia had joked successful a viral video that Malaysian jets "cannot fly", referring to the Malaysia Airlines formation that disappeared successful 2014 - a delicate taxable successful the country.

She said her gag had been "taken retired of discourse erstwhile consumed connected societal media".

"I person [performed this routine] hundreds of times and adjacent did a shorter mentation of it successful Singapore. It ever cracks the assemblage up. I wouldn't person utilized it again if it didn't work," she said.

Ms Chia said "roasting" oregon poking amusive astatine the assemblage is portion of drama nine civilization successful New York, wherever she is present based. She said American comics person successful the past utilized the September 11 panic attacks arsenic fodder for their jokes.

"Americans tin admit humour that is harsher, edgier and much in-your-face, arsenic compared to successful Asia wherever the stand-up drama country is inactive successful its aboriginal days. You won't find a batch of edgy drama successful Asia," she said.

Flight MH370, a Boeing 777, mysteriously fell disconnected the radar successful March 2014 arsenic it was connected its mode to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur. A four-year hunt implicit the Indian Ocean yielded immoderate debris, but not the main fuselage. All 239 connected committee are presumed dead.

Ms Chia mentioned MH370 successful the discourse of the long-running rivalry betwixt Singapore and Malaysia. The 2 erstwhile British colonies were portion of 1 state until a bitter break-up successful 1965.

"Malaysian Airlines going missing not comic huh? Some jokes don't land. This gag kills successful Singapore," she said successful a 90-second viral clip that was taken from her show astatine Manhattan's Comedy Cellar connected 7 April.

The video stirred uproar successful Malaysia and was removed by TikTok, which cited a usurpation of its hatred code guidelines. Singapore's Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said Ms Chia's gag was "horrendous".

Some net users, including Ms Chia's chap comedians, criticised her for being insensitive. Others thought it was acceptable arsenic satire.

Interpol's main relation is to stock accusation astir fugitives and bring them backmost to the state wherever they committed a crime.

"I conscionable privation I could person seen the look of the Interpol serviceman who received this request," Ms Chia said.

"Honestly, if Interpol does bash thing astir this petition and things escalate, tin you ideate however celebrated it is going to marque me?"

The absorption from Malaysia to Ms Chia's enactment comes arsenic comedians successful immoderate parts of Asia endure person scrutiny from authorities.

In July 2022, Malaysia arrested comedian Rizal van Geyzel for posting videos that interaction connected radical and spiritual sensitivities.