Former FMT journalist arrested under Sedition Act over question at Gaza lecture

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 17 — Journalist Rex Tan was arrested after posing a question deemed to carry racial overtones during a public lecture in Kuala Lumpur, which featured UK politician George Galloway and was titled “Gaza Exposes the Complicity of International Actors”.

According to Malaysiakini, Tan, who resigned from FMT the day before his arrest, was detained past midnight after being summoned to the Dang Wangi district police headquarters. 

His lawyer, Rajsurian Pillai, confirmed that the 31-year-old journalist was arrested under Section 4(1) of the Sedition Act and Section 505(c) of the Penal Code, which pertains to making statements intended to cause alarm or fear. 

The case is now under investigation by the Bukit Aman federal police headquarters.

The incident sparked widespread backlash on social media. 

In response, Tan issued a public apology, describing his question as “poorly constructed” and admitting it failed to consider the event’s context and the sensitivity of the topic. 

He expressed deep regret for referencing the Chinese and Malay communities, acknowledging that such mentions “could and should have been left out entirely.” Tan further clarified that he did not use the term “apartheid” nor draw direct parallels between the situation of Chinese Malaysians and Palestinians, emphasising, “I’m not comparing the current state of Malaysian Chinese to Palestinians. It’s unimaginable.”

Admitting he had fallen short of journalistic professionalism, Tan appealed to the public not to attack FMT Media or his loved ones over the incident.

Malaysian Media Council deputy chairperson Premesh Chandran described the arrest and detention as “going overboard and punitive,” noting that Tan had already indicated his willingness to cooperate with the investigation and that detention was unnecessary. 

The media council also condemned the doxxing, harassment, and intimidation of journalists following the backlash against Tan.

FMT, Tan’s former employer, issued an apology, stating it was unaware of his intent to pose the controversial question and did not endorse his remarks.