A US-based comedian has stirred considerable controversy after offending Malaysian officials with a joke about the missing plane MH370, and now the Malaysian police will seek Interpol's help to track her down.
Jocelyn Chia, a comedian from Boston who holds dual citizenship with Singapore, made a joke about the long-standing rivalry between Malaysia and Singapore while she was performing in a New York club.
Singapore was one of the 14 states of Malaysia from 1963 to 1965. But in 1965, after a bitter breakup, the two former British colonies became separate entities.
According to The Guardian, during the performance, Ms. Chia said Singapore had the best "breakup revenge" as it had become a "first world country" while Malaysia was "still a developing country".
She added that Malaysians had not visited for years because "aeroplanes cannot fly". When some in the audience apparently did not laugh, she added, "Malaysia Airlines going missing is not funny, huh? Some jokes don't land."
Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 went missing in 2014 after it vanished from air traffic radar somewhere over the Indian Ocean with 227 passengers and 12 crew onboard.
However, The BBC has reported that Malaysian police said they would ask Interpol to locate Ms. Chia as they investigate her for incitement and offensive online content.
Jocelyn Chia told the BBC she was "not making fun of tragedy" and victims but was trying to find humour in tragedy.
She said her joke had been "taken out of context when consumed on social media".
"I have [performed this routine] hundreds of times and even did a shorter version of it in Singapore. It always cracks the audience up. I wouldn't have used it again if it didn't work," she said.
Ms. Chia said "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.
