Police in Malaysia are seeking the arrest of rapper Namewee (黃明志) in alleged connection with the “murder” of Taiwanese influencer Iris Hsieh (謝侑芯), who was found dead at a hotel in Kuala Lumpur last month, Malaysian media said yesterday.
According to a report in the English-language Malay Mail, Kuala Lumpur police chief Datuk Fadil Marsus said in a statement yesterday that the case, which was originally investigated as a sudden death, had been upgraded to a murder investigation under Malaysia’s Penal Code.
Fadil said investigators “expect to make an arrest soon,” Malay Mail reported, while the Chinese-language “China Press” news site said a warrant had been issued for Namewee’s arrest.
Photo: Chen Yi-kuan, Taipei Times
Malaysian media reported that emergency services were called to a luxury hotel in Kuala Lumpur on Oct. 22 to help a Taiwanese woman who had lost consciousness in a guest room.
Namewee was arrested at the hotel and later charged with drug possession and use. In addition to nine ecstasy pills found on his person, Namewee also tested positive for amphetamines, methamphetamine, ketamine and THC, the Malay Mail report said.
Namewee pleaded not guilty to the charges and was released on bail, with a procedural court hearing originally scheduled for Dec. 18, the report said.
Hsieh’s death began drawing heightened media attention following reports over last weekend that she had been working on a video project with Namewee at the time of her death.
On Sunday, Namewee issued a statement on his Facebook page, claiming had not used or been in possession of drugs, and was the victim of blackmail, the details of which he was currently unable to share.
He said that an ambulance called for Hsieh had taken almost an hour to arrive at the hotel -- a claim that was later refuted by Malaysia’s health ministry, which said the ambulance had arrived in 26 minutes.
As of yesterday, Malaysian authorities were still waiting for post-mortem and toxicology reports to determine Hsieh’s cause of death, local media reports said.
According to other anonymously sourced Malaysian media reports, Hsieh, 31, was found in the hotel room’s bathtub, which was completely dry and did not appear to have been used.
As emergency responders arrived at the hotel, Namewee is also said to have tried to leave the scene, before being stopped near the elevators, the unconfirmed reports said.
Namewee, 42, is known for his comments and songs that touch on sensitive social and political topics.
Born and raised in Malaysia, he rose to fame in Taiwan in 2022 when his song “Fragile” (玻璃心), a Mandarin ballad satirizing nationalistic Chinese internet users, was pulled from music streaming services in China one day after its release.
A graduate of Taiwan’s Ming Chuan University, Namewee has been nominated three times for best Mandarin male singer at Taiwan’s Golden Melody Awards.
Asked about the case yesterday, Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that after learning of Hsieh’s death, its representative office in Malaysia notified her family and is helping with follow-up arrangements.
The ministry declined to provide additional details on the case for reasons of privacy and out of respect for Hsieh’s family.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
Temperatures in northern Taiwan are forecast to reach as high as 30°C today, as an ongoing northeasterly seasonal wind system weakens, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said yesterday that with the seasonal wind system weakening, warmer easterly winds would boost the temperature today. Daytime temperatures in northern Taiwan and Yilan County are expected to range from 28°C to 30°C today, up about 3°C from yesterday, Tseng said. According to the CWA, temperature highs in central and southern Taiwan could stay stable. However, the weather is expected to turn cooler starting tonight as the northeasterly wind system strengthens again
Taiwan sweltered through its hottest October on record, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, the latest in a string of global temperature records. The main island endured its highest average temperature since 1950, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng said. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as human-induced climate change contributes to ever more erratic weather patterns. Taiwan’s average temperature was 27.381°C as of Thursday, Liu said. Liu said the average could slip 0.1°C by the end of yesterday, but it would still be higher than the previous record of 27.009°C in 2016. "The temperature only started lowering around Oct. 18 or 19
RSS