KUALA LUMPUR: The public have been reminded not to spread false information on the novel coronavirus (2019-nCov), or be prepared to face the music.
Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Abdul Hamid Bador said the police was working closely with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to track down individuals who spread fake news for the purpose of creating panic.
"We will track these people down and knock on their doors. Whoever breaks the law, that person will need to be responsible over their action. This also applies to those inciting hate via speeches or campaigns.
"The public needs to trust the statements and latest updates on the virus issued by the Health Ministry and its agencies.
"Stop spreading false information which can create panic. There are so called ‘half-cooked doctors’ out there who think that picking up information from unreliable sources would solve the problem, but instead they create panic.
“Four people have been arrested so far," he told the press conference after the launch of the Narcotics Criminal Investigation Department’s theme song and corporate video at the Kuala Lumpur Royal Malaysia Police College, here, today.
Yesterday, the police and MCMC issued a joint statement saying that they had identified four people to assist investigations into the dissemination of fake news related to the 2019-nCoV.
Abdul Hamid said today that the police would continue to work together with the Health Ministry in providing assistance to curb the spread of the disease.
He said it was compulsory for the police to assist the government in the matter, and he had ordered all district police chiefs to provide assistance to the respective health departments when needed.
Malaysia has suspended all visa facilities for Chinese tourists from Wuhan and Hubei as part of its measures to combat the 2019-nCov outbreak.
Yesterday, Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said there had been no visitors from Wuhan to Malaysia since Jan 23, which was the same day that Chinese authorities implemented a lockdown on the city.
It was reported that there were four positive coronavirus cases in the country and five pending cases involving those awaiting results of laboratory tests. All cased involved Chinese nationals.
Of the five, two are in Langkawi, two in Kuala Lumpur and the latest is in Bintulu.